Chapter 1 You: Working With Young Children Take notes on the slides with a star

You: Working with Young Children  In this chapter, you will learn about  the social and economic changes that will continue to create a need for child care teachers  the teacher’s responsibilities  the characteristics of successful teachers

Objectives  Explain how social and economic changes will increase the need for child care services.  Describe career opportunities in the early childhood field.  Describe the CDA credential.

Objectives  List responsibilities of the early childhood teacher.  Explain how certain personal characteristics can help early childhood teachers care for and educate young children.

Terms to Know  early childhood  nanny  au pair  licensing specialist  entrepreneur  Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential  ethics

Career Opportunities in Early Childhood  Nannies and au pairs  Kindergarten teachers  Early childhood assistant and associate teachers  Child care teachers and directors  Family child care home  Licensing specialists  Other career opportunities

Nannies and Au Pairs  Nanny: person who provides care in a child’s home  Au Pair: person from a foreign country who lives with the family and performs tasks similar to a nanny

Kindergarten Teachers  Most states are providing opportunities to attend kindergarten. Therefore, teachers are needed in  public schools  private schools

Early Childhood Assistant and Associate Teachers  Early childhood assistants or associate teachers are hired to  achieve the required adult-child ratios  provide support to lead teachers  Early childhood assistants or associate teachers may require  specialized coursework or training  CDA credential  associate degree

Child Care Teachers and Directors  Child care teachers are responsible for  planning curriculum  teaching children  Child care directors are responsible for  marketing the program  recruiting children  hiring and supervising staff  managing the budget  building maintenance

Family Child Care Homes  Family child care homes provide child care for children ranging in age from 6 weeks to 12 years.  This type of care allows  child care providers to work from home  child care providers to care for their own children  longer hours of operations  homelike atmosphere

Licensing Specialists  Licensing specialist: protects and promotes the health, safety, and welfare of children attending centers  Makes visits to centers to observe  if centers follow the state licensing guidelines  adult-child ratio  size of the facility  food service  curriculum provided  building safety

Other Career Opportunities  The field of early childhood offers a variety of positions.  Community recreation leader  Parent educator  Children’s instructors  Social workers  Counselors  Therapists  Health care providers

Other Career Opportunities  The field of early childhood also offers the possibility to create your own business.  Entrepreneur: person who creates and runs his or her own business  Family child care home  Consultants  Store owners  Designers of children’s products  Entertainers

Discuss  What would be some of the advantages and disadvantages of having a family child care home business?

Education and Training Needed to Work with Young Children

The Teacher’s Responsibility  Know how children grow and develop  Plan a developmentally appropriate curriculum  Prepare the environment  Communicate effectively  Demonstrate teamwork  Manage time wisely  Participate in professional organizations  Follow ethical standards  Continue to learn

The Teacher’s Responsibility  Demonstrate teamwork  Manage time wisely  Participate in professional organizations  Follow ethical standards  Continue to learn

To Plan a Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum  Teachers are responsible for planning a developmentally appropriate curriculum.  Physical development  Social development  Cognitive development  Emotional development

To Prepare the Environment  A large part of the teaching process involves preparing an inviting and stimulating learning environment to  independently experiment, explore, and manipulate  engage in positive social activities  promote physical, social, cognitive, and emotional development

To Communicate Effectively  To be an effective teacher, you need to have good communication skills.  Express ideas and gain trust from children  Form and maintain a close relationship with the children  Exchange information with parents and guardians  Form meaningful relationship with colleagues

To Demonstrate Teamwork  Staff in early childhood programs need to work as a team. To be a team member, you will need to  make your coworkers feel important  support your coworkers through your actions and words  share ideas  praise them for meaningful interactions with children  accept their style of caregiving  resolve conflict effectively

To Manage Time Wisely  Time management skills are important for teachers to  work smarter, not harder  organize time  set priorities  distinguish between important and urgent matters  make choices and use time wisely

To Participate in Professional Organizations  Joining a professional organization can help you keep up with current developments in the field.  The largest professional organization is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)  Founded in 1926  Has 100,000 members  Has state and local affiliates  Publishes journals

Discuss  How can professional organizations help you find career opportunities in the field?

