Record-keeping provides a detailed account of a child’s development and well-being in a childcare setting, which makes it an essential aspect of early childcare. It is crucial to ensure that children receive the best possible care and that parents are well-informed about their child’s progress. 

As an Early Childcare Assistant, you must maintain accurate records of children’s learning, development, and interactions. In this blog post, we will discuss three record-keeping tips that every early childcare assistant should remember.

1. Be Consistent After Early Childcare Assistant Training

Consistency and timeliness are key elements of effective developmental record-keeping. After Early Childcare Assistant training, it is essential to establish a routine for maintaining records. This means taking the time to record observations, incidents, and interactions as they happen. Waiting until the end of the day or week to update records can lead to missing or forgotten important information.

Timely developmental record-keeping ensures accurate and up-to-date information, providing a clear picture of a child’s progress. It’s important to be consistent to ensure that records are complete and easy to read, reducing the risk of errors and misunderstandings.

2. Use Appropriate Language in Your Early Childcare Assistant Career

Using appropriate language in developmental record-keeping after completing your Early Childcare Assistant courses is another important tip to remember. The language used in developmental records should always be objective, non-judgmental, and focused on the child’s development and well-being. You’ll want to avoid using language that could be seen as critical or negative towards the child, their family, or their culture.

For example, instead of writing “the child was disruptive during circle time,” you could write “the child struggled to engage in circle time activities and required additional support.” This approach is more objective and focuses on the child’s needs rather than the behaviour itself.

3. Always Ensure Records are Kept Secure and Confidential

As an Early Childcare Assistant, keeping records secure and confidential is essential to protecting the privacy of children and their families. Early childcare assistants must ensure that records are kept in a safe and secure location, such as a locked filing cabinet or password-protected computer. Only authorized personnel should have access to records, and they should be trained in how to handle confidential information.

It is also essential to ensure that information is shared only on a need-to-know basis. For example, sharing information about a child’s health or development with other parents or staff members without permission could breach confidentiality and damage relationships.

Effective developmental record-keeping is essential to early childcare, providing a detailed account of a child’s progress in a childcare setting. Early childcare assistants must consistently and timely maintain records, use appropriate language, and keep records secure and confidential. By following these tips, you can be sure your developmental records will be effective and helpful for children and their parents while ensuring they receive the best possible care.

Are you ready to take the first step toward your Early Childcare Assistant career?

Contact Medix College to learn how you can get started!

Early Childcare Assistants (ECAs) have the opportunity to work with young children in a variety of educational settings. In recent years, Canadian schools have recognized the importance of acknowledging the developmental needs of children entering the school system. There’s a need for interprofessional collaboration to offer children the support they require, particularly during their transition from preschool to kindergarten. If you’re considering Early Childcare Assistant training, collaboration skills will be an essential part of your success. Keep the following practices in mind while on the job to provide the children in your care with the best possible support. 

1. Work to Establish Shared Goals When Collaborating With Teachers

In all work environments, shared goals help a team harness the combined strengths of each professional’s perspective and expertise to achieve the desired result. Even though you’ll come from a different professional background than the teachers you’ll work with after training, it’s certain that you’ll have goals in common. On the job, try your best to establish these early by being specific and thinking carefully about realistic strategies for achieving your objectives. This will not only demonstrate initiative in your new position, but it will provide you and the teachers you collaborate with some common ground and clear direction. After Early Childcare Assistant training, consider initiating a conversation on shared objectives.

2. Keep the Lines of Communication Open After Early Childcare Assistant Training 

Effective communication will facilitate the planning and evaluation of educational activities. In addition, when you communicate well with teachers, you’re better equipped to anticipate the assistance you’ll need to perform your duties to the best of your ability. Be straightforward about anything that isn’t working, but also be quick to communicate positive feedback. Many childcare and educator teams use an online communication platform to make collaboration convenient. The classroom also can be adjusted to facilitate communication through open-concept layouts and seating plans–making it easier for staff members to work together. 

3. Focus on Creating a Sense of Community

After Early Childcare Assistant courses, establishing a sense of community among staff members in the classroom is essential. It will not only make your collaboration more pleasant, but it will facilitate trust building, productivity, and increase each individual’s sense of personal investment. How might you build a sense of community in your first ECA role? Start by establishing an authentic connection with teachers. You can do this by asking questions and sharing an interest in what the class needs most. By using self-disclosure to share pertinent information about yourself, you may find that fellow teachers better understand your role in addition to you as a person.

