Early Childhood Educators Day: You Can Make a Difference

There's much to celebrate this year, with a 15% wage increase announced in August for the sector. This pay rise is an exciting step towards acknowledging early childhood educators' huge impact on our lives. Let's explore why early learning and child care educators are so important and share some seriously heartwarming testimonials showcasing the profound influence some of our educators have on families.

Early Childhood Educators Day: Why we celebrate it

Every year, on September 4th, we celebrate [Early Childhood Educators Day]. The day honours the incredible contribution of early childhood educators and their invaluable role in shaping the lives of Australian children because their role goes well beyond early learning. Early Childhood Educators Day also reminds us to acknowledge their importance to our families, society, and the economy.

Why early learning and child care educators are so important

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is more than 'babysitting'. It's about providing a rich and supportive environment where children explore, learn, and develop. Educators are professionals who help children grow academically, emotionally, and socially. They carefully design activities that promote cognitive growth based on children's interests and development. Vicky at Goodstart Riddells Creek is a wonderful example of how educators actively listen to the interests of families and children and then tailor learning to support these interests.

Bilingualism and language development: Greek is the word!

Jasmine and Phil Rogers' son Benny attends Goodstart Riddells Creek. Phil said that Benny 'Loves language. He loves to speak, he loves to count, and he loves to play with words, letters, and numbers.'

Jasmine said she'd often made a few offhand comments about wishing Benny was bilingual, and now Vicky is teaching him Greek! Phil said, 'To have someone here who can teach him another language, play with another language, and give him new sounds and names for things is excellent.'

'Since Benjamin has been in Vicky's care, he has brought home an entirely new language. That's exciting for us! It's not a language we can provide for him at home, and that's very important for a little boy who loves learning. Vicky stands out to me because of her immense love for the job and her enthusiasm for what she does here. He lights up like a Christmas tree when he sees her!'

Designing the learning environment for each child

We all have our own preferred learning methods, and we all absorb and retain information differently. As adults, we decide this for ourselves, but children are still experimenting with what works best. They need educators who support them in trying new things and who use their expertise to guide them. 

Jocelyn Garrett's son goes to Goodstart Traralgon - Conway Court. She shared that they'd had a rough start to the year. There were difficult drop-offs, some resistance to her leaving, and separation anxiety. That was until Maddy started. 'Then it just was this complete change overnight,' she said. 'Which was just wonderful!'

Jocelyn said Maddy focused on expanding sensory and tactile play. Jocelyn's son is very physical and sensory-seeking, so adding these new dimensions to his learning addressed what was missing. 'He loves to be able to get into things, dig, and touch. That's been the biggest change for us, which is great.'

Jocelyn's impressed that Maddy and her team provide diverse activities that engage different learning styles. ‘It's been perfect for his development. He's very physical and likes outdoor risky play, so we do that with him at home. We don't actively do sensory play or fine motor activities. Maddy makes sure that there is that variety across the day. When I come in in the morning, there is a hands-on activity drawing, colour sorting, or something they're working on before the day's even started!'

Jocelyn is impressed at how successful Maddy's adjustments have been. 'We've seen his confidence grow so much. We couldn't be happier!'

Building secure relationships with children and families

Early educators build profound relationships with families and children. These bonds extend beyond the classroom, creating a support system that ripples through the community, like Mitchell (Mitch) from Goodstart Darch. Mitch has earned some stellar reviews from Rebecca, Olivia, and Skye. 'He's like a rockstar in the centre with all the kids,' said Rebecca.

She quickly adds that 'Mitchell's more than just an educator. He cares about the children. And he's friends with them! He's not just there to look after them or teach them. They're his equal. He respects them, and they respect him.'

Olivia agreed. She also wanted to clarify the value he brings to her, saying, 'Mitchell's always up for a chat in the morning or at pick-up. He's made drop-offs easy, so I don't leave feeling so guilty.'

Finally, Skye said, 'I think Mitch has shaped our overall experience at Goodstart in a really positive way.'

Collaboration and communication

Good communication is the foundation of any great relationship. Everyone likes to know their needs are heard, respected and met, and this especially applies to educators and families. Julia Beaton also has a daughter who's in Maddy's room. She's impressed at how quickly Maddy implemented a suggestion she'd made. 'If I mention one thing to her, she always ensures it happens. Not long ago, Alora wasn't wearing a bib. I just mentioned it to her. Then, straight away, every single day, Alora wore a bib, and I didn't wash bunches and bunches of clothes every day.'

'Drop-offs used to be awful,' Julia said. 'Alora would cry every morning, and I'd have to stay for at least half an hour to make sure she was OK to start her day. But now Maddy's here; I stay 10 minutes and see her outside playing with Maddy, and she's not crying!'

Kellie Lewis's son Oakley is also in Maddy's room. 'Maddy truly understands how hard it is to be a parent and be away from your child when they're so little.' Kellie said, 'It's the worst! But Maddy's constantly sending us regular updates and photos on Storypark. She shares little things that reassure me that Oakley's fine and he's having a great time. You need regular reminders that they're doing OK when they're so small. Then you can get on with your day.'

Educational support and champions for children

Pre-kindy is an important year for children and their speech development. Children like Dineth benefit greatly from educators who see their potential, see them for who they are and champion their success. Dineth is in kindy and needs behavioural support. when he started attending pre-kindy with Felicia last year, he needed guidance from the right person. And Felicia was that person. She and Dineth made an excellent team. Dineth's mum said, 'He wouldn't be where he is now with his language and Felicia did very well.'

'While looking for another speech therapist for Dineth, she explained and encouraged me to use the therapies already available at Goodstart.'

Because Dineth needs educational support, his speech was behind his peers. We focused on this at pre-kindergarten because it's such an important time when you're learning to talk.’

‘Now, he knows all the kindergarten kids, and everybody loves him. It's amazing to see,’ she said. ‘It's important to us to know what Dineth is doing. Other parents, especially those with kids needing additional support, would understand. A small step is a huge thing for us. Felicia was good at explaining everything and updating us with his progress.’ 

Go to work and make a difference every day! 

Don’t miss out on the enrichment of early learning and the beautiful relationships you can all have with families and children. Join our amazing, passionate, professional team who make a difference in everyone's lives. You can really make a difference. 

And finally, to all early childhood educators, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! 

Check out our series of stories about our life-changing educators here.