Patient, kind, thoughtful, nurturing — Early Childhood Educators Day!

Patient, kind, thoughtful, nurturing — these are just a few of the words that come to mind when thinking about early childhood educators and the incredible work they do each day. The first Wednesday of September each year is Early Childhood Educators Day, and there’s no better time to show the educators in your life just how valued they are!

Child care professionals provide children with the best start at a crucial time in their development. The first five years is when the most vital wiring of the brain occurs and can have a lifelong impact on their life.

The work of early childhood educators not only ensures that children are provided with opportunities to build their skills and resilience, but families with children in childcare or kindergarten will have seen the effort early childhood educators make to build community.

From morning or afternoon tea for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, to celebrating cultural days within our community to having teddy bear picnics with grandparents and everything in between, those extra things help families create beautiful, lasting memories.

Let’s take Early Childhood Educators Day as an opportunity to ensure childcare educators and support staff know that they are appreciated!

Ideas for celebrating Early Childhood Educators Day

Make sure early childhood educators know how special they are by marking the occasion this September!

Try the following:

Create an appreciation wall: Use the templates found here and ask children to write or draw something special for their educator/s! You could even make it available for parents to add their own notes too!

Present certificates of appreciation: Present educators with a certificate that celebrates their contribution to the centre. Find a template here.

Create thank you videos: Create a video compilation of children thanking educators or saying what they love most about their educator/s! (Always ensure you have appropriate permissions to film or photograph children.)

Saying thanks on Early Childhood Educators Day!

It doesn’t matter how you do it, but let’s all take the time to say thank you to educators for their kindness, patience, thoughtfulness and care of children all over Australia and beyond!