Professional Staff
Professionalism of Staff
Over the past 20 years or so, many people in the early childhood field have worked hard to move from being seen as babysitters in day care to early childhood educators in the child care setting. For some, the time spent in the early childhood education field is passing and is a stepping stone to other opportunities in life. Others dedicate their lives to being early childhood professionals. No matter how much time one spends in this field, acting like and being treated as professionals is essential.
Merriam-Webster defines professional as “exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace.” Courteousness can be demonstrated through respectful relationships with families, children, and fellow staff, but it extends into the community as well. One who is conscientious takes steps to complete the necessities of the job, but also goes beyond what’s merely required to what’s in the best interest of the children, families and overall program. A businesslike manner doesn’t mean that relationships can’t be warm and nurturing, but appropriate boundaries between families and providers should be considered. It does mean that there should be some formal arrangement to the relationship as those who are providing care are providing a service to families that need it. Written contracts and policies provide definition to and expectations of the relationship. Many professionals have dedicated time, energy and money to gaining experience and education. They obtain degrees and credentials that say they have a certain body of knowledge around a specific topic. This is another way to be businesslike in the early childhood profession.
Being treated as professionals means being supported in efforts, not only in terms of resources provided and emotional backing, but also in wages and benefits. Because the nature of child care providers’ service demands high personnel involvement, the cost of providing care is high, and it’s even higher as programs seek to include all of the quality indicators being discussed on these quality care pages.
On the other hand the ability to pay for care varies greatly and there are currently too few resources from government, corporate or community funds to provide high quality care for all children. Those working in this profession may never be paid adequately for the work they do and the impact they have on children’s learning, brain development and social development. However, compensation comes in many forms. If providers can be paid a respectful wage and have benefits while working in an esthetically pleasing environment with respectful relationships, this will go a long way towards furthering the professionalism of early childhood educators and increasing the overall quality of care they provide. If teachers are treated like professionals, they are much more likely to act like professionals and see the value in devoting their lives to a career in Early Childhood Education.
