If you enjoy working with children and helping them learn and develop, a career in Early Childhood Education could be for you. Working with young children can be extremely rewarding and offers many opportunities to advance to a supervisory or managerial role. You might take on work as an educator in a child care centre or open your own child care business in a home setting. You might also specialise in a particular type of Early Childhood Education, such as working with indigenous children or children with special needs.
Working in Early Childhood Education requires patience and a lot of energy. You’ll need to be a good communicator and enjoy working as part of a team. You’ll spend a lot of time liaising with parents and carers so you’ll need to understand individual needs and circumstances. Early childhood workers should be flexible and willing to be involved in a range of activities with the children in their care. It’s important you are safety focused and can follow correct procedures during your work.
If you’re interested in a career in Early Childhood Education, the following courses can help you get started:
Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
A Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care will give you the practical skills you need to work in a range of early childhood care settings. You’ll learn to care for children with various needs and looks at strategies for keeping children safe. This course looks at developing relationships with babies and toddlers and explores techniques for supporting play and learning.
Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
A Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care is an excellent way to advance your career in the early childhood education sector. This course will give you the knowledge to design and implement an early childhood curriculum in a range of settings. You’ll learn about approved learning frameworks and explore techniques for working in partnership with families, nurturing creativity in children and developing inclusive strategies.
Diploma of School Age Education and Care
A Diploma of School Age Education and Care and Care is an ideal course for anyone planning to work with school-aged children in an outside school hours care facility. You might be employed in a before and after school care program or in a vacation care setting. This course will give you the skills to safely manage children and nurture their creativity and wellbeing.
An Early Childhood Education qualification could lead to a range of careers including the following job roles:
Childcare Assistant
A Childcare Assistant works in a childcare centre or early education facility. You’ll supervise children and take part in activities designed to promote their learning and development. Childcare Assistants may help children with tasks such as toileting and eating. You may care for a range of clients, including babies, toddlers and very young children. Childcare Assistants usually work as part of a larger childcare team.
Early Childhood Educator
An Early Childhood Educator develops and provides educational programs to meet the needs of a range of young children. You might work in a childcare centre, early education facility or in a home care environment. Early Childhood Educators work with children from babies through to early school aged children. You might cater for a range of individual needs and developmental levels.
Nanny
A Nanny cares for young children in their own home. You might help parents with daily routines or care for children while their parents are out of the home. Nannies might take children out into the community or to special events or they may assist with regular duties such as dressing, feeding, toileting and bathing. You might also perform household tasks such as laundry, cooking or housework.
Getting started
If you’re considering enrolling in a course in Early Childhood Education, make sure you collect information from a range of course providers. There are often some differences in the way providers deliver their programs and it’s important you find the right course to meet your needs. When contacting providers, make sure you get information about course duration, costs, any prerequisites and the content the course will cover. Once you have all the information you can compare details and decide which course is right for your needs.