In order for early childcare settings to be able to provide good quality learning for children, staff need to be skilled and provide:
– A thorough understanding of child development and learning.
– To be able to respond, praise, question and offer comfort to children.
– To have good vocabulary and be able to stimulate children’s ideas.
– To be able to grow children’s perspectives.
– To possess leadership skills.
– To be able to develop lesson plans.
– To be able to problem solve.
– To be able to get children to try new things, interact with other children and staff, ask questions and play games.
Just like professionals in other fields, staff in early childcare settings obtain skills through qualifications and training.
Staff Training and Development
What is regarded as important is staff training and development and professional development does need to be regularly updated. Training needs to be sought out and staff do need to make sure that their skills are refreshed and therefore teaching practice that is delivered is at its best.
The training needs of staff members needs to be taken care of by managers. There is a lot of information related to how training needs can be identified and one way of identifying these needs is through observations. These can bring to light any areas of weakness and where further training may be required. Below are more reasons as to why staff training and development is crucial:
– To be aware of new changes
For staff to remain up to date with new changes i.e. new practices or legislation, staff need to make sure that they attend sessions to keep them in the loop. For example, changes to safeguarding practices and policies have been amended many times over the years and therefore it is vital that staff are aware of the current procedures and policies in order to keep children safe.
– Applying skills and techniques learnt
Skills and techniques that have been learnt by staff can influence other staff members as well as the opportunities that are available to young children. Overall these skills and knowledge impact the development and learning that the children receive and ultimately their potential. For this reason, it is clear why staff need to ensure that their skills are constantly being updated. Another factor is that employers who want to show their commitment of their staff’s training needs are more likely to retain their staff members. At the end of the day employees want to work for an employer that shows them that they are valued.
– Morale
If the training and development needs of staff are ignored, low morale can set in and affect staff members. Staff who feel that they are not offered any progression or that they don’t have anything new to offer to their workplace may feel like the quality of their work is being affected. If employees keep up to date with staff’s training needs, the morals of the staff members will remain higher.
– Develop confidence
When training takes place, the confidence levels of staff members increases. Staff are likely to feel that employees care about their personal development. Staff members who are confident in their abilities will feel more positive about trying out new things and this kind of person will be more of an asset in a workplace.
Becoming an Early Childcare Teacher
The job of an early childcare teacher includes:
– Educating and caring for children and babies.
– Recording and assessing the development of the children.
– Change or create new resources.
– Implement learning experiences, programmes and routines for children.
– Informing parents and other educational professionals of the progress their children are making.
– Prepare budgets and manage the setting.
The knowledge and skills early childcare teachers need:
– Learning styles and the different methods of teaching.
– The early years curriculum and onto kindergarten.
– Early literacy, numeracy, learning and development skills.
– Behaviour management strategies and how to reward positive behaviour and create boundaries.
– Plan lessons and track the progress children make.
– Procedures related to emergencies and safety.
– Hygiene and food preparation.
The salary early childcare teachers can expect can vary depending on experience, qualifications and where a teacher works:
– Graduate early childcare teachers earn between $46-$70,000 per annum.
– Head early childcare teachers earn between $70-$79,000 per annum.
The working conditions of an early childcare teachers are:
– To work both in and outdoors.
– To take children on trips in the locality e.g. playgrounds, museums etc.
– To work 35-40 hours each week. The hours vary depending on the setting.
Early childcare teachers are required to have one of the below:
– Graduate Diploma of Teaching
– Bachelor of Teaching
The personal attributes that a teacher should have include:
– Being creative and open minded.
– Being able to solve problems and be adaptable.
– Being organised and able to motivate children.
– Being able to work as part of a team.
– Being able to work under pressure.
– Being able to communicate with adults and children from different cultures/backgrounds.
The likelihood of getting a teaching job is good as demand for teachers is expected to continue to increase and there is a shortage of qualified early childcare teachers. A reason for this is that many teachers have left the profession or retired and also because the spaces for studying are limited.
For those that work in the early childcare sector, it is clear to see that are skills and training are crucial in order to ensure that children are provided with the best possible start in life. The education that children receive right from the very start is an important aspect in creating a healthy and well-developed child. Therefore, the qualifications and training of those working in the early years is crucial in order to achieve this.