4 benefits early childhood care providers offer working parents
What does a working parent’s life look like?
Their day starts early in the morning as they start prepping for the day. By 8am, they’re out the door and starting their commute to the office.
And after that, it’s time for a full 8-hour workday, before clocking off at 5pm (and another commute home).
Many parents don’t make it home until the evening, and only have a short amount of time to decompress and unwind before it’s time to get busy preparing for the evening routine, including dinner, bathing, and helping out with homework.
By the time that’s done and everything has been cleaned up, it’s probably close to bedtime…
And we haven’t even started talking about all of their responsibilities as parents!
As you can see, the life of a working parent is difficult, even without their responsibilities to care for and teach their kids – trying to do both at the same time would be impossible.
So is it any wonder the value that preschool and childcare offers working parents?
Why is childcare and early education important?
Simple; because it’s what allows dual income households to function, and what allows working parents – whether that’s mum or dad, or both – to pursue their careers while also pursuing parenthood.
Of course, early childcare educators are much more than just babysitters – their abilities, knowledge, and expertise are essential in helping children reach important developmental milestones.
Each child needs to achieve specific physical and cognitive developmental milestones as they grow up.
A good home life is essential in this – of course, young kids won’t be around their parents during the workday, which is why early childhood education is so important!
These five areas of childhood development:
- Cognitive development
- Social and emotional development
- Speech and language development
- Fine motor skill development
- Gross motor skill development
Part of what childcare educators do is to help children reach these developmental milestones.
This is why anyone who wants to enter this industry needs to get trained, and obtain the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care at the minimum.
Why is childcare important for working parents?
Full-time working parents in Australia have increased dramatically over the past years, with 21.3% of families with children aged 0-4 years having both mum and dad working.
As this number increases, more and more families are going to have to rely on others to help take care of their kids and guide their development.
Of course, it isn’t just the kids themselves that childcare services can help – if you ask us, the childcare and early education sector can also be a big help to parents as well!
More opportunities for employment
Early childcare education and care frees up working mums and dads, allowing them to pursue their careers and continue working.
After all, it’s difficult to work full-time and raise a child!
Without childcare, many parents would need to either drop down to part-time hours or even leave the workforce altogether, impacting their ability to support their growing family.
By taking part of the burden, childcare services can help parents stay in the workforce full-time – in some cases, it can even open employment opportunities.
For instance, mums and dads find that they lose momentum in their careers or miss out on promotion opportunities as a result of having to take time off to raise their kids.
So in a way, childcare providers can help open the door to better opportunities of getting promoted or taking bigger responsibilities!
Helps you balance work and caregiving responsibilities
Balancing work and caregiving responsibilities as a parent is a difficult task – to add the standard 8-hour workday and all the pressure that comes with being a parent to it can eventually wear even the toughest parent down!
Childcare services help ease that strain by taking some of the work off your hands.
This gives parents more time and helps them balance both their professional and personal life, with childcare educators helping take care of certain caregiving responsibilities.
Allows your child to experience and do things you might not be able to offer
Every parent does their absolute best to give their children plenty of support and opportunities – however, there are certain things that can be hard to provide, either due to a lack of:
- Training
- Specialised equipment
- Time
For example, a child’s social development requires them to interact with more than just their parents – they’ll need to spend a lot of time with kids their age as well.
While you no doubt do your best to arrange play-dates and outings with your fellow mums and dads, it can be difficult to do so on a consistent basis.
That’s just one way a childcare centre can help your child in ways that you might not be able to – if you want to ensure that your child has everything they need developmentally before they start school, a childcare centre can help!
Can help you make ends meet
There’s nothing wrong with dedicating all of your time towards parenting – however, not all families are in a financial position where they can feasibly do this!
While childcare services aren’t free, the cost of childcare pales in comparison to loss income when a working parent turns into a stay-at-home parent.
For families that might struggle with the financial hit that losing a breadwinner involves, childcare services offer an alternative.
Many parents find that even being able to stay in the workforce part-time can be a big help financially!
What are the most important qualities of childcare staff and why?
Every mum or dad wants the best for their child – so it’s little wonder that decisions like which childcare you send your kids to can take so long to figure out.
Whichever centre you choose however, you can be confident that those working in it possess certain skills, knowledge, and training that will be crucial in helping your child develop in a healthy manner and reach their full potential.
Each childcare worker needs to complete a childcare course that covers a number of mandatory topics.
In particular, they’re given an education about the importance of early childhood development milestones, as well as different techniques to help achieve them.
Some of the important qualities that parents should look for in childcare staff are:
- Understanding of physical and cognitive developmental milestones
- Training in different techniques and skills
- Good communication skills and attitude towards kids
- Tantrum-resolution techniques
- First-aid training
- Child nutrition and dietary requirements
These are just some of the things a childcare worker will need – as such, they’re mandatory components in any childcare course in Australia!
Start a career in childcare – study with Academia today!
Whether you yourself are a parent or not, the bottom line is that you’re keen to work with kids, and passionate about supporting their development.
You’re keen to break into the childcare sector!
To do that, you’ll need to start with your training.
Are you looking for the best online childcare courses? Start with Academia!
Academia offers a Certificate III in Early Childhood and Education Care and a Diploma in Early Childhood and Education Care, both of which will help prepare you for a rewarding career in the childcare industry.
And it’s more than theoretical knowledge – our heavy focus on workshop learning lets you put your training into practice, while the mandatory work placement that comes with each course allows you to gain valuable real-world experience and build your network.
Certificate III in Early Childhood and Education Care
Learn all the necessary basic skills you’ll need when working in childcare when you enrol in a Certificate III in Early Childhood and Education Care.
Study childcare courses that provide you with the skills and knowledge you’ll need to deal with the daily responsibilities of taking care of children and foster healthy cognitive and physical development:
- Health and nutrition
- Emergency first aid response and safety
- Play and learning
- Creating a positive and respectful relationship with other children
Diploma in Early Childhood and Education Care
Are you wondering how to start your own family daycare?
Learn how to lead and manage a team of childcare assistants by enrolling in our Diploma in Early Childhood and Education Care.
Find out how you can design and implement a curriculum that encourages every child’s learning and development, as well as create a safe and healthy atmosphere for children to learn and develop their cognitive skills.
From management skills to your legal obligations as a childcare or daycare operator, you’ll leave with a wealth of know-how that you can bring into your new centre!
Find out more about our childcare courses in Brisbane
Call Academia today!
Do you want to learn more about child care study in Brisbane?
Get the right information and find out more about our childcare courses by calling us on (03) 9671 4755, or learn more about our enrolment process today.
