Childcare educators are a special group of people who have the drive and passion to guide young children in their early learning journey.  When Mawson Lakes retail worker, Candice returned to work after having her second son Tane, she asked her older sister Malia what she should be looking for in a childcare educator.

As a first step, Malia pointed her to the Space childcare directory to find childcare centres in the Mawson Lakes region.  She then thought about the qualities she found made the best childcare educators for her three children as they had moved through the childcare centre rooms.

Good Communication

A childcare educator must be able to communicate with parents and children equally well.  They should understand that communicating effectively is not a one size fits all skill.  Communication style needs to be adapted to suit the type of parent, the culture of the child’s family and different personality types.  They must be able to communicate via electronic and written means, and be able to impart concerns about children sympathetically, or relate events where the child achieved well.

An Education Enthusiast

The best childcare educators will be passionate about educating young children and be interested in the learning and teaching processes.  They will be someone who talks about pedagogy, keeps up with the latest educational theories and has a fascination about how children learn.  This will be evident in the innovative way they approach lessons, the displays in the rooms and how they interact with children.  An educator with a real interest in education will deliver the best outcomes for children’s learning.

Organisational Skills

Superior organisational skills are a must for a quality childhood educator.  The job entails planning for several groups of babies, toddlers and preschoolers, ensuring the rooms are equipped with all the necessary equipment, fresh playdough and the outdoor equipment set out.  The educator must be ready for parents to arrive, talk to each parent and child as they enter, and both supervise and teach children throughout the day.  Without organisational skills, the educator will not be able to fulfill their many duties.

Have Respect

The final quality that Malia thought was important for a childcare educator was respect.  Dealing with people from multiple backgrounds, children with different learning styles, and comfort levels, as well as the other educators at the centre, requires a person who has a great deal of respect for others.  The educator must be able to both show that respect while at the same time retaining a sense of authority in all situations.  This is a skill that allows the educator to provide the type of quality child care that Malia knew Candace would want for Tane.

Candace felt a little overwhelmed at the thought of looking out for all these qualities as she visited the centres she had found on Space.  However, the Coogee childcare centres educators she met displayed very high levels of passion, organisation and respect to both her and her son, giving her confidence in the quality of care Tane would receive.