In your opinion, for a daycare and/or preschool teacher.....?

Question

What do you think the minimal requirements should be to be employed in a daycare or preschool. I am sure different states may have different requirements, but for thos who have children and are working parents, I am curious as to know what qualities a teacher should possess.

Answer 1

my kids go to montesori school preeschool and i,m happy with that

Answer 2

some teachers w/o a degree are great, some are junk. some degreed teachers are great, some are junk. I guess what matters the most is can a preschool or daycare get rid of the 'junk'. hmmmmm.....and if you are pondering a question of education, referring to the first post, I wonder if we required preschool teachers to have a 4 yr degree, and maybe day care teachers to have a 2 yr, and the cost rose.... would prices of goods and essentials we need drop due to less woman in the workforce???  The government cannot afford to pay for highly-skilled preschool teachers. And there is some question on the benefits of full-time care at such a young age. So, maybe a solution is to campaign for government-sponsered maternity leave like in other countries??? why the push to get babies out of the home??? how did prices of goods rise so fast that women are NOW forced to contribute financially in the home.

Answer 3

I believe that while a background in educating young children is a must (you should at least have to take 4 or 5 college classes on child development, curriculum development, children with special needs, language/speech development), I also believe that there are innumerable qualities that good preschool teachers have that are innate.  That is, some people have it, and some people don't.  You can only learn so much from books, and while that information is certainly critical in developing a good teacher, the foremost part of being a preschool teacher is not something that can be taught.  How can you teach a person to love the job they do?  You can't.  An excellent preschool teacher is one who truly loves children, loves a challenge (for all preschoolers are one), is kind but firm, is patient, compassionate, willing to go the extra mile (no one pays you for the time you spend on your class after work), knows this is a thankless job, has a great sense of humor (for if you can't laugh at these little guys- you'll fail), knows how to control a classroom full of children effectively, can put up with tons of paperwork, has endless energy, doesn't mind getting dirty or down on the floor, has common sense and uses it to reinforce "natural consequences", and has the foresight to look ahead to what the children need.  Many states simply require that "teachers" be 18 and have graduated high school.  Most require no work experience in the field.  So, you have people who are uneducated about the development and typical behaviors of children, who have no experience in real life working with them.  This is when you typically get people who think that biting is something you throw a child out of preschool for, or that ADHD is a "fad".  If staff is not adequately trained to deal with behaviors, the children suffer.  Staff and children should be allowed the best possible interactions- that means that staff needs to know the developmental stages, areas of concern, how to accurately track behaviors and modifications, and the latest techniques to use.  Putting your child in a center where the staff is not adequately trained in child development issues is doing a diservice to that child.  You will not get the good quality that is necessary to facilitate learning and bonding relationships.  So, in answer to your question, staff should be well educated in child development, have experience working with children of varying abilities, and have the personal qualities listed above.

Answer 4

An associates degree should not be the minimum requirement to work at a preschool or daycare. Although continuing education is a must. There are many state and private classes available to anyone who wants to take them. They are also very affordable, between $10-$30 in my area. They do not count towards a degree but are extremely use full resources.  Other educational workshops are available through local teacher associations. This is how the teachers with degrees keep up on the newest information. So why not daycare providers and preschool teachers. They supply the building blocks for the children, so they should also attend continuing training. The education is out there, it just may not be in the form of a degree. I do feel that the operators and teachers in a daycare or preschool should posses at least a CDA  ( Childhood Development Association Certificate ) or be in the process of getting it. It consists of 8 units that provide the basics for early childhood. If they have this certificate you know that they have at least completed 120hrs of training. Overall I feel a daycare and/or preschool teacher should love to teach children and want to learn as much as they possibly can to teach the kids in their care.

Answer 5

I used to be a preschool teacher, I got my bachelor's degree. Granted I am no longer teaching b/c I feel I am over qualified due to the pay. It would be wonderful to see preschool teachers have bachelors degree but preschools and daycares don't have the funding to pay them a good salary. I do believe an associates should be required. Teachers need proper training in child development to work with children and families.

Answer 6

In California you only need to have 12 Early Childhood Educaton units to become a preschool teacher at most places.  I think that is RIDICULOUS. All of the teachers at our school have to have at least an A.A. or A.S.degree, unless they are an aide.  But the education is secondary to the inner qualities a preschool teacher should have.  Of course PATIENCE is absolutely necessary.  But,  you have to have the ability to communicate on a child's level You can't judge children by what they wear or how they look when they come to school each day.  If a child comes from a less fortunate family, you can NOT assume that child is going to have poor behavior.  All children are unique and you have to have the ability to find out what is special about EACH ONE.  Most of all, I always remind myself to treat every child the way i would want MY CHILD to be treated.  For many of them, YOU are the person they see the most five days of the week at least and YOUR actions are shaping their world.

Answer 7

well that's hard to answer.  First and foremost in my mind is someone who likes kids and does not have a criminal record.  That should be a minimum.  In other words, any business or agency that has something to do with children should require or allow background checks.  Past that, it is hard to answer.  As a parent, my gut instinct is to look for a degree/diploma in early child development. Having said that, as a consumer, I worry about education requirements that would, in effect, price pre-school and daycare out of most parents' affordability range.  Most pre-schools and daycares are already priced out of most parents' price range.  More education requirements might mean pushing even more daycares and pre-schools out of the range.  It is hard to find a good daycare or pre-school that is affordable.

These are just some things that run through my mind, but I will be honest, I don't know for sure.  I am a parent, but I am not afraid to say, I may not be qualified to answer this question.

My children are past the daycare/pre-school age.  When we needed those services, admittedly we got lucky.  We had a friend that ran an at-home daycare.  It was affordable and she was a personal friend.  So, we knew our children were being taken care of.  She didn't disappoint.