Skills You Need to Excel as an Early Childhood Teacher

Written by Allison Scott

Early Childhood Education: Overview

All education journeys start somewhere, and that place is typically early childhood education (ECE). Usually covering ages eight and under, early childhood education grades go up to about third but can encompass as high as fifth grade, too. During their time as students in ECE grades, kids learn how to count, read, and write. They learn to identify colors by name and sometimes are taught cursive writing. They also cover mathematics from addition and subtraction to possibly multiplication and division. So, it is understandable that ECE lessons serve as the foundation upon which education experiences are built.

However, students also learn fundamental social norms, discover how to behave in certain scenarios, and are exposed to stricter schedules that they need to abide by. They are given structure to their day that is not focused on them, but rather their class or grade as a whole. They bounce ideas off of classmates and make their first friends. But none of these lessons would be possible without the educators who are with them every step of the way. Teaching the lessons, answering their questions, and providing the necessary discipline to keep kids safe are just a few of the responsibilities of teachers in ECE and beyond.

The facts about early childhood education speak for themselves. According to a report published by the Learning Policy Institute:

• Students who attend preschool have a lower likelihood of needing to be held back a grade and have a reduced probability of needing to be placed in special education.
• Students who attended a high-quality preschool have higher scores on standardized tests in later years of education.
• Early years of life are instrumental in forming social and emotional skills, and ECE, specifically preschool, can greatly help develop those skills.

Early Childhood Education Requirements and Goals

Most states will require students to pass certain benchmarks to be eligible for kindergarten registration, which can include preschool. Currently, only three states (Florida, Georgia, and Oklahoma) have preschools available to all four-year-olds. An additional five states and Washington D.C. are working on such programs.

From being more prepared to enter later years of school to having a better understanding of the structure that a school day provides, ECE goes a long way in nurturing the minds and attitudes of students. The goals of early childhood education include:

Becoming an Early Childhood Educator: Requirements

For those wanting to become an early childhood educator, it is important to meet certain requirements or ECE certifications in order to qualify for the open roles available. While these may vary depending on location and different state regulations, most daycare teacher requirements and preschool teaching qualifications include common requisites:

• Background Checks: Naturally, teachers are interacting with very young children on a daily basis. As such, it is a requirement for them to be cleared by a background check to secure the safety of the students and verify that educators are well-suited to behave appropriately with students.
• Education: Most schools will prefer teachers who have either a two-year or four-year college degree. However, some levels may only call for a high school level diploma to be eligible. Obtaining a teaching license and passing a certification test like the PRAXIS exam or the FTCE exam may be required as well, so doing some research about the state and school requirements is a must.
• Safety Training: Given that educators are in charge of maintaining a classroom of up to a few dozen students, being certified in various safety measures may be requested by the school or the state of employment. Skills like CPR and following fire safety protocols may be necessary to teach at the ECE level.

There are also several types of ECE careers outside of the classroom, such as educational consultants, school librarians, and speech-language pathologists, all of whom can work with young children.

What is the Role of an Educator in Early Childhood Education?

From dealing with large groups of young children navigating school for the first time to teaching foundational topics, ECE educators have a lot of responsibilities and play a key role in every aspect of learning at the ECE level. A few of those specific roles include:

Classroom Leader

One main role teachers have in the education experience is to lead their classroom. They must plan lessons and ensure they have all the necessary materials to help the information be retained by their students. They set expectations for school work, discipline, and communication for everyone involved in the classroom environment, too.

Ensuring Safety

Small children are full of energy and have a tendency to find trouble. Another key role teachers play in the ECE classroom is to keep kids safe while they are at school. This may include removing access to potentially harmful objects like scissors or giving safety lessons about fire drills and other procedures in place to keep students safe.

Mandated Reporter

Pertaining to the safety of students, teachers are also required by most states to be mandated reporters. This means if there is suspicion or accusation of abuse, neglect, or harm to students in their home lives, teachers are required to report this to authorities.

Encouraging Students

Many young students may struggle with confidence as they enter the classroom for the first time. They are navigating a new social situation and learning brand-new material. As such, it makes sense that they may feel uncertain or incapable of completing certain tasks or taking risks.

Teachers, however, have the job of encouraging their students to push through the fear and try things that scare them. Whether that be walking them through how to speak in front of the class or helping introduce them to a new friend, there are plenty of ways ECE teachers can encourage their students at school.

What Skills Does an Early Childhood Teacher Need?

Early childhood teachers need a wide array of teaching skills and soft skills to succeed. While it is impossible to list out every skill that can benefit an early childhood teacher, there are a few that are considered necessary for educators. The skills below help answer the question, "What do you need to be a preschool teacher?"

