Date of Conferral

12-18-2025

Date of Award

December 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Andrew Carpenter

Abstract

Teacher retention has been a growing issue, as the rate of teacher vacancies has continued to increase after the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in teacher vacancies after the pandemic highlighted the importance of retaining and attracting highly qualified teachers for schools and school districts. A coastal South Carolina school district had been providing employee support services to retain current staff and create a competitive advantage over other school districts in attracting new staff. The purpose of this generic qualitative study is to examine the perception of classroom teachers regarding the efficacy of free afterschool childcare as an employee support service to increase the retention rates of teachers after the pandemic. Herzberg’s two-factor theory served as the theoretical framework for exploring the concepts of job satisfaction, focusing on two key factors: hygiene and motivation. Purposeful sampling was used, and 10 semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of these analyses indicated the perception and value of employee support services in retaining school staff. School and district administrators can benefit from the results of this study by understanding the importance of data-driven decisions in providing employee support services to retain and attract school staff. This research study impacts education access and quality, as well as social determinants of health, to increase educational opportunities and help children succeed in school by enhancing staff retention and reducing attrition. The findings in this study may affect incomes by reducing out-of-pocket costs for school staff for services such as afterschool childcare and mental health counseling services.

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