Working in early childhood education and care has lots of perks and advantages compared to other education careers, but besides these advantages comes great responsibilities. In this article, we would like to share the five main responsibilities and obligations of a childcare educator.
Build a trustable relationship
When we take the question to our trainers about the first/most important thing a teacher should do with the children, the answer is “build a trustable relationship with them and their parents.”
Trust is the foundation of any relationship, and it is especially important for children, who are only starting to navigate life through their instincts. As a childcare educator, the trust you build with a child is crucial in determining the influence you will have on their development.
Establishing a relationship with a child involves being observant to understand their needs, interests, and abilities, initiating play and conversations, as well as maintaining open and effective communication with parents or guardians. It is essential to share information about a child’s progress, behaviour, and any concerns, as well as listen to and address parental feedback.
Ensure Holistic Learning
It is usually mistaken that the role of an educator merely revolves around helping children develop literacy and numeracy skills. However, a childcare educator does more than just that.
While literacy and numeracy skills are fundamental to a child’s comprehension of the world, it is crucial to consider their holistic development – which is the social, emotional, physical, mental, and intellectual growth of a person. As a significant part of a child’s daily interactions and learning process, educators are ought to assist them to develop in all areas.
Creating a Suitable Environment
Environment is a crucial element to a person’s growth, as we learn through interactions with our surroundings. Hence, how an educator provides resources and sets up an environment can significantly support the holistic development of children.
An encouraging environment for early childhood development should reflect the children’s interests, facilitate their abilities and challenging their learning.
Assess a child’s learning
One of the main responsibilities of a capable educator is evaluating a child’s learning, which involves assessing whether your planned experiences have supported the child to achieve their learning outcomes. Reflective practice is about learning from ordinary and interesting situations and from the issues and problems that are part of educators’ daily experiences. It is a critical examination of not only what happened but why.
For example, an educator may reflect on the original objectives and expected outcomes of a plan and consider how they evolved. [1] If learning outcomes have not been met, you will have to revise development strategies for the child and how to deliver improvement. Through this process, educators can enrich children’s learning, build their own knowledge and skills.
[1] https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/acecqa/files/QualityInformationSheets/QualityArea1/DevelopingaCultureofLearningThroughReflectivePractice.pdf
Ensure Ongoing Learning and Self-Development
The mentioned learning is not regarding the children, but about the process that all childcare educators go through. You are always on a learning journey to extend your knowledge and improve your teaching skills, as the children change and their environment changes. To be able to adapt to these changes and constantly provide a stable learning environment for children, it is important that educators practice self-reflection and self-improvement.
Interested in becoming an early childhood educator? Learn more about our Early Childhood Education courses here:
Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
If you have questions regarding courses, feel free to get in touch with enquiries@gbca.edu.au