The childcare profession can be challenging. There are 5 qualities that the really great preschool child care professionals tend to have. Here are those qualities so you can watch out for them as you work to build a winning team.
Qualities of Great Preschool Child Care Professionals
Teaching young children is challenging. But several qualities standout as important and helpful. When interviewing new teachers or looking to expand your office team, here’s what to look for.
1. Patience
A great preschool teacher or administrator is patient because young children tend to ask repeat questions and need constant reminders of the same things over and over again. Children have energy galore and may need to be pulled back into the learning scene repeatedly throughout the day as they try to expel all that energy.
2. A Sense of Humor
Young children say and do the darnedest things. Teachers who take themselves too seriously are unlikely to survive in early childhood education.
Preschool teachers should be prepared for children to not remember what they taught them yesterday or have short lapses in remembering these lessons. The more teachers can laugh and enjoy these spirited students, the better equipped they are for the role.
3. Creativity
Imagine getting a room of 3-year-olds to sit still at the same time for circle time. It takes great skill and creativity for a childcare provider to accomplish this.
The more creative a preschool teacher is, the more likely children are to learn in the classroom. This is because children are more likely to learn through song or activities that engage multiple senses.
4. Communication Skills
While preschoolers don’t benefit from baby talk they do require some special communication. Teachers who can break down complex topics into easily digestible nuggets for preschoolers are worth their weight in gold.
Toddlers can learn the solar system if teachers present it in a way the young students can understand. It’s all in how a teacher communicates a topic as to whether or not a toddler will learn and absorb the information.
5. Understanding
No two children are the same or learn at the same pace and in the same fashion. A teacher who recognizes and understands that is priceless in preschool. An understanding teacher is able to work with every child on his or her strengths and help them grow in the areas where they need to.
Well-equipped teachers are better able to teach preschoolers. A rowdy room full of preschoolers can be difficult to control and take attendance for on paper. But by empowering your teachers with childcare management software, you can enable them to do their jobs more effectively and exhibit these five traits in the classroom.
iCare Software puts information at the fingertips of your preschool teachers. From food allergies and HIPAA-compliant medical information to learning reports and messaging with parents, iCare’s childcare app is the classroom assistant every teacher loves. Learn more about preschool software and schedule a demo to learn more.