Early Childhood Education & Development Careers Outside the Classroom

Early Childhood Education & Development Careers Outside the Classroom

Early childhood education focuses on the whole development of children from birth until age eight. Those with careers in child development nurture children to be ready for elementary school and beyond as well as life outside of the classroom. When people think of early childhood education careers, they most often think of a daycare provider or an ECE teacher who works in a preschool or kindergarten, but many other career opportunities are available.

Whether someone with an early childhood education degree is starting their career or looking to pivot to a new field after several years in a daycare or school environment, it can be useful to investigate related fields. It is possible to work with young children and help them develop their full social, emotional, and academic potential in various settings and capacities. As Dr. Samina Hadi-Tabussum, Associate Clinical Professor at the Erikson Institute in Chicago, states, "It does take a village to raise children, and we all need to work together to provide educational as well as social services to our school communities."

What can you do with an early childhood education degree besides teach in a traditional childcare institution or school? For those willing to pursue additional education, there are many possibilities. Some educators focus on early childhood special education, providing services for students with disabilities through early intervention programs or in a child's home or school. Others may become educational consultants, librarians, speech-language pathologists, social workers, or child psychologists.

How to Become an Educational Consultant

Early childhood education teachers with several years of experience and a proven track record of educational success may wish to become educational consultants. Unlike some of the other careers open to early childhood educators, there is no single educational pathway or certification required for someone to pursue this career.

Education and Experience

A bachelor's degree, teacher license, and work experience are the primary requirements, although many educational consultants continue their education and obtain a master's or doctoral degree.

Educational expertise, practical knowledge, and the ability to convey that knowledge to others is essential. If working on behalf of parents or students, educational consultants must thoroughly understand how best to help them and navigate available resources. Excellent communication skills and technological savvy are also extremely helpful.

Work Environment and Salary

An educational consultant can work with parents, schools, teachers, and/or students to help improve the educational process or outcomes. Parents of students with disabilities may turn to educational consultants for support in navigating early intervention and school programs. Schools and teachers may seek an educational consultant's help to troubleshoot challenges or to provide advice on curriculum and school policies. They may give training workshops to provide teachers and administrators with ongoing professional development. An educational consultant will often find one niche to focus on so that they can become an expert in that area.

Some educational consultants work for consulting firms. This is an excellent way for someone to learn the ropes of this field. Schools or parents seek out the firm to provide a clientele for the new educational consultant to work with. Working for a firm also provides a steady paycheck and allows the consultant to focus purely on the educational portion of their work. After gaining experience working for a consulting firm, some educational consultants open their own businesses and work independently. An independent educational consultant has to find clients and manage the finances of their business, but they have more flexibility in when and where they work.

According to Salary.com, the average salary for an educational consultant is around $108,000.

Children's Librarian

Individuals who love working with young children, enjoy children's literature, and want to help build literacy skills may wish to become a children's librarian. While a master's degree in library science is required for many librarian positions, becoming a children's librarian with a bachelor's degree is a possibility.

Children's librarians are often responsible for:

• Arranging books in an attractive and organized manner
• Maintaining a welcoming library environment
• Providing book recommendations to patrons
• Creating lesson plans for story times and other related activities
• Hosting story times
• Helping students with school research projects
• Selecting new books to include in the library collection

An early childhood educator looking to transition to become a children's librarian would want to complete coursework in children's literature and library references/organization. In addition to enjoying working with children, children's librarians should have excellent communication, interpersonal skills, technological ability, and creativity. While salary statistics aren't broken down for different areas of librarianship, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a librarian can expect to make around $61,000.

School Librarian

Another option is to become a school librarian. A common requirement for school librarians is a bachelor's degree in an educational field and a master's degree in library sciences earned through a college or university accredited by the American Library Association (ALA).

As with teachers, states have licensing requirements for public school librarians. Those interested in pursuing this career should investigate the requisites for their state. In addition to possessing a master's degree in library science, common requirements include having a teacher's license and passing relevant exams.

School librarians are an integral part of a school community. They work with teachers to help teach students how to use a library, conduct research, and find quality sources in books, magazines, and digital materials. They also make book recommendations to teachers and students and manage the school's library resources. They can help integrate literacy across the curriculum. In some schools, students have a set library class that the school librarian directs. In this capacity, school librarians are responsible for creating and implementing interesting lesson plans that will engage all learners.

As they work with students every day, school librarians should enjoy working with children and want to help them learn. The salary is similar to that of a children's librarian, around $61,000/year.

How to Become a Speech-Language Pathologist

An early childhood educator with a special interest in helping children with language expression and understanding might want to become a speech-language pathologist (SLP). There are several ways that a SLP can help young children. Some of these include:

• Articulation: Children who struggle with articulation can be difficult to understand when they speak. This can lead to frustration as they can't communicate well with others. An SLP works with children to produce sounds correctly and intelligibly so that they can articulate their words better. An SLP can also help children who stutter.
• Listening Skills: Some children struggle to understand what is said to them. Also known as receptive learning, listening skills are important at home and school. An SLP can help children develop their vocabulary and help them learn how to follow directions.
• Social Language: Words are used to communicate in many different situations, but some children struggle to know what type of language is appropriate in various social situations. SLPs can aid children in understanding social cues and practicing conversations.
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Alternative communication is the use of any means to convey thoughts other than words. Body gestures and facial expressions are two common forms of this. However, some children must rely on alternative communication because they cannot speak or speak little due to a physical or cognitive impairment. Augmentative communication includes the use of technological support to help children express themselves.

