Childcare as a career can take many forms. Au pair, nursery worker, babysitter and maternity nurse all come under the broader category of childcare. The day to day duties will vary based on the specific role chosen, but there are a number of common features that can be identified as common within the industry.
Child Development and Interaction
Interacting with children on a professional basis can be quite different from caring for your own children. Not only may you be faced with caring for multiple children at the same time, but also each of their personalities and traits will be different, meaning adaptability is essential for this role. There are a number of key features involved in providing high quality childcare, including child development and developmental needs, as well as safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. There are a number of subjects transferrable to all areas of childcare that as a professional you are likely to need an understanding of which include:
• The main development of a child from birth to 8 years
• Social, economic and environmental factors affecting development
• Genetic and hereditary factors affecting development
• Children’s overall developmental needs
• Transitions influenced by age
• Inclusion within child-minding
• Policies to meet diversity within the child-minding sector
Rewarding Work
The motivation for the majority of individuals pursuing a career in childcare is the enjoyment received from working with children. The rewards are obvious, helping children to develop during some of the most important years of their life. Children develop extremely quickly between birth and age 8 and a large amount of skills are acquired during this time. Having the expertise to assist this development and witness the child positively respond to your techniques on a daily basis makes this career quite unique.
Building Relationships
It is important to remember that as a childcare professional, a huge amount of trust has been invested in you from the child’s parents. Building relationships with both the child and parent is of equal importance. There are a number of traits that you need to develop the trust of your employers including maturity, honesty and consistency, all of which will create a desirable relationship. It is in the best interest of you as a professional to build these relationships as they then automatically manifest into positive recommendations, which for the child-minder is the Holy Grail.
If you would like to pursue a career in childcare, NCC Home Learning offer a multitude of options for online childcare courses for everyone from complete beginners to experienced professionals.
Nick Cooper
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