Welcome to the world of childcare...have you started working at a centre yet? How are you finding it? Or are you thinking of starting a career in childcare? Here is basically an outline of the list of duties you are expected to do while you are working at a childcare centre. Now remember, this is a very general outline and doesn't cover your centers policies & procedures and basic “centre duties” that you will also need to cover as part of your carer duties. The child care duties are normally given based on your level of qualification. The higher your qualification the more duties and responsibilities (endless paperwork) you have. If you are just starting in the childcare industry, your duties will obviously be different as you are still learning the ropes.
Working as a childcare professional enables you to interact with children, their families, co-workers and sometimes childcare specialists. It is important to maintain open and honest communication with all those involved at your centre and to establish comfortable relationships with the families, co-workers and specialists you are dealing with.
Within the physical environment, Interest Areas are prepared and maintained to encourage children in their learning. These areas are well planned and are purposefully created to enable children to experiment, discover, explore and create.
The physical environment in an early childhood setting creates an atmosphere that is welcoming, inviting and engaging. For the children it is an atmosphere where they can develop their skills and interests and become independent and confident learners. The overall learning environment creates a feeling of safety and comfort- a place where all children belong.
Creating interest areas within an early childhood settings are beneficial to both children and educators. For children, interest areas guide play, exploration and discovery which are all used to foster children’s holistic development. Interest areas enable educators to think intentionally about how to organize the space and involve the children to provide accessible materials that engage children and enhance their play experiences.
This article should give you a heads-up in preparing for an interview in a childcare centre for a traineeship, casual or a full-time position. This will give you guides on how to prepare for an interview in Childcare, Pre-school or any Early Childhood Settings, finding a suitable childcare centre to work, job interview questions you can be asked, resume and work experience requirements, questions you can ask, first impression, appearance & what to wear, other paper works required and more.
While working in an early childhood setting, one of the positions available is a room leader. A room leader is an educator who leads the room, responsible for the children the staff and running of the room. A room leader is not an easy job and it takes someone who is experienced and qualified to successfully become an efficient leader of the room.
Within Australia, Programming and Planning is reflected and supported by the Early Years Learning Framework. Educators within early childhood settings, use the EYLF to guide their decisions to interpret and assess children’s learning and development.
Firstly you need to think about whether you want to become a Director. Just because you are a good educator may not mean you will be a good Director. If you do not enjoy managing people, dealing with staff problems, talking about some things as they are uncomfortable topics to deal with, talk to parents who complain, do lots of mundane paperwork and sitting in an office staring at a computer screen, then most likely being a Director is NOT for you. There is no particular way to ‘become a Director’ however you can maximise your chances by doing some things.
The Early Years Learning Framework describes the curriculum as “all the interactions, experiences, activities, routines and events, planned and unplanned, that occur in an environment designed to foster children’s learning and development”.
How you support work placement students can depend on your own position within the centre, however no matter what your position you will have something to offer the student.
Encouragement is a self-esteem enhancing tool that we as childcare professionals should utilize more often. By using encouragement it focuses on the child rather than on the adult. It helps children to feel that we (adults) are interested in them and in what they are doing. It also shows that we have taken the time to notice how they are feeling.
During your child’s preschool years, an important milestone begins to emerge. This is the development of pre-writing skills. Pre-writing skills are used to encourage, develop and support opportunities for your preschool child to begin writing.
Language plays an important role in a child’s development. It enables a child to communicate effectively with their family, learn at school, socialize with friends, build relationships with others and complete simple tasks such as talking on the phone and buying something from the shops.
