Shaping ECE for the next generation: addressing work intensification, retention and wellbeing

Early childhood education is facing a retention crisis, yet many leadership responses fail to address the real drivers behind educator burnout and attrition.

Recent Australian research highlights a growing pattern of work intensification in ECE: rising non-contact workloads, unpaid hours, constant task-switching and limited time for meaningful work with children.

These pressures don’t just affect educator wellbeing: they directly impact service quality, sustainability and long-term workforce stability.

In this webinar, Mana’s CEO and Founder draws on current sector research and real-world experience to unpack:

• What a typical day in ECE actually looks like for educators and leaders
• How workload demands have quietly expanded beyond what roles were designed for
• Why unpaid work and constant interruptions are becoming normalised
• The link between work intensification, educator wellbeing and retention outcomes
• What executives and owners often misunderstand, and how that misalignment shows up in decision-making

This session moves beyond surface-level solutions and focuses on the structural issues leaders, managers and owners can influence.

This is a practical, evidence-informed conversation for owners, operators and senior leaders and managers who want to improve retention by first understanding the lived reality of their workforce.