Recent research from the University of Georgia highlights a significant issue in the early childhood education sector: only 10% of early childhood teachers feel they have adequate time to complete their work. The study reveals that inadequate planning time exacerbates stress levels and contributes to high turnover rates among teachers.
Early childhood teachers are responsible for various professional tasks, including documenting children’s development, writing lesson plans, and communicating with parents. Unlike their counterparts in elementary, middle, or high school, there is no mandated planning time for early education teachers. This absence of structured planning hours may explain why the study found that only about 1 in 10 teachers reported sufficient time to fulfill their responsibilities.
Erin Hamel, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor at the Mary Frances Early College of Education, noted, “Most of them are doing their planning and work tasks during their personal time, which includes evenings and weekends. That can be problematic because it encroaches on their personal lives and can lead to burnout and turnover.”
Planning Time Shortages Impact Teacher Well-being
The study surveyed 106 teachers and 104 directors of early childhood education centers to assess the scheduled versus actual planning time available to educators. Findings indicate that teachers receive, on average, 37 minutes less than their scheduled planning time each week.
Hamel explained that the unpredictable nature of an early childhood teacher’s day often disrupts their planning periods. “If the program is short-staffed, teachers may have to use their planning time to help out another classroom,” she said. “Or if a child gets sick, a teacher may need to be with the child in a separate room until the parents arrive. That could take up her planning time.”
The lack of sufficient planning time leads to added stress as teachers scramble to meet deadlines, often resorting to working during their personal hours. The study indicates that many directors of early childhood education centers recognize this issue, with approximately half admitting that teachers frequently work over weekends to keep up with their responsibilities.
Challenges in Addressing the Planning Time Issue
Despite awareness of the problem, increasing planning time for teachers presents challenges for education directors. Each state mandates a specific teacher-to-child ratio in classrooms, essential for ensuring the safety and quality of care for young children. If a center is short-staffed, directors face difficult decisions, often sacrificing teachers’ planning time to maintain compliance with these ratios.
“Directors are between a rock and a hard place,” said Hamel. “If a center is short-staffed and the director needs three teachers in a classroom to meet ratio requirements, it may mean sacrificing teachers’ planning time because planning time is not mandatory.”
Only 16 states currently require some form of planning time for early childhood educators, though more states are beginning to consider similar mandates. Hamel emphasized the importance of addressing teachers’ needs, stating, “Teachers who are stressed tend to interact with children less sensitively, so adequate planning time can have an indirect impact on children’s educational experience. Taking care of teachers is an important part of taking care of children.”
This study, co-authored by Rachel Schachter, was published in the Early Childhood Research Quarterly. It underscores the necessity for systemic changes to support early childhood educators, who play a critical role in shaping children’s lives.
For more information, refer to the study: Hamel, E. E., et al. (2025). Non-contact time implementation in early childhood center-based programs: A mixed methods study. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.04.010.