Patience

Working with kids is rewarding, but it is by no means an easy task. Students can have off days, have behavioral challenges, and can be difficult to manage, so it requires a lot of patience and grace given to students, other teachers, and parents alike. It is crucial that aspiring preschool and other ECE teachers possess the ability to practice patience throughout their workday.

Playfulness

Part of the enjoyment found in the job of teaching is interacting with students and getting to bring out inner childlike mannerisms, humor, and love. Participating in crafts or games with students, joking around, and generally being playful and possessing a playful nature will complement the energy of the students in class. It will bring the class closer together and make the school week that much more gratifying, making it a key skill for educators to have.

Communication

While communicating with students and explaining each school subject to them is crucial, it is also important that educators can accurately and concisely communicate with others to get the job done. From parent-teacher conferences to discussing concerns with the principal or other teachers, teachers need to be able to communicate effectively about students' progress, behavior issues, or anything else that might be going on in the classroom.

Creativity

One skill teachers need is creative problem-solving. The implementation of creativity is not novel either. Dr. Jonah Shulman, SUNY Potsdam, noted, "If you are actually interested and enjoy what you are teaching your students will sense that and be invested in the topics." Not all lessons being taught are fun material for children. However, it is necessary to abide by the school district's instructions and ensure that students are aware of the information at hand. Whether that means educating students in a more interactive, exciting way to get the information relayed or finding creative solutions to problems within the classroom, it is critical for teachers to be creatively minded.

Organization

In print and digital formats, it can be hard to keep the plethora of paperwork that teachers deal with in order. As such, being an organized person is a great trait for teachers to have. Ultimately, being organized and having a tendency to sort information and documents logically is a huge benefit for educators throughout the busy school year, because it ensures that documentation is filed and sorted in the proper way for easy retrieval and that information is always readily available when needed.

How to Teach Preschool Children: Best Practices

Like with any career, there are commonly accepted best practices for how to teach early childhood education. Students have specific needs in their first few years of school that require certain accommodations by educators. So, it is increasingly important to understand how to teach preschool by incorporating the following factors into lesson plans and overall teaching approaches.

Varying Types of Instruction

Young children often need a lot of stimulation to prevent their attention from being diverted to something unrelated to the topic at hand. Varying the types of instruction used throughout the day at school can help combat that tendency. Getting students up and moving, incorporating hands-on activities, and providing printed and digital learning opportunities increase engagement and awareness for students without sacrificing learning.

Involving All Children and Their Families

A lot is learned in the classroom, but it is a great practice for teachers to think beyond school grounds when executing lesson plans. Involving family members and loved ones in a learning journey is a great way to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Parents or guardians may notice certain behaviors at home that are not as prevalent in the classroom and vice versa. This valuable knowledge can then be used to ensure students are getting what they need from their education in order to succeed. Parent-teacher conferences, updating records, and creating lines of communication with families are great ways to stay in the know and do what is best for students.

Respecting Differences

Working with parents, fellow teachers, students, and other staff at school, there are going to be differences in what everyone thinks is best. And that is okay! Learning how to respectfully disagree with others is crucial to being a great preschool teacher. Of course, if something is potentially harmful to students or goes against policies in place, that should be evaluated and potentially removed. However, teaching children that not everyone will think, feel, or behave exactly the same way is part of growing up and is a valuable lesson.

Documenting Any Concerns

Having a paper trail is always a good idea when working with young children. In addition to making it easier to show tendencies over time, it also helps keep parents, guardians, and school leadership informed about how a child is doing.

If they have a recurring behavioral issue, maybe there is a reason for that and a trigger can be removed to solve the problem. If a student is struggling with reading, perhaps there is a need to show proof that additional time is required for them to complete a task. Having documentation of those needs from a young age can be instrumental in getting the help they need later on.

Bouncing Ideas Off of Other Educators

It can be incredibly beneficial for educators to collaborate or problem-solve together. Seek out those with more experience to understand how they have dealt with difficult situations or to learn about creative ways they have taught certain topics. Discuss different approaches with first-year teachers to see how their minds work and what they were taught in school. There may be something new that comes from collaboration and communication with fellow educators that otherwise would have remained unknown or outdated.

Giving Grace to Students

Every student will have a bad day every so often, which can cause outbursts or disinterest in activities that can appear off-putting to those around them, especially educators. That is why it is so important for educators to give grace to students who may be dealing with something difficult outside of the classroom. Giving those kids extra time to complete work, offering to talk through problems with them, and generally being extra kind to them can go a long way. Of course, if the outbursts continue, it is best to seek help from additional resources.

Taking Things One Day at a Time

Learning to become the best ECE teacher possible takes time. Some aspects of it will come more naturally than others, which can be difficult to navigate. However, teachers should be patient with themselves as they navigate the learnings of their first few years as educators and beyond. There is no perfect teacher, but the best ones are those who take the time necessary to constantly improve and do what is best for their students.