4. Work Through Conflict Proactively 

While working with teachers, or anyone for that matter, conflict is bound to come up. This is normal, but what really matters is how you choose to deal with it. Ongoing conflict makes it difficult to work together towards a common goal–which, as discussed, is an important part of providing adequate support for young students. Remember to apply the golden rules of conflict resolution: 

• Go into conflict resolution aware of the biases you bring to the situation 
• Avoid escalating the situation with personal attacks or provocation 
• Overcome the ‘me vs. them’ perspective 
• Get to the root of the conflict rather than addressing superficial issues
• Define acceptable behaviour going forward 
• Focus on the positive

Interprofessional collaboration can be a challenge, but when you’re able to make it work, significant professional growth can occur. Not only this, but the students in your care will benefit significantly from the combined expertise and efforts of your team. Our Early Childcare Assistant Diploma program leaves students fully equipped to be valuable members of any educational or childcare team. The program covers all aspects of child development and provides students hands-on experience through labs. 

Are you ready to earn your Early Childcare Assistant Diploma? 

Contact Medix College to learn how you can get started.

Early childhood is a fundamental stage in a child’s development. During the early years of a child’s life, an estimated one million neural connections are formed every second. This intense and focused learning period is never repeated during our lifetime. That’s why Early Childhood Assistants (ECAs) and educators play such a key role in positively impacting the lives of children emotionally, intellectually, and socially. 

If you’re considering Early Childhood Assistant training, read on to learn four ways you can make a positive impact on children during your career.

1. Make the Children You Work With Feel Safe

One of the key ways to make a positive impact during your ECA career is by ensuring that the children have a safe and healthy environment. Children are more likely to excel and mature in environments where they feel that they can grow. In the classroom, it is the role of the teacher and the ECA to establish that environment. This can be done by helping children when they need it, ensuring no bullying happens, and focusing on building relationships with the children. 

During Early Childhood Assistant training, you will learn how best to interact with children, and you will pick up some ideas for establishing healthy relationships with them, ensuring that they feel safe at all times. For example, by practicing active listening, when children try to communicate with you, you will pick up on any troubles they may be having or things they may excel at. This will allow you to help with struggles and praise achievements effectively, motivating the children to consistently communicate openly.

2. Play Fun and Educational Games After Early Childhood Assistant Training

Fun and educational games enable children to learn and understand concepts they may struggle with. They are also a good way to encourage children to socialize with their peers, helping them build connections with others. There are several conceptual games you can play with a classroom of children, including ones that are social-focused, like duck-duck-goose, hide-and-seek, or musical chairs. Learning-focused games can include shape sorters, jigsaw puzzles, and sensory activities. During your Early Childhood Assistant courses, you will learn what role these games have when to use them, and how they can impact a child’s development. For example, duck-duck-goose can help children improve their social skills while teaching them to pay attention to rules and be fair to others. This can positively impact a child’s social and emotional development.

3. Lend a Helping Hand

While it’s important for children to develop their independence, it’s only natural that they will need help at some point since they cannot do certain things on their own. This is where the ECA will need to step in to help. Some things they might need help with include routine activities, such as dressing, eating, and going to the washroom, as well as academic activities. 

As an ECA, it will be important to observe the children attentively, noticing when they need help with their routine activities or learning materials. Children may not ask for help themselves–this can be because they are shy or simply have a hard time communicating–so it will be important for you to step in an lend your helping hand when you feel it is needed.

4. Assisting The Educator When Needed

Assisting the educator as an Early Childhood Assistant will benefit not only the educator but the children as well. Educators have a lot on their plate, and as an ECA, you will be needed to assist them in planning, developing, and implementing activities. Doing this will help reduce the teacher’s workload and allow you to play an essential role in what the children are learning and doing in the classroom.

By assisting the educator, you’ll also get to spend more time with the children, becoming more involved in their development and ensuring a positive impact is made during this time.

Are you ready to earn your Early Childhood Assistant Diploma?

Contact Medix College to learn how you can get started.

As an early childcare assistant, your primary objective will be to safeguard the safety and well-being of the children in your care. This is a huge responsibility, but by adopting some simple habits on the job, effective childcare safety practices can become second nature to you. What are some of the hazards to keep in mind? And what systems can you and your team put in place in order to create a safe environment for children? Find the answers to these questions below and learn how you can excel in your childcare career after training. 

