Working in the childcare industry is a dynamic and rewarding career. At its heart is the ability to create an environment where children can thrive, encouraging creativity, curiosity and a love of learning. That’s what defines a great early childhood educator.
Within this blog, we spoke to Natalia, one of our wonderful educators who has been with Pulse Child Care Crew for the past two years, to learn what a typical day looks like for her. Natalia works across centres in Greater Western Sydney on both last-minute and block-booking shifts, filling roster gaps and delivering high quality care to children aged 0 – 5.
Born in Argentina, Natalia moved to Australia as a child. She started her childcare career many years ago. She previously spent several years at one of the centres she now supports through Pulse Child Care Crew.
What a typical day looks like for an early childhood educator
Routine plays a key role in childcare, helping create a calm, predictable environment where children feel safe, while still allowing enough flexibility to meet their individual needs. Generally, shift patterns include 6:15 am – 2:45 pm, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm and 10 am - 6:30 pm.
Below, Natalia has given us invaluable insight into her working day. Based on a 6:15 am start, a day in the life of a childcare educator like Natalia looks like:
6:15am – prep for the day ahead
Natalia often arrives with a permanent educator (who is employed directly by the centre), and together they set up the rooms ready for the children’s arrival. This includes:
- Preparing breakfast and bringing the trolley in
- Setting up cots for the 0-3 year olds and organising the nappy rooms
- Arranging equipment so it is ready to hand. Materials needed by educators includes gloves, tissues, masks, aprons and wipes
Getting the day ready to go before the children arrive ensures children receive the best level of care.
6:30am – children arrive and breakfast is served
Natalia and the other educator welcome the children and speak to the parents/guardians on how the child is doing. Any sickness or issues that the child may be facing are addressed at the start.
Breakfast is ready for the children to have once they arrive, which includes toast, bread, fruit, cereals and various spreads. When this is complete and nappies have been changed, the children get to enjoy activities that promote a holistic approach to development. Examples of such activities include painting, games, crafts, puzzles, reading books together and solo play so they can explore play of their choice.
7:15am – playtime and morning tea
Play can happen both indoors and outdoors. In cooler weather conditions, Natalia and the team will take the children outside if they are keen to run around.
Changing up activities is an essential responsibility of the educators, as it’s important that the children are kept stimulated and entertained.
These activities also give children the space to express their emotions and talk about how they are feeling. Natalia shared an example of a child who had recently lost their grandfather. They read a book together that had themes of loss, which created a safe space for the child to share their experiences and come to terms with what had happened. Educators are there not only to supervise but also to share advice and communicate back to parents on their child’s wellbeing.
During this time, there is also a morning tea set up with snacks such as fruit, porridge and toast for children who get hungry before their lunch.
11am – lunchtime
Lunchtime is served a little earlier if the children have been there since the early morning, and meals are prepared by the chefs and approved by the directors. The children wash their hands and sit down to eat.
Each meal is carefully curated, taking into account children’s dietary needs, likes/dislikes and cultural backgrounds. Examples of lunchtime meals are curries and pasta-based dishes, with the menu rotating. Natalia mentioned that one of the most rewarding parts of mealtimes is that you can “really tell when they enjoy it through the feedback that the children give.” They give negative feedback too if they don’t like the food, which is also good as it can be given back to the chefs to use going forward.
11:45am – naptime
Children aged 0 – 5 years typically need from 10 – 17 hours of sleep, so naptime is an essential part of the day. The educators get them ready for bed by changing them into sleep suits, patting them to sleep and maintaining contact whilst they get ready for bed, so they feel safer. Natalia even sings to the children as it helps them to rest and drift off soundly to sleep.
Whilst the children nap, it allows some of the educators to spend time completing tasks that they can’t do whilst supervising the children, and the others stay with the children until they wake up. Sleeping and cot charts are filled out to keep a record of children’s sleep during the day.
Natalia finds that when the children wake up, they are full of energy, so often dancing to music of the children’s choice follows, or if the weather is good, they may go outside for more fresh air. When speaking to the parents, Natalia likes to get an understanding of music that the children like or is popular in their culture, and she makes an effort to incorporate this into the day.
2:00pm – 2:30pm – afternoon tea
After dancing, afternoon tea is served just before the children are collected. This usually consists of what’s left over from morning tea (or if it is all eaten, the cook will make extra). Sometimes, if the children are dancing when the parents arrive, they like to join in!
And that’s it! Natalia usually heads out of the door at 2:45 pm (or just after to finish the task she’s doing). The afternoon shift usually follows a similar pattern.
Inspired and want to know more?
There are many inspiring and satisfying reasons to join the childcare industry as an early childhood educator. Making a real difference in children’s lives and giving them the foundation to grow, develop and explore who they want to become is the best gift you can give them.
For more information on becoming an early childhood educator, read more on our blog and contact our team today to get started.