Finishing a bachelor’s degree is every person’s dream. Obtaining that degree leads to their first job, first salary, first car, and their first flat. However, what happens if a person pursues early childhood education? What comes next?
What are the options after finishing early childhood education?
Finishing a degree in early childhood education opens various paths. Most take the academic route and become teachers. Others explore what’s beyond the academic world. Some become home-based child care workers, while others work their way to become school directors.
However, before choosing the path for you, it is vital to obtain a CDA license online. To start with, the online course requires a minimum of 120 hours of study. This depends on the weight of the subject. Some conduct training from six (6) months up until a year. That gives ample time to excel in the field of early childhood education. Some require 480 hours of work in the field before obtaining their license.
Once the training is done, schedule a visit to get accredited and become a child development associate. Here are the career options you have when you become a certified CDA.
Become a preschool teacher
Parents are meticulous with their toddlers’ preschool and want the best teachers. Preschool is a crucial time that helps mold the toddler. This phase develops their motor and social skills as they explore the world.
Teachers introduce books, music, arts and crafts, and other activities. For a toddler, preschool contributes a lot to the toddler’s life as their first schooling experience.
Be a kindergarten teacher
Before entering preschool, kids go through kindergarten. Kindergarten teachers help them transition into a more structured school environment. Teachers begin introducing seating arrangements and nap times. They need a holistic educational background since they teach subjects like Math, English, and Reading in the classrooms.
Taking the kindergarten teaching path means teachers must deal with the academic and emotional intelligence of the students. They prepare students for first grade and beyond. Demand for kindergarten teachers fluctuates depending on the location and their educational background.
Teaching assistant
Every teacher needs an assistant in the classroom. Their responsibilities focus on helping the lead teachers. Being a teaching assistant encompasses reinforcing what the lead teacher taught during the day. They help in creating lesson materials, checking the attendance, monitoring behavior, and preventing cheating during exams. Generally, they help enforce the rules inside and outside the classroom.
Some schools require teaching assistants to finish high school. This makes the position perfect for those who want to take early childhood education as a major. It allows students to work with children and observe them in the classroom.
Home child care worker
A home child care worker ensures the health, safety, and education of the children assigned to them. Most of the people know this as a nanny. Child care workers educate children by providing structured activities similar to those found in schools. They help children communicate with their parents.
Educational consultant
An educational consultant aid schools and other educational institutions to help them formulate curriculum fit for the students. In addition, they create sets of programs, rules and regulations that mold the behavior of the students. These help predict the possible effects for the whole academic year.
However, not all consultants are limited to that. Some help other organizations that are related to child care and education. With a degree in early childhood education, it helps them collaborate with school administrators.
School director
A school director supervises an entire school. They help in setting up the curriculum for the academic year. A lot of day care centers, preschools, and other educational institutions need administrative staff to implement these rules. Moreover, a school director primarily trains the staff on how to handle the children.
With an early childhood education degree, there are a lot of career paths for you to choose from. If this inspires you to become an educator, begin the journey by taking courses for your CDA license at National CDA Training.