A career in early childcare is such an inspiring field and the prospects for trained and experienced assistants are in growing demand. These professionals work in settings like daycare centers, pre-schools, after-school childcare centers, and many more. If you enjoy working with children and are determined to make a positive difference, then a career in education is the right one for you!
Let’s dive into the top 5 reasons why you should start your early childcare assistant career!
- A rewarding career
Being a childcare assistant allows you to have an impact on the young minds as your main responsibility is to lead children in activities to stimulate and develop their intellectual, emotional, and physical growth while ensuring their security and wellbeing. It’s a pivotal role that will shape a child’s positive behavior that will stay with them for life. Your shared skills and knowledge will be part of the children’s emotional and intellectual development. Imagine coming to work every day knowing that you are highly valued and needed, not only do the children rely on you and your support but also other childcare professionals that you work together with seeing you as an indispensable part of the team.
2. A dynamic and exciting role
Different days, different things to learn. Regardless of the settings – a daycare or a school, the variety of tasks and the audience of your role are diverse. Every day is a learning experience and chances are you will develop different approaches to deliver to children and their various backgrounds. You’ll continue to grow and before you know it, you’ve added more essential both hard and human skills to your skillset.
3. Early Childhood Assistants are always in high demand
There are growing job opportunities for ECA and based on the government outlook report, the role continues to be in high demand. According to the portal, over the period 2019-2028, new job openings for early childcare assistants are expected to total 81,700, while 76,900 new job seekers (arising from school leavers, immigration, and mobility) are expected to be available to fill them and employment growth is expected to be slightly above the average as well.
4. Extensive job prospects
Once you become a National Association of Career Colleges (NACC)-certified early childcare assistant, you will have extensive options of career given the wide range of public and private daycare where ECA graduates can find employment across Canada. You may also work at a special education provider focusing on children who require special support. Many graduates eventually become educators and instructors as well. If you’re entrepreneurial, another path you can consider is to start running your own daycare business after years of experience.
5. Training for certification only takes less than a year
At Canadian College for Higher Studies, we offer a Certificate in Early Childcare Assistant program that gets you ready to write the NACC exam and be a skilled professional in 40 weeks. You will learn about the historical development of childcare and its impact on contemporary approaches to care and curriculum which includes the role of government and associations in Canadian childcare and education, and the QUAD principles in childcare. Learn more about our program here and reach out to our student advisor at [email protected] to get you started.