Early Childhood Educators and Assistants - What They Do

Early childhood educators plan, organize and implement programs for children between the ages of infancy and 12 years. Early childhood educator assistants provide care for infants and preschool- to school-age children under the guidance of early childhood educators. Early childhood educators and assistants lead children in activities to stimulate and develop their intellectual, physical and emotional growth and ensure their security and well-being. They are employed in child-care centres, day-care centres, kindergartens, agencies for exceptional children and other settings where early childhood education services are provided. Supervisors of early childhood educators and assistants are included in this unit group.

Job duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

Early childhood educators
Develop and implement child-care programs that support and promote the physical, cognitive, emotional and social development of children
Lead activities by telling or reading stories, teaching songs, taking children to local points of interest and providing opportunities to express creativity through the media of art, dramatic play, music and physical activity
Plan and maintain an environment that protects the health, security and well-being of children
Assess the abilities, interests and needs of children and discuss progress or problems with parents and other staff members
Observe children for signs of potential learning or behavioural problems and prepare reports for parents, guardians or supervisor
Guide and assist children in the development of proper eating, dressing and toilet habits
Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with co-workers and community service providers working with children
May plan and organize activities for school-age children in child-care programs before and after regular school hours
May supervise and co-ordinate activities of other early childhood educators and early childhood educator assistants.
Early childhood educator assistants
Support early childhood educators in carrying out programs that promote the physical, cognitive, emotional and social development of children
Engage children in activities by telling stories, teaching songs and preparing crafts
Prepare snacks and arrange rooms or furniture for lunch and rest periods
Assist with proper eating, dressing and toilet habits
Submit written observations on children to early childhood educators or supervisors
Maintain daycare equipment and assist in housekeeping and cooking duties
Attend staff meetings to discuss progress and problems of children
May assist early childhood educators or supervisors in keeping records.

Job titles

daycare teacher
preschool helper
preschool supervisor
child care worker assistant
child care worker, daycare
daycare helper
early childhood educator - preschool
daycare supervisor
daycare worker
early childhood educator (E.C.E.)
early childhood program staff assistant
early childhood supervisor
early childhood educator assistant
early childhood assistant
early childhood education worker

Employment Requirements

This is what you typically need for the job:

Early childhood educators

Completion of a two- to four-year college program in early childhood education or A bachelor's degree in child development is required.
Licensing by a provincial or territorial association for early childhood educators (ECE) is usually required.

Early childhood educator assistants

Completion of secondary school is required.
Experience in child care is required.
Completion of an early childhood education assistant certificate program or post-secondary courses in early childhood education may be required.
Licensing by a provincial or territorial association for early childhood educators (ECE) may be required.

Essential Skills

Reading

Read instructions and warnings on product labels, e.g. read about side effects on medication labels and instructions on cleaning product labels to ensure proper use. (1)
Read notes and text entries in log books, e.g. read notes and entries in daily log books for information about staff and student absences. (1)
Read letters and memos, e.g. read letters from parents expressing concern with children's behaviours and memos from supervisors about staff meeting agendas, speech therapists' schedules and upcoming inspections. (2)
Read food and warranty recall notices, e.g. read food recall notices to learn about potential exposure to hazardous products, such as improperly processed meats and cheeses. (2)
Read minutes of various meetings, e.g. read about the future direction of their programs and related community initiatives in minutes of boards of directors' meetings. (2)
Read instructional plans, e.g. read instructional plans to become familiar with curriculum topics and activities. (2)
Read a variety of instructions, e.g. read instructions on the proper supervision of developmental screens and assessments and the appropriate uses of results. (3)
Read newsletters, website articles and trade magazines, e.g. read their organization's and professional associations' newsletters to remain knowledgeable about changes, such as fee increases. (3)
Read policy and procedure manuals, curriculum and instruction guides, legislation and contracts, e.g. read contract clauses specifying hours of work, grievance procedures and days allocated for vacations, bereavement, maternity and family emergencies. (4)
May read articles in journals and textbooks, e.g. read textbooks to increase their knowledge of behavioural problems, causes, observable symptoms, intervention strategies and stages of childhood development. (5)

