When people come into early childhood care settings, they often say that their interest in working in this sector is because ‘they just love children!’ I always say, talk to me on Wednesday when you have changed 80 nappies and wiped many noses. In addition to being comfortable with body fluids, there are other pre-requisites for working with the Schools of Early Learning.
- Our employees need to have integrity. They need to do what they say they will do, treat everyone (and most especially the children) with respect and make judgements about their actions on the basis of kindness and a strong sense of what is right and wrong.
- Our employees need to be curious. Our SOEL curriculum emerges from children’s interests and evolves over time. We expect children to sustain their thinking and deepen their learning. We know that there are significant understandings to be explored and we need to be curious about why children are drawn to experiences, repeat them and return to them.
- Our employees need to be mindful. We are working with little people, with their own personalities, hearts, minds and activities. We are working multiculturally with children, families and colleagues from around the world. We are supporting the learning of our children for today, as active local, national, international and global citizens. We need to be conscious of our roles as educators, carers, counsellors and cheerleaders.
- Our employees need to be resilient. Like the children, we make mistakes. We need to be open to learning from them and able to try again with new ideas, skills and attitudes. Like the children, we have good and bad days and we need to bring our best selves to our work.
- Our employees need to be leaders. We are the role models for the children, sources of information for families and models of best practice for colleagues and the industry. Are you this kind of person? With over 140 employees in the Schools of Early Learning, there may be just the right place for you.
Would you like your children cared for by this kind of person? With four centres in North Fremantle, Nedlands, Subiaco and West Leederville, with North Perth coming in July 2018, there may be just the right place for your child.