Early Childhood Development Roles and Responsibilities of an Early Childhood Professional

Early childhood professionals are often required to wear many hats, particularly because their job description changes almost on a daily basis. As a facilitator of learning, an early childhood professional acts as a guide. Usually, a guide is tasked with leading other people down new paths, and he does so by walking beside them, rather than in front of them (Child Care Education Institute, 2008). His group's safety is his top priority, and he always strives to keep the people under his watch free from harm (Child Care Education Institute, 2008). The same ideology applies to early childhood professionals -- they identify new experiences as well as engagements to impart upon children and then guide them in a direction that is of interest to them. For instance, rather than lead the child through the process of playing, the professional lets the child choose the playing and learning style that interests them, and only focuses on i) ensuring that the child's safety is observed, and ii) providing the materials needed to make the learning process run smoothly (Child Care Education Institute, 2008). In this way, the professional acts as a partner in the learning process, and learns along with the children.

Apart from facilitating the learning process, the early childhood professional plays the role of counselor. he/she takes time to listen to the child and to critically analyze and interpret their actions, words, and behaviors (Child Care Education Institute, 2008). This way, the professional is able to not only identify a child's needs, but also take note of any unusual behavioral changes that may be indicators of more serious underlying problems; and hence take relevant corrective action (Child Care Education Institute, 2008).

Moreover, the early childhood professional acts as a parent substitute. They open up and share their experiences...

They interact with, listen to, cook for, and tend to the various needs of children when their parents are not around to offer the same. Additionally, they early childhood personnel perform the role of educational specialist in classroom settings. They are responsible for preparing lesson plans, learning materials and other paperwork needed to ensure the educational aspect runs smoothly (Child Care Education Institute, 2008).
In addition to these roles, early childhood personnel have a number of responsibilities, which include i) serving as a positive example to children by engaging in ethical conduct; ii) continuing education to ensure that they remain professionally relevant in the wake of changing trends; and iii) looking out for the welfare of children and families and maintaining constant communication with administrators, the general public, children, and their parents.

ii) Standards in the Field of Early Childhood Development

Standard 1: promoting child learning and development -- early childhood professionals are equipped with a child-development knowledge base, giving them a clear understanding of i) how to create supportive, respectful, and healthy environments for the child; ii) how to identify a child's needs and characteristics; and iii) how certain environmental and genetic factors influence a child's growth and development (NAEYC, 2010).

Standard 2: Building community and family relationships -- the success of an early childhood education program depends on among other things, how well the educator can build and maintain partnerships with the community within which they operate. Early childhood professionals appreciate this fact, and use their knowledge base to i) engage families in the learning and development of their children; and ii) establish healthy…