As a parent, you’d be forgiven for thinking the role of an educator is just to care for your child while they attend the childcare service. However, an educator’s role in early childhood reaches far beyond simply supervising and caring for your little one.
Early childhood educators play a key role in the lives of the children in their care. From role modelling desired behaviours to providing a safe environment for children to learn, play and grow, many educators have a lasting impact on little ones.
Read on to learn more about the role of educators.
What is the role of an educator in childcare?
Early childhood educators do more than just supervise and care for children while they attend childcare. Some of the key responsibilities of an educator include:
- Design and implement personalised learning programs based on careful observation of children’s knowledge and understanding,
- Prepare and oversee play and educational materials, ensuring they are engaging and age-appropriate,
- Maintain a safe, clean and inviting environment conducive to learning and exploration,
- Observe, assess and document children’s progress and development, maintaining close communication with parents and specialists,
- Support the inclusion and active participation of children with additional needs in all activities,
- Administer basic first aid when necessary during emergencies,
- Assist children with daily routines and reinforce concepts of health and safety, and
- Guide and foster positive social interactions among children, encouraging cooperation and mutual respect.
With so many essential tasks, it’s no wonder educators play various roles in a child’s life. Their impact often extends far beyond the classroom, setting children up for success throughout their lives.
Here are some of the main roles that educators play in children’s lives.
Create a safe and nurturing environment
One of the key roles of educators is to create a safe, nurturing environment for the children in their care. This involves ensuring their physical safety, along with their emotional safety too.
Educators foster a nurturing educational setting by encouraging children to explore their surroundings, providing emotional support and encouraging inclusive practices that are respectful of all children’s backgrounds, abilities and cultures.
Role modelling behaviour
Children typically learn by observing and modelling their behaviour on those around them, so educators often act as role models for the children in their care. This role modelling extends to a wide range of different behaviours, including positive relationships and social interactions, demonstrating a love of learning, promoting healthy habits, developing effective communication skills and teaching problem-solving skills to name a few.
Organise educational activities
As part of their role, educators are responsible for organising educational activities for the children in their care. These activities are designed to promote learning, development and overall well-being.
Based on the Early Years Learning Framework, educators create a curriculum that aligns with developmental goals and learning outcomes while ensuring it’s age-appropriate and inclusive. The curriculum will often involve a range of different activities, like storytelling, arts and crafts, physical play and basic academic concepts. The aim is to create a dynamic and supportive learning environment where children can thrive.
Observing and assessing children
Educators also play a key role in monitoring children and assessing their progress as they work through the curriculum. They observe children during activities to evaluate their engagement, understanding and progress. This helps to identify their strengths and other areas needing further support.
Educators will then record their observations by taking notes and documenting children’s work to track development. This information is then used to inform future planning.
Providing individualised attention
There’s no denying that children learn and develop at their own pace. With this in mind, one of the key roles of an educator is to recognise and cater to each child’s individual needs. From developing personalised learning plans and adapting classroom activities to allowing for flexible pacing, educators can ensure that each child's unique needs are met.
Communicate with parents and caregivers
As an early childhood educator, it’s essential to understand the role of parents and caregivers. Parents, caregivers and educators often have to work together to support the child and ensure the best learning outcomes. This involves maintaining open and regular communication with parents and caregivers about their child’s progress, strengths, behaviour and areas for development. By engaging in open communication, educators can actively seek important input and insights from parents and caregivers.
Behaviour management
Educators play a pivotal role in behavior management for children, guiding them to develop appropriate social behaviors, self-regulation skills and positive interactions with others. This typically involves setting clear expectations, modelling positive behaviour, encouraging good behaviour and providing individualised support for children.
Fostering independence
Educators help children develop the confidence and skills they need to become self-reliant and capable individuals. They foster a sense of autonomy and curiosity by designing child-friendly environments where children are free to explore and make choices.
They allow children to make choices about activities, materials and tasks, which helps them learn decision-making skills and take ownership of their actions. By offering praise and positive reinforcement for their efforts and accomplishments, educators help boost children’s confidence, encouraging them to further develop a sense of independence.
Pursue professional development
Under the National Quality Framework (NQF), childcare providers and professionals alike are encouraged to take active steps toward continuous quality improvement in children’s education and care to provide quality learning and developmental outcomes for children.
As part of this, educators are encouraged to engage in ongoing professional development to stay up to date with best practices, new research and changing regulatory requirements. This can include workshops, courses, conferences and self-study.
This allows educators to take a child-centered approach by continuously evaluating and adapting the learning environment, activities and interactions to meet the changing needs and interests of the children in their care. This way, they an ensure the children’s well-being and development are prioritised.
Collaborating with colleagues
While we’re on the topic of continuous quality improvement, early childhood educators should actively endeavour to work with other educators and staff to ensure a cohesive approach to childcare and education. Working together allows educators to share knowledge, skills and resources, ultimately benefiting children's development and learning.
From sharing best practices and co-planning to sharing responsibilities and using a team approach to find effective solutions, collaborating with colleagues is a key aspect of an educator’s role.
Not only does this type of collaboration enhance the educational experience for children, but it often helps to boost satisfaction among educators, allowing them to be the best version of themselves for the children in their care.
Ultimately, early childhood educators have a profound influence on children's academic, social, emotional and personal growth. They play a pivotal role in nurturing the holistic development of children, preparing them for future academic success, personal fulfillment, and active citizenship. Their influence extends beyond the classroom, shaping children’s attitudes, behaviours and aspirations throughout their lives.
If you’re on the hunt for high-quality educators in your area, Care for Kids is here to help. Use our childcare search tool to find, compare and connect with local childcare providers. Read reviews from local parents and check their National Quality Standard rating to see how they’re performing.
