In the early years of their lives, boys and girls form strong bonds with their parents, but also with those closest to them. This is essential for children as it is through their most intimate environment that they begin to develop and show their emotions and feelings, both positive and negative. However, the figure of the early childhood educator is in many cases the first person with whom the boy or girl comes into contact outside the safety zone of the family. Therefore, one of the most important competences of these professionals is trust and affection, i.e. promoting closeness through affective treatment, especially during the period of adaptation of the boy or girl to the new educational environment.
When we speak of early childhood educators, we are referring to the professionals who supervise and teach children in their first months or years of life. Their work consists of programming, carrying out and supervising the different activities they carry out with boys and girls who attend pre-schools, whose age range is between 0 and 6 years. These children’s programmes use learning and teaching methods that promote the child’s personal development, as well as their ability to express themselves, communicate and socialise. Among the aspects they try to teach in the early years of their pupils’ lives are: vocabulary, basic literacy skills, the development of social interactions and values such as solidarity, companionship and empathy. Early childhood educators need to work in a positive environment and be able to identify children’s potential difficulties and correct or redirect them using stimulating and inclusive techniques. Early childhood educators must therefore be willing and able to continue their education.
Depending on the specific centre they work in, they should use different tools to facilitate communication and learning with the child. The most popular tools are techniques such as gamification or methods such as Montessori. Any system used in the learning of young children must be personalised and adapted by educators to their specific needs and development.
In addition, the role of early childhood educators is equally fundamental, as they are one of the first professionals trained and prepared to guide, orient and accompany parents in the education of their children, as well as one of the first references for children outside the family circle.
Early childhood educators must therefore achieve all these objectives with the utmost professionalism and dedication. They must have the following five essential qualities in order to provide the right educational intervention and social care for children and families.
Empathy
One of the qualities that can help the educator the most in the exercise of his/her work is to be a close and understanding person, capable of understanding and treating the little ones. The empathetic attitude must be established with the pupils, the parents and the rest of the team with which he must work in coordination. Establishing a close and tolerant relationship with the children will help them to adopt these values themselves and learn the importance of respecting others. A good dose of patience will make the development of the activities and the achievement of the final goal much more bearable.
Responsibility
The essential virtue in the care and education of babies and children. The social educator will be responsible for the planning, design and implementation of social and educational activities, as well as ensuring that they are carried out properly. He/she will ensure the safety and protection of young children at critical moments, such as when they take their first steps, and in many other situations in which children are not yet aware of danger. However, his or her main responsibility will be to instil the right values in his/her pupils so that they develop their own personalities based on kindness, respect and empathy.
Commitment
Another essential responsibility of early childhood education and care professionals is their commitment to the work and its goals. They must ensure that children’s development is stimulated and that positive energy is transmitted to motivate and inspire children to grow in their development and creativity. He/she must be a vital person who can keep up with the children’s hectic pace, which requires a lot of energy. At the same time, he/she must be affectionate, have social skills and be able to resolve any conflicts that may arise, as well as provide calm in difficult moments.
Attention
Identifying and preventing potential or future problems in children’s learning and behaviour. Ensuring their safety in a caring way, without causing alarm or anxiety, requires a great deal of attention but will instil confidence in the child and help to reinforce their safety. In addition, if there are contingencies between pupils or developmental problems with a pupil, these should be identified and appropriate activities targeted to support their development.
Creativity
It influences the dynamism and motivation of the teaching method used. It must offer dynamic didactic activities, both individual and collective. The education of young children should include different areas such as nutrition, autonomy, cleanliness, hygiene or respect, and should be carried out through games or activities such as stories, songs, poems or theatre. By letting their imagination run wild, educators can create exercises or workshops that help pupils to work on different aspects of learning in a varied and enjoyable way. In this sense, ease of invention will greatly facilitate adaptation both to the teaching method and to the needs of the group or the specific needs of each child.
