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.

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.

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.

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.