How to Become a Day Care Educator

Day care is a booming business.  This article has some great tips on how to become a day care educator…

While being supervised by daycare workers, children are able to learn numerous skills meant to help them develop faster after they’ve started to attend school.

Have you ever considered working as a daycare educator? If you did, and if you are the type of person who enjoys being around kids and loves teaching them basic social and intellectual skills, this career path might be the answer for you. In this article, we’ll list all the necessary steps that you have to take in order to get qualified to activate as a daycare educator.

Your Background is Important

For a person who wants to dedicate their time to children, it’s essential to have the right background when it comes to your years as a student. First and foremost, in order to be an ideal candidate for the daycare educator job, you need to have a high school diploma. Some high schools around the world offer their students courses about child development and psychology. If you took one of those courses during high school, you’re already one step ahead of the game.

After that, you can start getting involved in the actual activity, by volunteering to help out at a daycare center or after school, just to get the hang of the job, gain some experience and maybe figure out whether the job suits you or not.

Education Requirements

If you do find joy in this kind of activity, because that’s the key to being successful on this career path, you can take the next step forward by earning an ECE (Early Childhood Education) certificate or some sort of degree, depending on where you are located. For example, in Australia, you have the option to opt for a course that not only offers theoretical knowledge, but practical work placement as well. This kind of experience will ultimately prove invaluable when it comes time to enter the workforce as a professional. Earning such a certificate will not only help to further your career, but it will also help you improve your skills and confidence by learning about child health, nutrition, safety and much more than that.

In some parts of the world, like the USA, there are no special requirements when it comes to the education of a child worker, if you want to get an entry-level job in daycare. But you need to be aware of the fact that landing a higher-level position is considerably harder, and that earning an ECE will most likely be the deciding factor between you and other candidates.

Licenses and Registrations

If you’re done with your education in the field, you’re ready to make all the arrangements in order to start looking for a job. Here is where things get a little bit complicated, depending on where you come from. In some countries, staff members of a licensed daycare center are required by law to go through a background check, involving fingerprints and checking your criminal record. Sometimes, daycare educators will have to meet a minimum of training requirements, which may involve getting certifications in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and providing first aid to children.

Job Opportunities

Your passion and drive for daycare are your most important qualities if you choose to follow this career path. By combining that aspect with all the previously mentioned steps, you’re most likely to become a great daycare educator in no time. And it gets even better as you start being aware of all the job opportunities waiting for you.

Most parents are extremely cautious when they leave their children with strangers; as we’d expect any parent to be. That’s why having a college degree and/or a certificate that proves you’re fully prepared when it comes to early childhood education can make you much more trustworthy for many worried parents and daycare center employers out there. You also get more opportunities after having had a few years of working as a daycare educator under your belt. For example, you can become a trainer and teach adults how to become daycare educators too. With that kind of experience, you’re just a few steps away from becoming a preschool or daycare center director.

And the future looks brighter than ever too! According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market for childcare workers will increase by 7 percent by 2026.  

Considering all these aspects, there’s no denying the fact that working as a daycare educator boasts many favorable job opportunities. It’s true that it’s not an easy process to attain this if all you can mention in your CV is a high school diploma; but in some parts of the world, those people can get into this job market. If you have a certificate that proves you’re ready to work in the field and that you’ve already got the necessary training, you should have far better prospects. Now all that’s left to do is to start looking for an entry-level job and build on top of that until you accomplish whatever you’re aiming for.