If an early childhood educator does not have a bachelor's degree, the first step to becoming a speech-language pathologist would be to complete that degree by taking courses relating to the speech field. A master's degree in speech-language pathology is required for all SLPs.

After graduation, students complete a clinical fellowship working under the direction of a licensed SLP. They then must pass the speech-language pathology Praxis examination and become licensed in the state where they wish to practice. The final step is to obtain certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

According to the BLS, the average salary for a speech-language pathologist is about $85,000.

How to Become a Social Worker

An early childhood educator or child development specialist with a passion for improving the lives of young children and their families might be an effective social worker. Social workers work with schools and social service agencies to help at-risk children. They can connect families, children, and schools to support services to help mitigate any social, academic, or behavioral challenges a child may have.

Some cases where a social worker may be asked to provide support include a child facing homelessness, food insecurity, drug use in the home, domestic abuse, or physical or mental health conditions. Social workers must be organized and keep accurate notes about each child they support and the services that are provided.

Degrees

A bachelor's degree in child and family social work opens the door to an entry-level position as a social worker. As part of a BSW program, prospective social workers complete at least 400 hours of supervised work in the field. With this initial degree, a social worker can obtain a Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (LBSW) license after passing the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) bachelor's exam. Working as an LBSW provides valuable experience and helps earn money to help pay for graduate school.

Most social workers have a master's degree in social work. Earning this degree is necessary to apply to be a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) or Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). During the MSW program, students complete a 900-hour practicum. This provides the prospective social worker with hands-on experience working with clients and managing cases.

Licensure

An LMSW is the initial level of licensure for those with a master's degree in social work. In addition to obtaining a graduate degree, social workers must pass the ASWB master's exam, apply for a social work license, and pay the application fee to become licensed. Most social work positions require this license.

An LCSW is an advanced licensure that allows social workers to enter private practice as clinical social workers and help those with mental health conditions or substance abuse addictions. In addition to having an MSW, social workers need to obtain a passing grade on the ASWB clinical exam and complete 3000 hours of supervised practical experience.

According to Salary.com, the average salary for a Licensed Master Social Worker is approximately $71,000 per year. Because of the additional training and responsibilities, the pay for a Licensed Clinical Social Worker tends to be higher, around $78,000 per year.

How to Become a Child Psychologist

Child psychologists have a variety of career options. They can work in health care facilities, private practice, schools, and government agencies. They support children's healthy development by working with medical and social service professionals, children, and their families to diagnose and treat mental health, learning, emotional, or behavioral challenges. Some child psychologists specialize in a particular area, such as school psychology or trauma psychology.

In some states, school psychologists can be licensed with a master's degree, but in most cases, a doctoral degree is required to become a child psychologist. While many students go into a doctoral program with a bachelor's degree in psychology, others do have degrees in education. Teacher education programs often feature coursework in psychology. There are three different types of degrees a child psychologist may obtain.

1. The Education Specialist (ED.S.) is a degree for those interested in being school counselors. It is a graduate degree above the master's level but below a doctorate. Those with this degree can help students within a school setting cope with social and academic pressure and help them to be successful in school and life.
2. The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) is a doctoral degree focused on clinical work. Coursework focuses on learning how to diagnose and treat clients rather than on academic or research-based work. This is ideal for those who want to work directly with children.
3. The Ph.D. in Psychology (Ph.D.) provides the most career options. In addition to working with clients, those with a Ph.D. in psychology can conduct research or teach at the college level.

After completing their degree, child psychologist candidates must pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and meet all state requirements for licensure.

Salary.com lists the average salary for a child psychologist as $80,000.

Job Outlook for Early Childhood Careers Outside the Classroom

Passion for working with young children and wanting to make a positive difference in their lives should always be the first criterion when choosing an early childhood career. If someone is interested in working with young children but does not want to be an early childhood teacher, it is helpful to look at the approximate potential salaries for various childcare careers. Please note that salaries mentioned below come from Salary.com and the BLS, and always vary by geographic area, education, and experience.

What Skills are Needed in Careers Working with Children?

Some special skills are needed in careers working with children. Perhaps the most important is patience. Young children are learning and growing every day. They cannot always communicate their needs well. They are still learning to manage their emotions. Patience is needed to help them work through their frustration and create a positive environment.

Another important skill is communication. Listening to children's verbal and nonverbal communication is essential, as is being able to respond to their needs and express expectations in a calm, respectful manner. Those who work with children also need to communicate well with their family or guardians. Communication helps with problem-solving when issues arise.

Creativity is valuable because children love to play and make things. Developing engaging lesson plans and activities that tap into that innate desire and will help them grow is key to successful interactions.

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The Benefits of Child Care Careers

Working in early childhood education has several benefits, and whether working in or out of the classroom, those in the field usually have very rewarding careers.