What Does It Take To Be An ECCE Teacher In A Booming Early Childhood Education Sector?

ECCE stands for Early Childhood Care and Education and is a much sought-after programme for those teaching profession aspirants who want to work with young children in their formative years. There are a variety of ECCE courses available in India, some offered by government institutions, and many offered by private colleges or even educational institutions. There is a huge variation in the course offerings though, curriculum, and quality of training given to young teachers often varies.

Additionally, working with young children in their formative years can be a very enriching or stressful experience. It all depends on who you are as a person, what you seek in life and your current set of skills.

So, how do you decide which teaching course is good for you? This article helps you reflect on the values, skills and aptitudes needed to be an ECCE teacher. It also highlights critical aspects to consider while selecting a course.

Why Do We Need Good Early Childhood Care Educators?

Tiya enjoys playing with her younger nephews and nieces. The whole family states, she is very loving and will cover her expenses as a babysitter when she goes abroad to study for her bachelor’s degree. Tiya wants to be an early childhood care educator and work with both underprivileged children as well as children who join pre-primary schools in posh societies and neighbourhoods. She says her preschool teacher made learning fun. They would dance, play, colour, sing and the three hours of school were most enjoyable. She wants to re-create that experience for other children too. Tiya owes her love for learning and school to her early childcare educators who encouraged her to make friends, take risks, go out of her comfort zone, make mistakes, learn, read, and do many other activities in her early days at school. This deeply inspired to carry on her teacher’s vision of learning.

What Makes A Good Early Childhood Care Educator?

High Energy, Enthusiasm & Physical Fitness

Working with young children demands a lot of energy, so you can answer their questions tirelessly, repeat instructions, play, dance, and work with them through the day. You also need to thrive in high activity routines where you need to be as physically active as mentally alert. This is not a “desk job”.

Patience & Love for Children

Young children and their parents need to be handled with a lot of love, care, and understanding. You need to genuinely enjoy being with young children to be a good early childhood educator. Your role will often involve counselling parents too.

Continuous Learner

Children are inherently curious and always surprise you with their questions and knowledge. To gain their trust and rapport, you need to read and learn everyday and keep their questions coming. You also need to be a critical thinker to help them develop their problem solving and critical thinking abilities.

Knowledge of Art - Craft - Music - Dance

As a lot of learning happens through artwork, play etc, it is helpful if you are skilled at some of these too. Singing a song or doing a puppet show is a great way to teach and help young minds learn.

Communication Skills & Style

Communicating with clarity and confidence are essential for an early care educator. It helps if you know English and two additional languages as children may know only one language, their mother tongue etc. Also, your non-verbal communication needs to be friendly and warm, so children find it easy to approach you.

Value Life Satisfaction

The salaries and remuneration of early childhood care educators is relatively lower than many other professions. However, if you are a good entrepreneur and upskill, you can set up your own education centre. This can be a lucrative option with flexible timings and financial freedom.

How do you feel so far about your skills and aptitude? If you feel you are well matched with the requirements of the role, your next stop is to enrol for a course in ECCE. There are many courses available in the market and as a student it can be challenging to select a course. There is a general belief many of the courses are outdated and teach skills and topics that were relevant more than a decade ago. With the advent of technology, changes in family lifestyles, change in NEP and the environment it is essential to learn what is relevant for the young learners of today.

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How Should You Choose A Teacher Training Course?

You will find below guidelines on what constitutes good early childcare and education. Read, research, reflect and choose one that fits your preferences and budget.

Is it experiential & Integrated?

Kindergartens that teach alphabets and numbers directly and give tests are outdated. Children learn through activities, sand pits, engaging with nature, playing with clay and other activities. In many schools, writing and reading are deferred to grades I, II and above. Your pre-nursery student will learn through structured activities and play. See if your course is updated with this orientation to learning.

Child Psychology and Learning Theories

Updated courses provide an overview of the psycho-social stages of child development so you can design your instructions and training material accordingly. A good grasp of how children learn, effective methods of reinforcement and behaviour modification help you with the practical aspects of early childhood care and education.

Special Needs Awareness

The prevalence of ADHD, dyslexia, and autism in society is increasing these days. While you don’t need to train to become a special educator, you need to learn how to diagnose or understand the signs and symptoms so the child and parents can be helped at an early stage.

Connect developmental stages to learning and activities

Motor activities and games like playing with clay, lifting beads, sand art, painting etc. are connected to the stage of development of a child. It is very helpful for an educator to understand the skills along with the developmental stage and its requirements.

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Skills

Most neighbourhood societies and complexes have a demand for a childhood care and education centre. The business and financial aspects of setting up the infrastructure and managing the business are good skills to have. Try to choose a course that imparts these skills, so you feel confident of setting up your centre if you choose to.

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Curriculum Design

Learning how to design the activities and curriculum of children so they learn in a “fun” manner in their early growing years is an important skill to have. While several materials and activities are available online and offline, structuring them and integrating them into your class routine is a skill that requires training and expertise.

Duration and Mode of Instruction

If you are a student who does not have prior experience, it is important for you to engage in an undergraduate course so you can grow in your field and gain the required experience and maturity to handle young children and their parents. For graduate students, there are certifications and diploma courses ranging from a few months to a year. The ideal mode of instruction is in-person or offline, though some materials may be designed for self-paced learning and study. However, knowing how to conduct online classes is a relevant skill. Observation of in-class demonstrations and videos are a good way to impact learning.

Placements and Internships

Refer to the college or institute websites for relevant information regarding internships and placements so you get a good opportunity upon graduating. Some institutions have tie-ups and provide a stipend for your internships.

The author is a career and life coach who works with teens, adults and returning professionals to help them find joy and alignment in their careers and life. She is the founder of LifeVidya and can be reached at www.lifevidya.in

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