To Follow Ethical Standards  When you work with young children, you will be faced each day with decisions of an ethical nature.  Ethics: guiding set of moral principles  NAEYC created a code of ethics conduct for early childhood professionals.

naeyc So,What Are Ethics Anyway?

naeyc To answer that question, we have to begin by looking at:  Values  Morality  Professional Core Values  Ethics  Professional Ethics  Ethical Responsi- bilities & Dilemmas

VALUES What Do You Value?

naeyc VALUES Values are things that an individual believes to be intrinsically worthwhile or desirable, that are prized for themselves (e.g., truth, beauty, honesty justice, respect for people and for the environment).

naeyc MORALITY  Morality involves peoples' views of what is good, right, or proper; their beliefs about their obligations; and their ideas about how they should behave.  Morality concerns duties and obligations to one another and is characterized by words such as right, ought, just and fair.

naeyc ETHICS  Ethics is the study of right and wrong, duties and obligations.  Ethics involves critical reflection on morality, including the ability to make choices between values and the examination of the moral dimensions of relationships.

naeyc PROFESSIONAL ETHICS The moral commitments of a profession that:  involve moral reflection that extends and enhances the personal morality practitioners bring to their work,  concern actions of right and wrong in the workplace, and  help individuals resolve moral dilemmas they encounter in their work.

To Continue to Learn  In order to keep up with happenings in the field, you need to be a committed, lifelong learner.  Conferences  In-service training  Course work  Journals  Study groups  Books

Characteristics of Successful Teachers  Fondness for children  Patience  Compassion  Confidence  Sense of humor  Commitment  Personal desire  Physical and mental health

Fondness for Children  The most important trait of an early childhood teacher is fondness for children.  Establish rapport with children  Show love  Be kind, firm, and understanding

Patience  Effective teachers allow children time to explore, solve problems, and create.  Children need the opportunity to  have extra time to complete tasks  repeat tasks  repeat questions

Compassion  Compassionate teachers are able to accept others without prejudice.  Accept any emotion from others  Be sensitive to positive and negative feelings  Compliment children for their success  Avoid actions that make children feel worthless  Help children understand feelings of others

Confidence  Having confidence in your abilities helps you relax in the classroom.  Remain calm and self-assured  Make sensitive decisions  Stand by choices with confidence

Sense of Humor  A sense of humor is helpful when working with children.  Have positive attitude  Recognize the funny side of children  See the humor in a situation

Commitment  The job of an early childhood teacher is anything but easy.  You will be expected to be an expert in  child development  child guidance  curriculum

Personal Desire  Knowing that you really want to teach young children is important to your success.  Examine your  interests  feelings  satisfactions

Physical and Mental Health  Teaching young children is demanding physically and mentally.  Demands:  To be alert  Handle multiple tasks  Requirements:  Eating nutritious meals  Getting enough sleep  Stay physically active

Summary  Many social and economic changes are creating new opportunities in child care.  Fewer traditional families  Dual-career families  Employers are becoming to be more willing to offer child care benefits for their employees.  Child care advocates are working to expand the availability of early childhood programs.

Summary  Most jobs in child care require a CDA credential, associate, or a bachelor’s degree.  Most career opportunities in early childhood are as teachers or assistant teachers.

Summary  Teachers have many responsibilities:  Understand principles of child development  Develop curriculum  Communicate effectively  Develop teamwork skills  Manage time wisely

naeyc Code of Ethics Assignment  Ethical Responsibilities to Children:  Under “core values” find one bullet point and write what it states and then 2 sentences on what that means to you.  Under “Ideals” find one bullet point/statement and write what it states and then 2 sentences on what that means to you.  Under “Principles” find one bullet point/statement and write what it states and then 2 sentences on what that means to you.  Ethical Responsibilities to Families:  Under “Ideals” find one bullet point/statement and write what it states and then 2 sentences on what that means to you.  Under “Principles” find one bullet point/statement and write what it states and then 2 sentences on what that means to you.  Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues:  Under “Ideals” find one bullet point/statement and write what it states and then 2 sentences on what that means to you.  Under “Principles” find one bullet point/statement and write what it states and then 2 sentences on what that means to you.