Working with young children provides an opportunity to make a real difference as you nurture, encourage and support the next generation. Is there anything more fulfilling than knowing that what you do significantly impacts a child’s future? You can inform and enrich your career with early childhood professional development courses.

The industry is also booming as the need for early childhood educators grows in recognition of the vital role these professionals play in society. So, if you’re considering a career in early childhood education, you might be surprised by the many qualities that make these educators exceptional at what they do.

If you have these qualities – great! But if you don’t yet possess all of them, don’t be discouraged, as you can develop these qualities over time by engaging in early childhood professional development programs and short courses.

1. Patience

Children are renowned for their strong feelings, impulsiveness and inattention. So, if patience is not your virtue, you’ll need to cultivate it quickly to be a successful early childhood educator. Those who work well with children are calm and understanding, providing unhurried time and attention.

2. Communication skills

Communicating with young children is very different to conversing with adults. So, you’ll need to develop your listening skills and articulate in a way that young people understand. But you’ll also need strong interpersonal and highly developed communication skills to speak with parents about their children. Many early childhood professional development programs include communication skills, but Communicate with Influence helps improve your interpersonal communication skills.

3. Love for young children

You will need to have a love of caring for and teaching young children. If you’re passionate about what you’re doing, children will respond positively to you. You’ll encounter lots of little personalities with various needs, so you’ll need to be passionate about this age group and their developmental needs.

4. Kind and compassionate

A kind and compassionate nature is an important trait for early childhood educators. You’ll be providing care, not just an early education program. So, you’ll need to be genuinely concerned about children’s welfare to gain their trust. You might be dealing with emotional or mental health issues or a less-than-ideal family situation.

5. Adaptable

Children are notoriously unpredictable. So even though you have a well-planned learning and play schedule for a day, be prepared to embrace change when necessary. If you’re flexible and easygoing, your day will run much more smoothly than sticking steadfastly to your plan.

6. Empathetic

Empathy is critical when it comes to nurturing young children. There will be scraped knees, hurt feelings and lots of tears to wipe away in your role as an early childhood educator.

7. Problem-solver

Problem-solving skills will be your best friend when managing a childcare environment. You’ll need to be able to swing into action when it comes to creative problem-solving challenges that arise with children, co-workers, parents and carers. Your ability to use critical thinking skills and problem-solving will help you thrive in an early childhood educator role.

8. Highly organised

As an early childhood educator, you’re responsible for supervising very young children. As such, you’ll need to plan for each day to provide the best early childhood education and care. Organising activities focusing on developmental goals and entertainment will need to be a top priority. We have many early childhood professional development courses to help you succeed in this career, but comprehensive time management skills are also valuable.

9. Creative thinker

You’ll need to embrace diversity to encourage and inspire all children to reach their developmental milestones. So be open-minded and creative when planning activities, and avoid gender-based stereotypes. Teaching this young group of learners will require you to be creative in organising arts and crafts, storytelling, dress up and role play, exercise programs and educational ‘fun’ games to keep them engaged.

What constitutes professional development in early childhood education?

Early childhood professional development courses embrace formal and informal learning towards a new skill, ability, knowledge or process. It influences employment and can help advance your career. Professional development also affects learning outcomes for children in your care.

• Online courses
• Certificates
• Diplomas
• Workshops
• Seminars
• Conferences
• Employer-based training programs
• Self-directed learning
• Volunteering
• Work experience
• Mentoring
• Tutoring or teaching

Less formal team-based experiences also count towards professional development

• In-depth group discussions
• Problem-solving
• Sharing of ideas
• Reflecting critically on experiences

Professional development courses for early childcare educators

Explore our early childhood professional development courses if you’d like to strengthen your early childhood career and provide children with the best care.

Behaviour Management

Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Child Psychology

Complex Trauma and Attachment Management

Developmental, Learning and Behaviour Disorders

Play Therapy

Baby and Toddler Care

Nurture Creativity in Children

Child Nutrition

Contact our friendly Course Consultants today at 1300 76 2221, Live Chat or Enquire Online if you’d like to learn more about early childhood professional development courses and opportunities.