Never a down moment for early childhood educators

What happens after you drop your child off at child care? The early childhood educators in the room are busy, busy all day long. If you haven’t spent time in child care, it can be hard to imagine how the day goes with 16 children (more or less) all needing support and care. And really this is the most important part of what our educators do in child care, provide that caring response. They patiently listen to each child’s thoughts, they provide supplies for their creative ideas, they plan activities that are based on the children’s interests and much more!

During free play time, children are engaged in play with a variety of materials. They may be at the block centre, the sensory table, the house center, the art table, or spending time relaxing in the book corner. The room is bustling with the children’s energy and noise. Sometimes children are playing independently, sometimes they play alongside each other (parallel play) and sometimes they play in small groups (co-operative play). The educators are right there with the children. Sometimes they are engaged in the play and other times they are supporting the play in other ways. This might mean they are asking questions, bringing out other toys and equipment that extend the children’s learning, helping children join in, assisting in problem solving, etc.

On top of all of this work in play, the educators are also responsible for setting up snack or lunch, diapering, toilet training, comforting hurt or ill children, cleaning, answering the phone, filling in paperwork, and talking to parents. This is the short list of all of the many jobs that these multi-tasking superheroes do all in a day’s work.

In addition to all of this, think about the children that are in the room with special needs. The educators collaborate with other professionals (speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, community teachers) to provide environments that are inclusive and support these children. They participate in assessment and tracking of behaviour, implement visual schedules, use supportive communication like pictures, etc. We shouldn’t forget though that child care doesn’t always mean center-based care or care for just children 0 to 6. Day home providers do all of this same work in their own homes. Out-of-school care educators care for your older children on split shifts before and after school. These educators are valued members of our child care community as well.

After all of this, these individuals working in child care deserve respect and admiration from our community. They deserve to be recognized for all of this hard work. They deserve to be known by the term early childhood educator, not just “babysitter.” They deserve to know that you understand that they don’t just play all day.

They are key pieces in the puzzle of your child’s development. Their interactions leave lasting impressions on your child’s life. And, your children touch the educator’s lives as well. So many times, children surprise us with their creativity, their knowledge, and their sense of humour. The children’s cuddles, their smiles, their “a-ha” moments, and their accomplishments make all this hard work so worthwhile.

For more information on child care in Medicine Hat, please visit our website at www.mhdcca.com.

Jennifer Usher is the coordinator of the Medicine Hat & District Child Care Association (www.mhdcca.com).