What is Early Childhood Education?
Early childhood education (ECE) is a theory of learning for young children from preschool through the third-grade level. Teachers utilize a mix of creative play, arts and crafts, and physical activity to teach young children. The requirements and expectations vary by grade level and by state.
Early Childhood Education Salary
According to Indeed, early childhood teachers make a nationwide average of $43,061 per year.*
*Data collected in 2023.
Back-to-School Tips for Teachers
For an early childhood education teacher, excitement and stress come with each new school year. It is nerve-wracking for the students who don’t know their new teacher and hectic for teachers preparing to teach new concepts to young children. Here are a few back-to-school tips to help prepare for the new school year.
Tip 1: Setting the Tone
Setting the tone early is a great way to make the transition into the new school year smoother. The teacher should clarify any expectations for students as well as the parents. These expectations include in-classroom attitudes and behavior, communication methods, and homework assignments.
Rules for the New School Year
The first few days of school are chaotic at best. That’s why it is beneficial to go over the classroom rules and expectations. Some teachers create a social contract through which students design rules they think should be followed. The teacher approves and explains the contract to eliminate any confusion. Early childhood education teachers can use a social contract, create a visual such as a slide show, or choose any interactive variation that establishes the expected student behavior and attitude.
Communication and Expectations
Expectations are not limited to just the classroom—they go beyond the doors and extend to parents. They include having the child complete homework on time, bringing school supplies, and establishing proper ways of communicating questions, comments, or concerns regarding the child. Having positive and active parent-teacher communication can benefit both parties as well as the child.
Tip 2: Organization for the New School Year
Go into this new school year organized and with a plan. Once teachers know what they’re going to teach and when they can create an organized system for convenience in the future. Since the students are young, it is a great idea to have an engaging classroom decor, especially if there are visual reminders for the students.
Get Ahead on Curriculum Planning
Creating a curriculum plan for early childhood education is essential to cover all the required material, but flexibility is essential to ensure the children have the time needed for each lesson. Therefore, an early childhood education teacher should create a long-term, medium-term, and short-term plan for the new school year.
A long-term plan can be a lesson goal for the year. Then fill out the details closer to the implementation date based on the progress of the students, creating a medium-term plan. Short-term planning would be the weekly plans with learning objectives and activities. Building these plans is a good method for a teacher to stay organized throughout the year.
Clearly Label Materials
Even the best plans will fail if a teacher has no idea where any of their materials are. This is why it is important to have everything clearly labeled. Labels could be color-coded or in a binder. An early childhood education teacher planning binder typically includes a table of contents, lesson plan progressions, worksheets, and assessments. Labeling materials and keeping them organized helps minimize stress at the start of the school year.
Display Reminders of Processes
An interactive and engaging classroom can work in the favor of the teacher by displaying reminders for the children. This can include a turn-in and take-home system, a visual for which students have classroom jobs, a calendar to show the students the date, or any rules for the children to remember. It is an effective way to have the students use their surroundings to answer their questions and develop accountability for their actions.
Tip 3: Be Creative
Teaching the same curriculum can feel redundant after a while, thus less exciting for the teacher. However, it is the first time these students have ever been exposed to these lessons, so it’s important to use new and creative ways to effectively teach the curriculum. Creative methods can make learning fun and exciting for students and the teacher. A tip for teachers is to start the year off making a good first impression. Maintaining a positive outlook on teaching will help students stay eager to learn. Being creative about teaching methods and keeping a decorated classroom can help achieve that.
Interactive Teaching
In early childhood education, it is essential to interact with students to maintain their attention spans. There are several ways to keep students engaged through questions, activities that involve play and creativity, and teacher interaction. Questions can be used to gauge a child’s understanding or to allow the child the opportunity to think critically and apply their knowledge. The creative or playful approach to educational activities allows students to have fun while learning.
For example, when teaching the months of the year and the seasons, the early childhood education teacher can explain the concepts and ask students to draw and color them, then go over them as a class. The amount of teacher interaction may vary. The teacher explains to the group, then goes around the room talking to individual students about the colors or symbols in their pictures to gauge their understanding. At the end, the teacher asks the students to explain the concepts in their own words using what they have learned.
Decorate the Classroom
Another way to be creative is to have a decorative classroom for the new school year. This can include bulletin boards with calendars, seasons, classroom rules, or signs for designated activity areas such as reading, arts, or where to put backpacks. All of these decorations can be used to make the classroom more exciting and engaging. Decorating this way offers opportunities for students to evaluate their environment and apply what they see and read.
Save Money on School Supplies
It looks and feels great to decorate the classroom a different way every year, but that can be taxing on teachers and their budgets. That’s why it is a good idea to rotate decorations and showcase different combinations. Still, when it comes to buying more teacher, classroom, or student supplies for the new school year, it can be very expensive. Some stores offer discounts and sales on cleaning supplies, storage containers, and classroom materials. Also, many websites offer discounted school supplies, especially for bulk purchases.
Tip 4: Utilize Resources
Take advantage of available resources, in-school or online. Schools offer counseling and medical care in school for students. There are also online resources for early childhood education teachers to find community, research, lessons, inspiration, and more.
Counseling and Mental Health Resources
Schools have guidance counselors and nurses available to aid students. These in-school resources can be of great benefit if and when students know how to use them. It is the school employees’ job to showcase the resources for students and share the benefits of using them. Teachers who think a student would benefit from a visit with the guidance counselor can suggest this to the administration and parents. Students who get hurt or sick at school can visit the school nurse.
Resources for Teachers
Early childhood education teachers are always looking for ways to become better teachers for their students. There are online resources available to do so. Teachers can find organizations to join, blogs to read, or more early childhood education resources that other professionals use.
Are You Looking To Become an Early Childhood Education Teacher?
Learn more about what it takes to become an early childhood education teacher by looking at the Pacific Oaks College’s Early Childhood Education program, including B.A., M.A., and Ed.D. degrees. Different states and grade levels have different job and education requirements. Determine what level you wish to teach, then obtain your appropriate teaching credentials. Our B.A. in Early Childhood Education and your required credentials allow you to teach prekindergarten through third grade. Get your start at Pacific Oaks College today.
