Adults who choose careers working with young children are interested in supporting children's growth and development. Enjoying children is important for this work. Most importantly you must be willing to continue your own learning and develop your skills to provide children with the experiences that will help them learn. Working with young children is physically demanding and fast paced with many changes of activities throughout the day. There is lots of work in preparing for each activity and routine in the early childhood program and plenty of clean up all through the day. The opportunity to observe young children and see their growth is very rewarding, often amazing and frequently amusing. A person who is genuinely interested in children, eager to learn new skills, flexible, patient, and has a good sense of humor will enjoy this work.
Adults working in early childhood programs need to have some knowledge and information about the work they are doing. Core Knowledge is the areas of information and learning that each person needs to be successful in working with young children. Child Development—the ages and stages of children’s development; the developmental domains, influences on development and how the environment can support healthy development Supporting Children’s Social Emotional Development—understanding how to support children’s positive interactions with others and how to guide children in positively expressing and managing their emotions
Curriculum and Learning Environment—providing a variety of play-based learning experiences that support each child’s development; planning and arranging the environment, schedule and routines to allow for a variety of learning settings such as active and quiet play, individual and group activities; providing learning opportunities in all developmental domains and all knowledge areas such as science and music Health, Safety and Nutrition—providing an environment that is safe for young children, promotes good health and health care practices such as handwashing and regular exercise; offering nutritious meals and snacks for children and promoting healthy eating Working with Families—recognizing the importance and role of families; engaging and communicating with families as partners in early childhood programs
Professionalism—understanding the field of early childhood, the ethics and responsibilities for those who work in the field and what it means to be a professional Management and Administrations—understanding the requirements of managing and operating an early childhood program; demonstrating leadership in supervising staff, managing budgets, developing and evaluating the program Choosing a career in early childhood will require some initial training or education. However, being a life-long learner and continuing your education or professional development will be very important if you want to enjoy and be successful in your work as a teacher of young children.
The skills that you need to work in early childhood are called competencies, Delaware's Core Competencies. The competencies are organized around the core knowledge areas. There is a self assessment tool for each position level. If you use the self assessment tool, you will begin to see the skills which you have and which ones you want or need to develop. Skills or competencies are best developed over time on the job. As you work, you will have many experiences that help you build the skills you need. Continuing your professional development which is a requirement of all early childhood employers will help you continue to build your skills and use them easily and readily on the job. Your employer will help you find and plan your professional development. If you have done a self-assessment and have an awareness of your competency strengths and needs, you will be able to choose professional development that will be of interest and benefit to you.
There are job opportunities in Early Childhood Centers serving preschool children and sometimes infants and toddlers. There also opportunities in School-Age Centers which offer before and after school activities and sometimes summer activities programs. Working in both of these jobs requires that you be certified by the Qualification Office at the Department of Education. Early Childhood programs may also be offered in a home based setting licensed by the State’s Office of Child Care Licensing. Working in a home based child care does not require that you be certified by the Qualification Office at the Department of Education, but you may do so voluntarily.
Most early childhood programs in Delaware operate full-day and year round but there are also half-day programs and some which operate only during the school year. Most programs serve preschool aged children, 3 and 4 year olds, and some programs also serve toddlers and infants. Many early childhood centers offer before and after the school day or during the summer recess for school-age children. Early Childhood Programs may be private community based businesses, a service of a church or community service organization or publicly funded program such Head Start or offered through a school district. Early childhood programs offer children opportunities to learn through play experiences. Programs plan activities to allow children to learn in groups and individually with a variety of active play, quiet play and teacher directed activities. Children in early childhood programs will also learn during the daily routines of snack and mealtime, nap time and outdoor play. They will have opportunities to learn through activities that explore books, music, art, science, math and physical movement.
Adults who work in early childhood programs help children learn by organizing and setting up activities for their exploration. The adult is the facilitator of the child’s learning; listening and asking questions to encourage exploration and providing guidance in using materials. Adults also help children learn to interact with others and to express themselves and manage their emotions. Early childhood program staff work to maintain a safe and healthy environment for young children and model good practices in health and nutrition to help children learn these as well. Staff communicate with families to let them know what children are doing during the day and listen to the questions and concerns of families. Working in an early childhood program is an important job! Early childhood teachers are helping children grow and learn and be ready for kindergarten.
Adults working in School-Age programs make ideas and materials available to children and provide them with support in developing activities and projects to explore areas of interest. Adults in the program listen to children, help them express themselves and explore what skills and interests they have or want to develop. Adults offer a safe and healthy environment for the program and model safe behavior and good health practices for children and youth. School-Age program staff help children learn how to develop and maintain friendships and work cooperatively in groups and on teams. Staff communicate with families to let them know what children are experiencing in the program and listen to the questions and concerns of families. Working in a School-Age program is an important job! School-Age staff help children and youth enjoy and continue learning after school is out.
