The field of early childhood education typically relates to preschool or day care learning centers, with children ranging from infant to age 5. If you love interacting with children, watching them grow, teaching them and helping them develop at a young age, a career in early childhood education may be a good fit.

Duties of an Early Childhood Education Teacher

People who work in early childhood education have slightly different duties depending on where they work, and what title they hold. Overall, the responsibility of an early childhood education professional is to teach young children, mostly through play and creative activities. Your job would include developing your students’ vocabulary and experience with basics such as colors, shapes, and numbers to get them ready for entering kindergarten.

In addition to educational and play activities, preschool teachers have the secondary responsibilities of setting and maintaining schedules, dealing with conflict between children, maintaining discipline and providing the children with naps and snacks.  For centers that accept children younger than 3, feeding, diaper changing and potty training may also be a part of your job.

As you can imagine, a high degree of patience is a must for working with toddler-aged children.  Toddlers have high energy and short attention spans, and can display difficult behaviors such as biting, hitting, pinching, and throwing temper tantrums.

It’s important that parents be able to trust you as the person watching their young, impressionable children.  You can gain that trust through a professional and caring appearance, and good communication skills. The children themselves should also be able to trust you so they can interact and learn from you.  Above all else, you should be prepared to set a good example and be a role model to the children you teach.

Training for a Career in Early Childhood Education

The type of training you will need to get into this field will vary greatly depending on the state you’re in, but also more specifically on where you work. Usually, public schools and daycare centers that are funded with government money will have strict rules on the training and certifications you need. However, the requirements are not as extensive as they are for K-12 teachers.

In California for example, the state offers 6 levels of child development permits.  For an assistant, the requirement is just 6 semester credits of early childhood coursework, which is usually attained with two classes. The highest permit available is for a child development program director where the requirement is a Bachelor’s degree or 12 semester credits combined with another credential and some supervised field experience.

Looking into the specifics of what you want to do may be the best place to start. If you are serious about getting everything you can on your resume, look for a credential that will benefit you in the job place that you want, and consider getting certified in CPR and or first aid through the Red Cross or American Heart Association. Many employers are starting to ask all employees to be certified in CPR or first aid, but some will help pay for your certification once you are hired. You can also become a member of the National Association for Education of Young Children. While this is again not an official credential – and it is not required, it can show you’re serious about being the best at your job. The association provides members with resources and materials that are relevant to your field in early childhood education. Membership costs vary by state.

Benefits of an Early Childhood Education Degree

Even in centers where a degree is not always required, having one could benefit you if you can afford to invest some time and money.  Some employers who don’t require degrees, do prefer them, so having the degree will give you an advantage if you’re competing in a tough market. If you’re really passionate about early childhood education, having a degree will allow you time to grow and develop skills that will help you be a better teacher and caregiver.

If one of your goals is to one day run your own daycare or preschool center, having a degree, and continuing your education longer will help you be better prepared. While some states don’t require licensing for all daycare teachers, they may require degrees or higher credentials for the directors who run the programs.

Another possible benefit that you may get from your degree is earning more trust from parents. Even if you’re in a place where a degree is not required, being able to tell parents that you do have that background, can make them feel better about leaving their young ones with you.

View a list of schools offering online Early Childhood Education degrees, conveniently available in distance-learning format.

Early Childhood Education Teacher Salaries

Unfortunately, becoming a preschool or daycare teacher does not generally pay as much as a traditional teaching position (K-12). People who take jobs in early childhood education are most happy when they know not to expect huge financial gains, but instead learn to find joys in teaching young children and watching them grow and learn.

The bureau of labor statistics reports that according to the occupational employment statistics the median salary in 2008 for this industry was $23,870. The highest paid preschool or daycare teachers make just over $41,000.

View a list of online Early Childhood Education degrees.