Early Childhood Education is a field where you work directly with children and their families, building important relationships at a formative time in children’s lives. You help children learn how to build resiliency, develop social-emotional learning, and you have a direct impact on children’s growth.
How I Got Started as an Early Childhood Educator (ECE)
Sam Daniels-Tenwolde | Level 3 ECE, Nova Scotia
Early Childhood Educators often enter the field with different goals and career paths in mind. Some of us know this is our calling and set out initially on the path to becoming an ECE and continue into the field as planned. Some of us explore the field while we continue our education with the intent to head into other fields, and some of us stumble upon it while exploring our employment options.
ECEs are like snowflakes; with no two being the same. We come from different backgrounds and cultures and bring different experiences with us. We have different hobbies, interests, dislikes, and abilities. But one thing we have in common is our love for children, relationships and connection and passion to drive our commitment in the field.
ECEs are like snowflakes; with no two being the same.
Having worked in the field in various capacities over the past nine years, I look at where I am now, and look back to where my journey as an Early Childhood Educator began.
Often, I think, did it begin when I walked into my very first toddler classroom on my first day nervous that the children wouldn’t like me? Did it begin when I sat down in the middle row of a huge auditorium with the words “Child Development” projected on the screen at the front? Or did it begin during those summer breaks while working at an overnight summer camp being eaten alive by mosquitos?
I honestly can’t pinpoint when it started, and I can’t say it was always easy. But it was a combination of those experiences that led me to where I am today, and the most exciting part? I know my journey is not finished yet.
The field is constantly changing (for the better, most of the time) and looking for ways to improve the lives of children and their families, to support professionals in the field and enhance the understanding of what early child development is all about.
Just like ECEs and snowflakes, no day is the same. Yes, we follow a routine each day and lunch will typically always come before nap. As an ECE you learn to be open minded, and flexible, which allows us to quickly adapt our activities and/or environment to meet the needs of the children and families with whom we work with. You learn that there is no accomplishment too small to celebrate, and every discovery is shared with excitement.
From watching the confidence on the face of a Toddler who successfully put their shoes on for the first time (Well-Being), or a Preschooler discovering that a toy chisel can also be used as a screwdriver when all the other screwdrivers were being used (Discovery and Invention), you come to understand the learning that happens in the early years is astronomical.
So, I can’t pinpoint where my journey started, and I can’t say I know where it will end. I certainly did not expect to be writing this as an ECE Program Manager at the College level after feeling too shy to sing in front of a group of Toddlers on my first day. But I did know after that first week I LOVE being an ECE and thrive in the continued learning I get to experience with children and their families, my co-workers, our communities, and future Early Childhood Educators.
Ready to get started on your own ECE journey? Learn more about our Early Childhood Education Diploma program.
