A Passion for Early Childhood Education
Education is not a field that just anyone can go into and be both successful and fulfilled in their career. Prospective educators must
have a passion for teaching young children. This enthusiasm should reach
beyond playground fun and focus on helping young children meet
developmental milestones.
Patience and a Sense of Humor
Young children are full of energy and curiosity. Early childhood educators should bring a great deal of patience and a dose of humor to
the classroom to keep children engaged in the day’s lessons.
Creativity
Reaching children and helping them learn requires creativity while guiding students in connecting the dots and relating lessons to their
current stage of development. Early childhood educators should be able
to adapt lesson plans to concepts that children can understand.
Incorporating learning games and other teaching techniques can keep
children engaged and focused throughout the day.
Communication Skills
Children are sponges at this early age, but they are also new to learning. Early childhood educators must be able to communicate with
young learners on their level, including being able to break complex
subjects into easily digestible pieces. They must be able offer details
about classroom progress to parents so they are aware of their child’s
performance and achievement level. Communication helps parents identify
teachable moments in everyday situations and boost their child’s
kindergarten readiness.
Flexibility
Even the best early childhood teachers will go off course throughout the day due to unforeseen circumstances or learning hiccups. While
creating a lesson plan to outline important concepts that should be
addressed in curriculum is important for any classroom, even the best
plans sometimes don’t happen the way we hope. Being flexible can help
lessen stress levels and keep things on track.
Understanding Diversity
Children come from different home environments and backgrounds, which can lead to different learning styles. Early childhood teachers
should be able to accept these differences and be willing to work with
varied learning styles to ensure all students leave the classroom having
achieved the identified learning objectives.
A Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development
Early childhood education is not a one-size-fits-all teaching career, but with the right education future teachers can gain valuable
knowledge and experience to drive their success in the classroom. A
degree in child development and education ensures educators understand
basic learning objectives and developmental milestones for young
children.
This credential also gives teachers the skills to support kindergarten readiness and future academic achievement. A bachelor’s
degree prepares early childhood educators to be advocates who understand
the value of pre-K education as the foundation for a child’s future
academic success.