Document use

Locate data on labels, e.g. scan labels on snacks to identify ingredients that may cause allergic reactions and locate recommended dosage amounts on prescription medications. (1)
Enter data in log books, e.g. enter data into log books to record the dates and times of fire drills. (1)
Locate information in lists and tables, e.g. scan lists for contact information, names of people authorized to pick-up children and students' ages, birthdates, emergency contacts, allergies and medications. (1)
Study forms to locate and verify data, e.g. review permission forms, such as field trip consent and medical treatment forms, for signatures and to see if parents have checked the "allergies" boxes. (2)
Complete a variety of forms, e.g. record names, dates and scores in progress report forms and note dosages and times in medication forms. (2)
Locate and integrate data in large and complicated tables, e.g. early childhood educators refer to tables displaying developmental characteristics, such as motor skills and language acquisition, for each age group. (3)

Writing

Write reminder notes, e.g. write notes to remember time commitments and changes to lesson plans. (1)
Write short text entries in forms, e.g. write comments in daily logs to record learning activities that took place with children. (1)
Write notes to co-workers and parents, e.g. write notes to parents informing them about forms to be completed. (2)
Write descriptions and explanations on accident reporting and evaluation forms, e.g. describe what occurred, who was involved and what actions were taken when completing incident reporting forms. (2)
Write short letters and memos, e.g. write to parents informing them of upcoming field trips and the need for volunteers. (2)
May write learning plans, e.g. write annual program overviews and daily learning plans outlining activities, learning resources and special equipment needed. (3)
May write articles for school newsletters, e.g. write summaries of school program goals, special events, such as field trips, and suggestions for additional activities to be completed at home. (3)

Numeracy

May purchase classroom supplies using cash and credit cards, e.g. purchase snacks, paper goods and educational materials, such as puzzles, games and seasonal supplies. (1)
Measure volumes, weights, heights and temperatures, e.g. measure ingredients for cooking and dosages of children's medication. (1)
Estimate quantities of materials required to complete teaching activities, e.g. estimate the number of building blocks required for children to build play houses. (1)
May total monies collected, e.g. total monies collected for field trips, special events and activities. (2)
Compare costs of programs and purchases to determine best value, e.g. compare costs of snack foods, supplies and materials. (2)
May create staff schedules, e.g. plan shift schedules for full and part-time staff. (2)
Create learning activity schedules to meet educational program goals, e.g. create monthly learning schedules and divide them into weekly plans and daily lessons. (2)
Manage inventories of classroom supplies, e.g. count stock and replenish supplies as needed. (2)
May analyze enrolment data, e.g. compare number of children enrolled and applicants on wait lists to previous years, compare morning to afternoon attendances and calculate male-to-female ratios. (2)
Estimate times required to complete activities, e.g. estimate times needed for children to achieve learning goals and complete activities, such as puzzles and drawings. (2)
May confirm calculations on suppliers' invoices, e.g. confirm purchase totals, applied discounts and taxes on invoices prior to approving payment. (3)
May create and monitor budgets of small educational facilities and programs, e.g. plan operational budgets and allocate funds for staffing, classroom resources and field trips. (3)

Oral communication

Listen to announcements over intercoms and parents' messages on voicemail systems. (1)
Reassure and comfort children who are upset due to illness and separation from their parents, e.g. comfort children who are not feeling well. (2)
Teach children and guide them through learning activities, e.g. teach concepts and themes, such as the alphabet, counting, colours, weather, animals and the seasons. (2)
Discuss behaviours with children and encourage them to take responsibility for their actions, e.g. speak to children about their actions and behaviours, explain and demonstrate why some actions are inappropriate and provide suggestions about how to manage emotions. (2)
Discuss ongoing work with co-workers and colleagues, e.g. discuss daily schedules and learning activities with assistants and exchange ideas about learning activities with colleagues. (3)
Organize and lead discussions of children's progress with parents, caregivers and guardians, e.g. discuss children's progress and behaviours with parents and suggest the use of resources, such as speech therapists and behaviour modification counsellors, for high-needs children. (3)
May discuss treatment options with mental and medical-health professionals, e.g. discuss the behaviours of troubled children and treatment options with child psychologists. (3)

