Looking after young children is a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly. As an early childcare worker, you will be one of the adults whom the child is in constant contact with, and your interactions will have a profound impact on his or her subsequent learning and development. The period between the birth of a child and eight years of age is a time of astonishing brain growth and lays the foundation for the child’s future behaviour and attitudes.
Early childhood educators must use all their resources and abilities to ensure that all young children develop to their fullest potential. Not only are these years important for their physical development and health, but also for their social, emotional and cognitive development. Children are very impressionable, and all the incidents and events in a child’s early life have a formative influence. With quality early childhood care and education, children can have positive experiences and memories that will stand them in good stead throughout their lives.
If you have decided that this is the career path that you’d like to explore, then there are several childcare courses in Australia that can get you off to a promising start. The Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care is the starting level qualification that addresses the skills and knowledge you will need to care for young children. This course will help you get a foot into the childcare industry in an entry-level job. You will be able to plan leisure and play activities that are age-appropriate and help them to achieve their developmental outcomes.
If you want to take your training one step further, Childcare Diploma courses like the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care will help you to access job options in a more senior role in the Childhood Education sector, with significantly greater responsibilities as well.
Having received the requisite training, you can opt to work in flexible care settings such as family day care, school care, occasional care, or as an in-home nanny. Undertaking Childhood Education and Care Courses from a reputed institute will give you the confidence and skills you need to succeed in your chosen career.
There are many skills that you will need that cannot be taught but come with experience in this field. You must have a genuine fondness for young children, a caring nature and plenty of patience to be able to deal with their questions, their quirks and the tantrums they may sometimes throw! You should also have very good communication skills to be able to relate to young children. It also goes without saying that you must be very good at observation, quick to respond to emergency situations and have excellent attentiveness.
All said and done, this is a career where each day promises to be different, richly fulfilling and very stimulating. The enthusiasm and love that you get from children are truly beautiful and you will get tremendous personal gratification from doing something that you love, and make a difference to the lives of the young children under your care.
