To create a statement of what qualities an Early Childhood Educator must exhibit I take guidance from the NAEYC's statement On Professional Preparation Standards.
Early Childhood Educators need to have an educational background in child development and education. In order to provide the best possible care for young children Teachers and Administrators need to understand how children develop and what stages of development their children will be progressing through. Educators "...Use their understanding of young children's characteristics and needs and of the multiple interacting influences on children's development and learning to create environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging for each child." (NAEYC, 2005, pg. 2)
Having excellent written and oral skills are so vitally important. You need to be able to communicate with children, families, administrators, and members of the community. This allows you to build mutual relationships and form connections. Being able to explain policies and procedures, teaching methods and curriculum choices, and results of assessments requires not only knowledge but effective communication skills.
Teachers need to know how to observe, document, and assess young children. Whether the program already has a plan in place or not, teachers need to be able to prove where a child is at developmentally with an approved assessment tool or tools. It is one thing to study the many different ways to assess children but it really takes "on the job" training and practice to fully comprehend how to do them.
Teachers need to understand how and why is is important to use Developmentally Appropriate Practices. They should "...Understand that teaching and learning with young children is a complex enterprise,and its details vary depending on children's ages, characteristics, and the settings within which teaching and learning occur." (NAEYC, 2005, pg. 2)
Being aware of, understanding, and celebrating the many different cultures that make up your program is essential to creating an environment that promotes each families individual culture. The program environment, especially the classroom, really belongs the families and children in the program and it should reflect the lives of those in it.
Of all the specific qualities that Early Childhood Educators need to have in order to be a successful educator one thing that I personally believe is the most important is a passion for working with young children and their families. Working in this job field isn't always easy, it can become stressful and is sometimes a thankless job. If you don't truly enjoy what you do, you can become burned out and develop a negative attitude. You can see this in some educators, they may have been doing this for twenty years or more and have lost their love of teaching. To prevent this from happening educations should always be continuing their professional development and communicating with supervisors and management when they are feeling board, not interested, or just tired. Even the best teachers go through ups and downs so just because you feel negative right now it doesn't mean that you will always feel that way. Find inspiration whenever you can.
Early Childhood Educators need to have an educational background in child development and education. In order to provide the best possible care for young children Teachers and Administrators need to understand how children develop and what stages of development their children will be progressing through. Educators "...Use their understanding of young children's characteristics and needs and of the multiple interacting influences on children's development and learning to create environments that are healthy, respectful, supportive, and challenging for each child." (NAEYC, 2005, pg. 2)
Having excellent written and oral skills are so vitally important. You need to be able to communicate with children, families, administrators, and members of the community. This allows you to build mutual relationships and form connections. Being able to explain policies and procedures, teaching methods and curriculum choices, and results of assessments requires not only knowledge but effective communication skills.
Teachers need to know how to observe, document, and assess young children. Whether the program already has a plan in place or not, teachers need to be able to prove where a child is at developmentally with an approved assessment tool or tools. It is one thing to study the many different ways to assess children but it really takes "on the job" training and practice to fully comprehend how to do them.
Teachers need to understand how and why is is important to use Developmentally Appropriate Practices. They should "...Understand that teaching and learning with young children is a complex enterprise,and its details vary depending on children's ages, characteristics, and the settings within which teaching and learning occur." (NAEYC, 2005, pg. 2)
Being aware of, understanding, and celebrating the many different cultures that make up your program is essential to creating an environment that promotes each families individual culture. The program environment, especially the classroom, really belongs the families and children in the program and it should reflect the lives of those in it.
Of all the specific qualities that Early Childhood Educators need to have in order to be a successful educator one thing that I personally believe is the most important is a passion for working with young children and their families. Working in this job field isn't always easy, it can become stressful and is sometimes a thankless job. If you don't truly enjoy what you do, you can become burned out and develop a negative attitude. You can see this in some educators, they may have been doing this for twenty years or more and have lost their love of teaching. To prevent this from happening educations should always be continuing their professional development and communicating with supervisors and management when they are feeling board, not interested, or just tired. Even the best teachers go through ups and downs so just because you feel negative right now it doesn't mean that you will always feel that way. Find inspiration whenever you can.