Thinking

Find that unfamiliar people arrive to pick-up children. They review names on authorized pick-up forms. If necessary, they contact parents to receive further direction and permission to release their children. (1)
Find that activity schedules are disrupted when equipment is broken and unsafe. They order replacements for broken items and organize activities that use other toys and games. (1)
Supervise large groups of children when staff and volunteers don't show up for work. They ask school aides to help and contact substitute teachers and assistants. They reassign duties to cover areas as needed and ask parents to stay to maintain the proper ratio of adults to children. (2)
Evaluate children's progress. They assess linguistic development by observing children's understanding of questions and their ability to name colours and use correct pronunciation. They monitor children's abilities to complete personal hygiene tasks to acceptable standards. (2)
Plan a variety of job tasks to meet program goals and children's learning needs on a daily basis. They may have to adjust their plans to ensure children are continuously engaged. (2)
Find information about teaching resources and methods by reading manuals, consulting co-workers and searching for specific topics on the Internet. (2)
Cannot complete planned learning activities when children are unmanageable. They attempt to engage them using other toys and alternate activities. They may isolate misbehaving and aggressive children, explain expected behaviours and assign appropriate consequences. They may call parents when children's behaviour is unmanageable. (3)
May determine admissions. They follow established procedures, give priority to families with children currently registered, review wait-list positions and consider special-needs requirements. (3)
May select a wide range of sanctions and rewards for employees they supervise. They make decisions in accordance with union contracts and provincial labour regulations. (3)
Select learning activities, programs of studies and interventions for children in their care. They determine timelines and pacing for activities. They select learning resources, such as books, games and puzzles, and choose activities, such as field trips, role playing, singing and drawing, to engage children. (3)
Assess children's physical well-being and emotional health. They consider the risks associated with recreational activities and study children's body language, interactions with others and overall behaviour when assessing their emotional wellness. (3)
Find information about children by observing their interactions, reviewing their files and speaking to co-workers, parents and mental-health professionals, such as psychologists. (3)

Digital technology

May use calculators and personal digital assistant (PDA) devices to complete numeracy-related tasks, such as calculating material requirements. (1)
May use graphic software, e.g. use image-editing programs to alter and save photographs. (2)
Use communication software, e.g. send email to parents reminding them of upcoming field trips. (2)
Access online information posted by suppliers, manufacturers, unions and associations to stay current on industry trends and practices. (2)
Use the Internet to source and access resources and ideas for activities that promote the development of children. (2)
May use the Internet to source and access training offered by suppliers, employers and associations. (2)
May use computer applications to accommodate impairments, such as a limited range of motion or blindness, e.g. use text magnifiers to change font styles, text sizes and colours to assist children with visual acuity disabilities and use applications that produce Braille from print or convert text to speech. (2)
Use word processing software to create a variety of short documents, such as checklists, tracking forms, memos and letters to parents. They write progress reports and create newsletters using advanced word processing features. (3)
May create spreadsheets to organize children's and parents' contact information and track children's attendance, progress and the payment of fees. (3)

Other Essential Skills:

Working with Others

Early childhood educators, assistants and supervisors coordinate and integrate job tasks with other members of educational teams to provide learning activities to children in their care. They plan learning goals and instructional activities with co-workers to ensure consistency and continuity. They meet and communicate frequently to ensure uninterrupted supervision of children at their facilities.

Continuous Learning

Early childhood educators and assistants learn continuously to understand and apply new instructional approaches, child development theories and legislation and to understand the needs of particular student populations. They learn through interactions with co-workers and colleagues and by researching new activities and resources using print and electronic resources. They must maintain certification in first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.