If there is any stage in a person’s life that needs the support of a teacher or mentor more than anything else, that stage is the early childhood or early years of life. These years are the pre-school years when a child is unable to speak properly or express his or her feelings clearly. This is known as early childhood education and the teachers who provide this education are called childcare educators.
Why would anyone want to become a childcare educator or a pre-school teacher? Well, there are many people who have to leave their children in someone else’s care if they work or have other commitments. A child care setting or facility must, therefore, be equipped with competent and able teachers who know how to handle these babies in the absence of their parents. They should be trained to become caregivers, mentors, instructors, guardians and teachers and not just someone who takes care of the child when the parents are not around.
Early childhood education is therefore very important for parents when it comes to choosing the right child care centre. There are five categories of early education centres and the parents may choose a facility that fulfils their requirements in this regard. These include long day care, family daycare, in-home care, outside school hours care, and occasional care. The teachers are also given these options so that they can choose to become a caregiver in any of these settings.
Childcare courses are designed to give knowledge of not just the bookish material but they emphasize more on the psychology of children and how to take into consideration each and every child’s individual needs and demands. They also provide sound knowledge for a smooth transition from pre-school to school when the child reaches the age of five. It is known as the “learning framework” and it encompasses play-based learning through effective communication, sign language, and numbers. It puts great emphasis on the social and emotional development of a child in addition to physical growth and overall health.
Early education in Australia is offered to children who are under 5 years of age. There are childcare or daycare centres that take babies as young as a few months old. Then there are pre-schools designed for toddlers who are not yet toilet trained and who can’t speak properly. There are specialised courses available out there that prepare these individuals to become more relaxed and happy teachers and caregivers. Only these trained childcare educators are able to run successful child care facilities for satisfied parents and cheerful children.
