Life continues to blossom at the ECC

Life continues to blossom at the ECC thanks to our remarkable staff!

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR APPRECIATION DAY

OUR OUTSTANDING TEACHERS AT HBT-ECC DESERVE TO BE RECOGNIZED ON THIS DAY AND EVERY DAY!

On October 21, we recognized the commitment, hard work and education of our Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) and all staff who work with our young children.

Teacher Appreciation Week has taken on a new meaning over the past 2 years, where the coronavirus pandemic has altered the way school is held and shown how hard it is to be a teacher. Our teachers have stepped up to the challenge. Our enriched program continues using creative approaches to ensure the safest environment possible.

20 Reasons Why Early Childhood Educators Are Essential

When it comes to children’s wellbeing, needs, and development, early childhood educators play an essential role in helping sculpt these aspects. Yes, caregivers and parents also help with these elements, but early childhood educators specialize in everything having to do with children, which is what makes them such a vital and essential piece to the puzzle. ECEs can help guide parents and caregivers for children to have a bright future. ECEs have been trained and comprehend children’s feelings and emotions as well as helping to boost their confidence and pinpoint their strengths. These are just some of the reasons why ECE’s are essential, but let’s look at more. Here are 20 reasons why ECEs are essential:

Expertise in Children’s Development: Early childhood educators are known to specialize in working with children as young as infants up to about the age of six years old. Essentially this is what makes them such pros at assessing, observing, and documenting their development. Early childhood educators can detect developmental delays as well as cognitive, social, and emotional difficulties in children and help to improve them. They also always try to focus on the child’s strength and adapt their environment to their needs and likes.
They Build Positive Relationships: Building a warm and positive relationship with children is so important because children need to feel safe and cared for. Early childhood educators do a great job of proving a positive environment and helping children build positive relationships with each other. They also make sure to provide positive relationships with all children by engaging in their play, asking questions, attaining to their needs and likes, and looking out for their wellbeing.
Socialization With People Other Than the Child’s Parents: It is important that children socialize with people outside their homes. Children need to become comfortable with individuals other than their parents since parents must go to work. Daycares and schools are essential for these purposes. At first, it will be hard for some children to transition from home to a childcare setting but with time they will become comfortable with ECEs and other children. It will be beneficial for their growth, learning and socialization. The great thing about ECEs is that they can create a welcoming environment for children to make them feel right at home.
Teach Children Cooperation: ECEs have become such key educators when it comes to guiding and teaching children in childcare and school settings. What they learn in these settings they can take home with them. A prime example is cooperation. It is important that children cooperate with each other and the best people to teach this are ECEs. This makes ECEs so essential as they set the groundwork for parents. It is important that ECEs model sharing and teach children how to properly play with one another, as well as to use our words if we are upset and not use our hands for hitting.
ECEs Have a Lot of Patience: When it comes to being an ECE, one thing’s for sure: you have to have patience and be persistent but also caring when working with children. This is one of the key reasons why ECEs are so important. As an ECE, there are times where things can get hectic and frustrating, but it’s crucial to be patient and have patience with children. It shows your compassion and children pick up on your emotions and cues. If you show your emotions and frustrations, it won’t work in your favour. Skilled ECEs have a lot of patience and take the time to be sympathetic to children’s emotions and feelings.
They Promote a Strong Sense of Wellbeing: ECEs are so fundamental as they look out for children’s wellbeing on a consistent basis. Whether it is their mental health or physical health they like to check in with children to make sure their development and needs are on track. For example, ECEs provide a strong sense of well-being by promoting outdoor play to boost children’s movement.
Promote Inclusivity and Diversity: One of the many reasons why ECEs are so essential is that they promote an environment that is responsive, inclusive, and diverse, embracing differences and welcoming them with open arms.
Reinforce the Importance of Play: A common misconception that parents might have is that children aren’t learning when they are playing, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Children are constantly learning when they are exploring and playing in their environments and ECEs are keen believers in play-based learning.