School–Age Programs serve children before and after school and in during school holidays. Programs typically serve children ages 5 through 12. Some School-age programs are located in school buildings and some are in separate buildings and children are bused to the program site. Programs are often part of a larger organization though many are a part of an early childhood program. Most programs operate only a part of the day and would offer part-time employment. School-Age programs provide children and youth opportunities after school for physical activity, doing homework, getting a snack, socializing and learning through activities that may not be offered during the traditional school day. Activities may be organized to allow children to explore dramatics, woodworking, sewing, cooking, photography, journalism or sports. Children and youth are offered opportunities to develop friendships and work in groups and teams.
Home based programs are operated by an individual who is licensed by the State to provide an early childhood program in their private home called a family child care. These programs typically serve from 4 to 8 children depending on the ages of the children. Some home based programs are licensed as “large” family child care programs and may serve up to 12 children with a full time assistant. The children may range in age from infants to school-age and may include the home provider’s own children. Home based programs may offer flexible hours to families including evening or weekend times. Home based programs offer the same type of learning opportunities for children as early childhood centers and school-age centers but use the home environment as the setting for learning through play. Home based providers set up activities and materials and facilitate the learning through talking and listening to children. They support children in a mixed age group to interact and cooperate while engaging in activities that support each child’s development.
The home based provider ensures that the environment is safe and healthy for children. Families have a close relationship with a home based provider who is both the teacher and business manager of the program. Becoming a home based program means having your home become an early childhood program and being a small business owner. You, your family and your home must meet all the requirements of licensing. You will also have to equip your home to offer the learning opportunities that children need and to ensure a safe and healthy environment. As a small business owner you will need to manage your business arrangements with families, the expenses and taxes but you will be your own boss. There are some employment opportunities in home based programs for occasional substitutes or for regular assistants in large family child care homes.
All positions in early childhood or school-age centers require some training or education. Some positions also require experience. You must be 18 years old for all positions except for that of Intern. Early childhood or school-age Interns may be as young as 15 years old if they are currently enrolled in a Delaware High School early childhood career pathway program. Before you can be hired, you must have a formal review of your training, education and experience to determine if you meet the qualifications for a position in a center. The following documents are required: Completed Qualifications application High School graduation or G.E.D. documentation Verification of your experience in working with children Copy of photo identification to verify your age Official copy of your college transcript(s), if college work required
Once you have been qualified for a position, you will have Certificate of Qualification which you may show employers during your job search. When you are hired, your employer will want to have a copy of your Certificate of Qualifications to keep in your personnel file. A Certificate of Qualifications does not guarantee that you will be hired but you must have one in order to be employed. Retain your original certificate; provide employers a copy. At the time of employment each employee and each volunteer must have a criminal background check. Once you are offered employment, the employer will direct you in obtaining a criminal background check.
Early Childhood Administrator – Leader of the child care center and has responsibility for all aspects of the center’s operation; Specific requirements Early Childhood Curriculum Coordinator - Under supervision of the Administrator and develops and/or implements the center’s curriculum for children; Specific requirements Early Childhood Teacher - Under supervision of the Administrator and responsible for the care, supervision, guidance and education of the children. May also supervise Assistant Teachers and Interns; Specific requirements
Early Childhood Assistant Teacher - Under supervision of the Administrator and responsible for the care, supervision, guidance and education of the children; Specific requirements Early Childhood Intern - Under direct supervision of Administrator , Teacher, or Assistant Teacher and may not be left alone with children Specific requirements FAQ regarding Certificates
School-Age Administrator - Leader of the child care center and has responsibility for all aspects of the center’s operation; Specific requirements School-Age Site Coordinator - Under supervision of the Administrator has responsibility of day-to-day operation of a school-age center; Specific requirements School-Age Site Assistant - Under supervision of the Administrator and responsible for the care, supervision, guidance and education of the children; May also supervise Interns; Specific requirements School-Age Intern – Under direct supervision of Administrator, Site Coordinator or Site Assist and may not be left alone with children; Specific requirements FAQ regarding Certificates (link to pdf)
Delaware provides a variety of resources to support your career choice of working with children. The following web pages offer information on specific topics. If these do not answer your questions, one of the following may be able to assist you: Early Development and Learning, Department of Education (302) 739-4295 Office of Child Care Licensing, Division of Family Services (302) 892-5800 or 1-800-822-2236 Child care regulations Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood (302) 831-3239
The training to meet qualifications or enhance your skills in working with children is available through The Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood at University of Delaware (DIEEC). DIEEC maintains a Training Calendar that will help you locate training in your area.
College coursework and degree programs for Early Childhood are available at the following Delaware institutions of higher education: Delaware Technical & Community College Delaware State University University of Delaware Wilmington University Springfield College
There is financial assistance available for college degree programs. Each college or university can advise students on financial assistance options available to them. T.E.A.C.H. is a scholarship program available to individuals who are currently working in early childhood or school age programs. An employer must sponsor an individual to receive a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship. For more information on T.E.A.C.H. contact 302-764-1501.