Substitute Teacher Cost Calculator

What's a typical teacher absence rate in childcare and schools?

Public school teacher absence data commonly shows 8-12 sick/personal days used per year on average; childcare and private school staff tend to fall in a similar range, sometimes higher in infant/toddler rooms due to illness exposure. Pull your own attendance system data rather than assuming a national number, since it varies a lot by center culture and benefits structure.

Why build an internal float pool instead of calling an agency every time?

Agency subs typically charge a placement fee or premium hourly rate on top of the worker's pay, and quality is inconsistent since they don't know your kids or routines. A part-time internal float staff person paid a flat day rate is usually 30-50% cheaper per shift and produces better continuity for the classroom, though it requires having someone available and cross-trained.

Does this cost belong in the classroom staffing budget?

Yes — treat it as a predictable line item rather than an emergency expense. Spread the annual total across classrooms by headcount share, or track it centrally if you run a shared float pool across multiple rooms, and review actual usage against budget quarterly since absence patterns shift seasonally (cold and flu season spikes utilization).

How does chronic short-staffing affect this number?

If you're already understaffed, absences often go uncovered rather than filled by subs, which shows up as ratio violations or exhausted remaining staff rather than as a substitute cost line. A suspiciously low sub cost paired with high staff turnover is often a sign absences aren't being covered at all, not that your team never gets sick.