Challenges in child care (and rewards!)

In recent years, Australia has witnessed a massive surge in demand for child care services. Today, more than 1.2 million children attend around 17,000 government-approved child care services nationwide; numbers which have grown massively over the past five years.

 

Like all industries, working in child care comes with a unique set of challenges and rewards – some of which we’ve put under the microscope:

Reward: Watching children grow and develop

Obvious, but never to be underestimated! Working in child care gives you an incredible opportunity to see children learn, grow, play and develop.

Child care professionals often develop wonderful working relationships with the kids in their care and over the years gather plenty of joyful stories about what they witness in the classroom.

 

Challenge: No two days are the same

Working in child care is exciting and one which will keep you on your feet. With so many developing personalities under one roof, no two days are the same, and so you’ll need to be prepared to think quickly and to handle changing circumstances.

At Selmar, we prepare you for this challenge with guaranteed practical placements to build your experience as your study.

 

Reward: Career diversity and progression

The child care sector is growing and it’s diverse. Studying to work in child care at Selmar opens up your options to pursue many different types of jobs, depending on the qualification you choose. Full time, part time or casual work are all common for early child care educators and so there’s great flexibility available too.

Some of the career outcomes our graduates currently enjoy include working as early childhood educators, nannies, kindergarten assistants, family day care educators and more. See more child care career outcomes here.

 

Challenge: Paperwork

A common challenge shared by most early childhood educators is paperwork. There can sometimes be a lot to get through, in a short amount of administration time.

Of course, with practise and experience, dealing with this necessary part of the job becomes easier – all things you’re taught during your studies at Selmar.

 

Reward: Parent relationships

It’s not only relationships with children that you’ll develop – you’ll get to know their parents too. Many agree that receiving thanks from grateful parents is one of the most rewarding parts of working in child care. These relationships are often as important and satisfying as those that are developed with children. Parents are eternally thankful to know that their children are receiving the very best start in life under the care and guidance of kind, skilled child care workers.

At Selmar, we have a fantastic a range of short and advanced courses in child care – learn more about them here.

 

Source: Colliers International: Child Care White Paper