Offer Great Activities: While parents engage in fun activities with children at home, what makes ECEs special is that they provide fun, entertaining, and educational activities that children can take home with them. For example, bringing in sensory/mindfulness bottles are a great way to help children self-regulate their emotions and to teach children about mindfulness.
Can Guide and Assist Parents: When it comes to taking care of children, parents can use all the help that they can get and ECEs are always there to help out parents. Parents depend on ECEs for many reasons and when they come to pick up their children it is always a good idea to share what went on during the day, whether it is something good that their child has done or maybe you noticed their child wasn’t eating or had trouble napping. Parents will always appreciate that, and they also appreciate any extra resources that you can provide, for example, nutrition tips, events that are occurring that may be good for their child.
Provide Important Foundational Skills: ECEs really set the groundwork for children’s growth and development. Putting children in childcare helps prepare them for kindergarten. They learn essential skills that will help get them ready and this will make it easier for parents.
They Can Help Spot Children’s Strengths: All children carry strengths, and it is important to recognize them and highlight them to children and to their parents. All children are unique, confident, and capable, and it is important that we represent that. Sharing children’s successes is a big part of the journey that parents are always excited to hear about. In addition, highlighting and documenting children’s strengths boosts children’s confidence and heightens their self-concept (when a child becomes aware of the skills they have developed, for example, “I am good at drawing”).
They are Great at Teaching Self-Regulation: There are times where children are going to be faced with situations whether with other children or themselves and they must know how to react and handle their emotions along with their behaviours. Managing emotions can be tricky but with practice, self-regulation is an important tool. Children also aren’t the only ones that have to practice self-regulation. As adults, we carry heavy emotions as well, so we also must know how to manage them. Also, since adults also must manage their emotions, this makes ECEs pros at modelling it to young children hence making them very important figures in the classroom.
They Focus on Children’s Needs: ECEs make such great educators and are so essential because part of their role as an educator is that they focus on children’s needs. It is important to note that children’s needs can vary from child to child and from age group. For example, infants require their diapers to be changed, they need lots of affection and cuddles, they may need assistance with eating (self-help skills), when they are crying, they need to be cared for and they need lots of sleep and milk. Children’s needs are so vital and being responsive to them is what makes ECEs standout and so essential.
They Can Provide Community Resources for Parents: Having the right resources that can help guide you and your children are so helpful. ECEs are powerful people in this aspect as they can help guide and inform parents of great resources, for example, workshops about children’s safety.
Boost Children’s Self-Esteem: As already mentioned, identifying children’s strengths is so important. Children’s strengths maintain a relationship with their self-esteem. All children are confident and capable beyond what they believe they can do and achieve. It is important as an ECE to help boost children’s confidence and this is part of what makes ECEs so essential. There are many ways that ECE’s can boost children’s self-esteem. For example, when a child is trying to tie their shoes and they are having trouble, they can push them to try it themselves and if they need more assistance they can be there to help. When a child is able to do something themselves, they become proud and by acknowledging that it boosts their confidence. In addition, documenting these milestones are also so important.
Promote Self-Help Skills: Self-help skills, such as dressing and eating, are taught at a young age and are important for children to develop and learn. ECEs encourage even infants to feed themselves and assist them when needed. Getting dressed is also very important as it prepares them for when they get older. Getting dressed and guiding children how to get dressed can be fun as you can get creative with how to do it and how you teach them to. By encouraging children to do things themselves it makes them more independent, but at the same time, ECEs are always there to be of assistance and guidance.
Promote Literacy: Literacy is a very important topic when it comes to education and young children, and ECEs will start with educating about literacy with children as small as infants.
Reinforce Sensory Play for Infants: ECEs are great at reinforcing specific types of play for certain age groups. ECEs know that infants rely on their senses a lot, which is why they reinforce sensory play, for example with sensory boards.
Promote the Importance of Music: And last but certainly not least is music. Music is a very important aspect when working with children because they love music and songs. Children also learn vocabulary when they hear music and when you are teaching them songs.

POSTED BY VANESSA SERRAO

OCTOBER 5, 2020