The education you give young minds plays a critical role in how they grow. Early childhood courses for infants form the basis of lifelong learning and developmental milestones in their growth. The development of young children makes the role of child care providers and teachers an essential one in the job market.
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 150,300 new jobs are projected each year, with the job outlook rate growing by eight percent as fast as the average. If you’re interested in taking professional courses for children’s development, there’s an exciting future ahead of you. Here are five fulfilling careers in child development you can consider.
- Preschool Teacher
Preschool teachers handle children between three and five years old. And preschool teachers provide intellectual and social training to infants, helping them grow physically and mentally. Children at this age need proper strategies to shape their imagination and creativity. So, you’ll likely see preschool teachers dealing more with colors, animation, and cutouts to help kids improve their creative skills.
Preschool teachers also work as supervisors of a child’s behavioral and social skills, identifying traits that may require special attention. They combine competency with compassion, ensuring to administer their role with utter patience and empathy. This requires preschool facilitators, including daycare, nursery, and kindergarten teachers, to go through various levels of early childhood education.
Today, future teachers can search “online classes early childhood education” and find numerous academic institutions to train as early childhood education teachers at their own pace. Their courses include inclusive education and classroom management. Also, many policies advocate against segregating special needs children.
- Child Life Specialist
A child life specialist deals with children in a medical childcare setting, especially regarding illnesses, injuries, disabilities, accidents, or hospitalization. Child life specialists are specially trained to understand the unique needs of children and how they react to the effects of any health issue. Their role is to help mitigate the overall impact of these challenges on young infants.
For this reason, child life specialists require a special certification. The admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree and proof of knowledge for studying about 10 college-level courses on Child Life or a related field. Prospective applicants must have completed a minimum of 600 hours of internship supervised by a certified child life specialist.
- Parent Educator
Early childhood education and development doesn’t only involve teachers and health professionals; it begins with the family, and parents must develop the necessary skills for proper child upbringing. The goal is to raise physically, emotionally, and psychologically healthy children. Parent educators advocate and counsel parents on the best ways to be fully involved in the various aspects of children’s lives. Parent educators can work in public and private schools or as consultants to specific communities and parents.
- Child Welfare Worker
According to BLS, child welfare workers will increase by 12 percent over the next decade. Child welfare workers protect child rights and their overall well-being and their daily activities include coordinating and monitoring the progress of programs involving neglected and abused children. Child welfare workers can work on their own or in partnership with non-profits, development agencies, state institutions. They can also fill senior administration positions at private and public schools, ensuring their education matches optimum welfare standards.
- Childcare Center Director
A childcare center director ensures the smooth operation of daycare and preschool facilities. Their duties include supervising existing staff, managing resources, and ensuring new employees are a right fit for the facility.
All in all, choosing a career in childcare education goes beyond career projection and financial benefits. Children are special and demand special attention. If you agree, then any of these careers might interest you.