Strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining educators for adolescent pregnancy prevention programs: Insights from organization leaders and educators

Abstract

This paper provides insights into how 17 community-based organizations (CBOs) recruited, trained, and retained educators in pregnancy prevention program implementations for underserved adolescents in different areas of the United States. The paper also highlights problems and potential solutions associated with these practices. The study adopted a qualitative descriptive framework. We conducted 41 interviews with leaders and educators of CBOs and conducted qualitative content analysis of the interview data integrating deductive and inductive coding approaches. We found that a commonly emphasized recruitment and selection challenge was finding qualified candidates for short-term project-based employment. Interviewees highlighted limitations of curriculum training in preparing novice educators for program implementation and shared their strategies to overcome these limitations. Post-onboarding professional development opportunities were available for long-term educators, but not for short-term project-based educators. Educators reported receiving sufficient support from their organizations and coworkers to perform their jobs and maintain their well-being. Although none of the educators desired to leave their roles, they shared potential reasons for turnover, such as project-based employment and a desire to explore different career paths. We align the study findings with best practices proposed in the adolescent health education and human resources literatures and present a set of recommendations. Researchers interested in adolescent pregnancy prevention program implementation and organizations that plan to implement programs can benefit from the findings and recommendations presented in this article.

Keywords

• Pregnancy prevention
• Underserved youth
• Educators
• Human resources management
• Community-based organizations