What Does It Mean to Be an Early Childhood Professional ?

It is so clear to see that your view is one that many have when it comes to early childhood professionals. Many people, even some of the parents we service see us as “someone who babysits all day.” We do way more to enhance the lives of children and their families than some are willing to give credit for, but that okay!

 Early Childhood programs have a comprehensive approach to child development in the areas of literacy, language development , mathematics, and science, creative arts, approaches to learning, physical health and development , and lastly social & emotional (nemcsa, 2015). Do you know of any babysitter who does all that? I didn’t think so!

As early childhood professionals, we develop schedules and implements daily routines with our students to help them learn and function in a structured environment. We maintain a safe and comfortable environment, while providing age-appropriate supervision and conscious discipline. Oh, I almost forgot we plan and implement lessons where learning can occur through play and structured experience (Measom, 2015). Children learn to work in large and small groups and to set goals. These are both critical skills for future academic years. You see, as ECE professional we do a lot more for the growing young child than the best babysitter ever would. So, the next time you think of ECE professionals, don’t even consider the idea of a babysitter.

References

Measom, C. (2015). What Are the Duties of an Early-Childhood Teacher? Retrieved from www. work.chron.com/duties-earlychildhood-teacher-14811.html

nemcsa. (2015). Early Childhood Development. Retrieved from Head Start/Early Head Start: www.nemcsa.org