Pangasinan State University

Bayambang Campus
Bayambang, Pangasinan
Francis Carla Junio
Jessa Solomon
Camille Apales
Ariadna Venice De Vera
Shiela Mae Cacho
BEE III-3

Mrs. Edith Lopez

Instructor

Responsibilities of an Early Childhood Educator

Being an early childhood teacher requires you to be willing to wear many hats. As an
experienced teacher, you are already prepared to be flexible. As a new teacher, remember that
your job description may change on a daily basis.
In most cases, your role as an early childhood teacher will be very similar to that of a
guide. A guide leads others down new paths. A guide walks beside a person on a journey, not in
front. A guide also keeps others safe from harm.
As an early childhood teacher, you will be challenged to find new experiences to share
with children. Guide children, do not lead them, and move in a direction that interests the
child. As a guide, allow the child to choose their learning and playing style while making
safety your number one concern!
Give up the notion that a teacher knows everything. Become a partner in learning and
encourage children to find their own answers instead of providing the answers for them. By
being a partner, teachers learn with the children and share in their experiences.
Early childhood teachers support learning by providing activities and materials that
children find engaging.
By facilitating learning, supplying a developmentally appropriate environment, interesting
materials, and adequate time to explore, play, and interact, children find learning easy and
fun!
To nurture is to nourish.
Nurturing a child encompasses all aspects of development: social, emotional, cognitive, and
physical. In every interaction, a teacher should nurture appropriate growth and development.
Teachers must also take care to listen to a child including interpreting words and
actions. Listening carefully helps teachers determine a child's needs and aids in furthering
the child's development.
Teachers communicate with many people throughout the day: parents, children, support
staff, the general public, and administrators. Early childhood teachers must be prepared to
communicate with all of these people. You should feel comfortable opening up, asking
questions, seeking advice, and sharing your experiences.
Paperwork, lesson planning, preparing materials and the environment, and negotiating
require teachers to have strong management skills. Managing a classroom requires
organizational skills, attention to detail, and commitment. There are many balls in the air and
it is your job is to keep them up and moving!

Develop Schedules and Enforce Routines

Young children need to follow a strict schedule that includes daily routines, such as going to
the restroom, washing hands, eating lunch and snack, and participating in reading, math,
science and music activities. Daily routines and activities keep the children occupied and
productive and help them learn to function in a structured environment. In addition, an earlychildhood teacher must develop a schedule that also allows for rest time and unstructured
outside play.
Maintain a Safe and Comfortable Environment
An early-childhood teacher inspects the children's environment to ensure the safety of
equipment and materials. She removes or repairs any items that pose a threat to the children.
She also fosters a safe and comfortable environment through clear, positive and encouraging
words and actions to help the children feel comfortable and confident within their
surroundings.
Provide Age-Appropriate Supervision and Discipline
Diligently supervising students in the classroom, during snacks and lunch, on the playground
and during field trips, is another duty of an early-childhood teacher. If she needs to leave -even momentarily -- she must find another responsible employee to watch the children. When
children misbehave or otherwise break the rules, she disciplines the children in a firm but fair
way. The teacher never resorts to any form of physical, verbal or emotional abuse as a method
of discipline.
Plan and Implement Lessons
An early-childhood teacher recognizes that the 3- to 5-year-old child's learning occurs
through both play and structured experiences that help develop the children's language, motor
and social skills. She plans lessons that allow for teacher-initiated and child-initiated
exploration. The teacher works with groups of children or one-on-one, depending on the type
of lesson and the learners' needs.
Observe and Communicate
Observing the children's behavior and making notes is important so an early-childhood
teacher can assess the progress of her students' development. She communicates her
observations to the children's parents at regular intervals. If she becomes concerned about a
child, she communicates with the parent immediately.
Address Cultural or Special Needs

Early-childhood teachers must strive to address cultural or special needs -- emotional,

physical or educational -- of the children they teach. For example, if a child has a food allergy,
the teacher must be aware of the content of the food the child is offered or is eating.
Additionally, if a child belongs to a culture or religion that doesn't allow her to celebrate
certain holidays, the teacher must respect the child's background and arrange for an
alternative activity for the child.

Ethical Standards of an Early Childhood Educator

ETHICAL STANDARDS
Principles that when followed, promote values such as trust, good behavior, fairness,
and/or kindness.
Registered Early Childhood Educators Members of the College use the protected title
registered early childhood educator and the professional designation RECE. RECEs plan
and deliver inclusive, playbased learning and care programs for pre-school and school-aged
children. They work in a variety of settings, including but not limited to, child care programs,
before- and after-school programs, full-day kindergarten, special education and intervention
programs, family resource programs, home child care programs and health care settings. Their
professional practice is guided by ethical and professional standards and under these
standards; RECEs are accountable to demonstrate safe, ethical and competent practice.
Care, Respect, Trust and Integrity RECEs have responsibilities to children, families, their
colleagues, the profession and to their community and society. Their practice reflects a core
set of values of care, respect, trust and integrity. Members of the College are professionals
who demonstrate a thorough knowledge of child development theories and are committed to
promoting the well-being and holistic development of children under their professional
supervision. They provide nurturing learning environments where children thrive and families
are welcome.
The Standards of Practice RECEs practice according to six standards dealing with specific
issues in the practice of early childhood education: I. Caring and Nurturing Relationships that
Support Learning II. Developmentally Appropriate Care and Education III. Safe, Healthy and
Supportive Learning Environments IV. Professional Knowledge and Competence V.
Professional Boundaries, Dual Relationships and Conflicts of Interest VI. Confidentiality and
Consent to the Release of Information Regarding Children and their Families RECEs are
guided in their decisions by the Code of Ethics, the Standards of Practice, and legislation
applicable to early childhood educators, and use their professional judgment to make
decisions.
Protecting the Public Interest As part of its duty to help protect the public interest and
improve professional practices, the College has a complaints process. Anyone who has
concerns that an RECEs care and conduct are not meeting the ethical and professional
standards can contact the College to speak to an Intake Officer about their concerns, or submit
a written formal complaint to the College.

REFERENCES:
https://www.collegeece.ca/en/Documents/CECE_Brochure_Code_Ethics_Standards_Practice_English_WEB.pdf
https://www.cceionline.edu/newsletters/August_08.html
http://work.chron.com/duties-earlychildhood-teacher-14811.html