How to be a successful childcare worker. 8 Essential skills and Qualities…

Communication

Given working in child care involves communicating with babies, toddlers and adults alike, a child care worker should be able to effectively engage with these age groups in a manner appropriate for each. Knowing and understanding the needs of each age group therefore, is critical to providing a fun, safe environment where learning can blossom.

Babies 0-2

From the moment a baby is born, it can absorb information and communicate through sounds, crying and non-verbal gestures such as pointing, waving, smiling and frowning. So as a child care worker, talking to a baby regularly is equally as important as listening and watching for these non-verbal cues. Responding promptly with patience, warmth and encouragement, lets a baby know that it is cared for and can actively build trust and respect between the baby and child care worker.

Toddler 2-4

As babies grow into toddlers and later young children, their sounds become words and their vocabulary can grow from approximately fifty words at age two to several thousand by the time they are ready for school. As their communication becomes verbal, it is important for a child care worker to adjust their communication skills accordingly, by actively listening and using polite wording as well as a warm tone, to encourage the same in response. Active listening can include repeating what has been said and asking questions, and this demonstrates not only that you have heard what has been said, but that you care.

Patience and persistence

Patience and persistence are vital to achieving goals in the workplace and child care is no different. When a baby cries or a toddler becomes anxious, remaining calm and providing immediate care with warmth, positivity and encouragement, can put the child at ease and help them regulate their own emotions. Remaining calm and continuing until a resolution is met, also has the added benefit of teaching children how to successfully navigate stressful situations themselves, whilst helping build healthy relationships between the child and child care worker.

When a child care worker persists until an outcome is reached and the child is content, they succeed in creating a supportive learning environment that produces happy, healthy children.

Problem-solving and analytical abilities

Many problems can occur in a child care setting, such as tantrums, tears and disagreements between children, so as a chid care worker it’s important to understand the challenges of different age groups as well as their stages of development, and to respond to and anticipate their needs in a fair and responsible manner. 

A baby for example, may pick up a toy that another child was playing with or simply be due for a nap and need to give up its toy, and is likely to respond well to a Cchild Ccare worker distracting them with an alternative toy or a bottle of milk, rather than simply having a toy taken away. 

A toddler on the other hand, may show warning signs of tiredness, such as yawning, tears and whining, and if a child care worker can correctly analyse these cues, he or she may be able to get the child down for a nap quickly and potentially avoid problems such as tantrums. 

Studies also show that positive reinforcement, as well as plenty of care and affection can reduce negative behaviours.

Organisation and time management

A Child Care worker needs to have sound organisational skills in order to maintain a clean, tidy, efficiently run room. Having all items neatly labelled and in sections, allows Cchild Ccare workers to quickly and easily find what they need, as well as the ability to determine when an item of stock is running low and needs to be ordered, before it runs out.

Organisational skills are especially important for Cchild Ccare workers teaching preschoolKindergarten in the 4-5 year-old room or kindergarten to children ages 3-5, as they are responsible for planning their lessons, following the curriculum and managing student files such as reports.

Time management is equally important in Cchild Ccare as there are many competing priorities, such as nap time schedules, phone-calls from parents and crying children, all of which need to be prioritised and either delegated to someone else if assistance is required, or completed in an efficient and timely manner.

Loving, kind and caring

Being loving, kind and caring is essential to child care. Child care workers need to be able to offer their children empathy, warmth and a gentle tone, in an effort to develop meaningful relationships with the children as well as encouraging learning, positive behaviour and a happy environment where children thrive.

Children tend to listen, respond positively and remain engaged when a child care worker acts with warmth and kindness, and when a child care worker responds in a thoughtful, caring tone, he or she is likely to calm a child down and avoid challenging situations such as tantrums.

Planning and decision making

Child care workers are responsible for planning and delivering lessons to their children, as well as planning and organising the set out of their rooms, a schedule for each day including schedules for activities, events and ordering stock. Planning skills are therefore essential in child care, to ensure the smooth and efficient running of each room and the children attending.

Decision making also plays a critical role in child care, with the ability to make the right decisions, sometimes quickly and/or in stressful situations (such as when a child is injured), guaranteeing the best possible outcome for all involved. There are many decisions a child care worker must make, including what part of the curriculum to teach on a particular day, how to teach it, how to address differences in development and how to deal with learning difficulties, and sound choices are required to offer the best outcomes for the children.

Creativity

Child care workers need to be very creative, in order to plan and execute fun activities that promote learning at the same time, using many resources such as paint, pencils, brightly coloured paper and toys. Engaging with children and keeping them happy and motivated, requires child care workers to demonstrate their skills in creativity by introducing news ways in which to inform, entertain and soothe children at different stages of development.

Kindergarten teachers in the 3-4 and 4-5 year-old rooms must also exercise a great deal of creativity in planning new and exciting ways to present the curriculum to young children, encouraging them to learn in a happy, safe environment.

Compassion and respect

Compassion and respect are key elements in child care, especially given child care workers can be seen as teachers, mentors and counsellors. Having the ability to relate to children and interact with them respectfully in a calm, polite manner, enables a child care worker to build trust, honesty and an open, loving relationship with his or her children. 

As a child care worker, being emotive and offering sympathy, builds respect between the child care worker and his or her children, and can help maintain the mental and emotional health of all involved. 

Leadership and management

Child care workers lead children in activities and events each day, and their ability to do so relies on whether or not they can offer incentive, motivate, delegate and effectively organise their rooms and manage their time. Their leadership also relies on communication, relationship building and interpersonal skills, as without the ability to interface and connect with children on a meaningful level, one cannot lead or manage them effectively.

Classroom management of kindergarten and preschool rooms, requires leadership and control over the curriculum, rules, discipline and classroom records, as well as in monitoring, recording and responding to classroom behaviour.