1. Select a Designated Gatekeeper After Early Childcare Assistant Training

One of your responsibilities as an early childcare assistant is to keep children occupied and engaged in educational activities. It’s highly likely that children will be in several different settings in and out of the daycare centre throughout the day. This makes it harder to ensure that each and every child in the vicinity is safe. Consider choosing a designated gatekeeper–someone who ensures that each person who enters and exits the centre is accounted for. After early childcare assistant training, you’ll find that many centres choose to use a management system (on paper or digitized) where each visitor is required to sign in and out. The gatekeeper may also be responsible for safeguarding records that may contain sensitive information about the children.

2. Stay on Top of Attendance and Ratios 

Young children are highly energetic, and as fun as that can be, it makes it a challenge to keep up with them. You may find children who tend to run away or simply wander to unsupervised areas of the centre, which can pose a risk to their safety. This is why it’s imperative to know who is present each day at all times. 

In addition, you must always keep track of caregiver-to-child ratios, which ensures that supervision is adequate and equally distributed. Commonly accepted ratios are one caregiver to four to six children within the toddler age range, and one caregiver to ten children for preschool-aged children, though these vary from province to province. Be aware of the rules in your area and keep a close eye on curious wanderers by maintaining the correct ratios. 

3. Childproof the Environment 

Sometimes young children will encounter danger in their immediate environment, even under the watch of safe and attentive professionals. Be sure to remove all choking hazards from the area, install outlet covers to protect children from electricity, get rid of any sharply edged furniture, disinfect toys and surfaces regularly, and keep blinds out of reach. This sounds like a long list of actions, but remember that many of these things should already be taken care of by the daycare where you work. All the same, don’t hesitate to alert higher management when you notice a safety hazard in the environment.

4. Get Adequate Childcare Safety Training 

There’s so much more to childcare safety than the points we’ve discussed. In order to be fully prepared to supervise a group of children safely, comprehensive training at an early childcare assistant college is your best option. Our Early Childcare Assistant Training Program at Medix College will leave you feeling confident and ready to make a positive impact on the children in your care. Through case studies and the opportunity to gain practical experience in a simulated daycare environment, you’ll receive a holistic education that will lead to a rewarding career nurturing future generations.  

Ready to earn your early childcare assistant diploma? 

Contact Medix College to learn more!

If you’re an aspiring childcare assistant, you’ll know that your future role will give you the opportunity to impact the lives of the children you work with positively. Gaining social skills is a crucial part of a child’s development, as it facilitates their ability to build relationships, share, cooperate, and even enjoy better mental health later in life. 

Unfortunately, due to frequent lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, many little ones have missed the opportunity to socialize with other children. Now more than ever, it’s critical that childcare professionals strive to promote positive social skills. Below, discover a few tips to keep in mind in order to cultivate healthy socialization among children during your career as an early childcare assistant.

Arrange the Environment for Socialization After Early Childcare Assistant College

You can encourage children to practice their social skills by creating an environment that encourages them to interact with their peers. Seating, for example, should make it easy for children to speak to their fellow classmates while affording them enough personal space. Group pods and roundtables are a couple of seating plans to consider. In addition, try to provide toys that encourage parallel and cooperative play. For example, puzzles, blocks, cars, and dolls enable children to come together and use their creativity to have fun. After childcare assistant college, be sure to make it a habit to evaluate the environment of the children’s centres where you work and make adjustments in order to encourage positive social interactions.

Prioritize Both Structured and Unstructured Play 

Play is essential for child development on multiple levels. Not only does it aid physical development by allowing children to practice their strength and dexterity, but it also presents a great opportunity to understand the people around them and develop prosocial behaviours. It’s important to facilitate both structured and unstructured play in order to foster a holistic variety of social skills. Structured play, for example, pushes children out of their comfort zones, encourages teamwork, and allows children to experience healthy competition. Unstructured play is just as valuable, and it’s important to ensure that children’s time is not overly controlled. Unstructured play aids children’s problem-solving skills, imagination, and ability to interact without too much adult intervention. 

Embrace Differences Among Children

Tolerance and acceptance are social skills that many adults struggle with, but both are essential to building meaningful relationships and becoming socially responsible adults. You can encourage these valuable behaviours by honouring the many differences that exist among children and staff, whether these refer to different personalities, preferences, and cultures. For example, there will be a varying degree of introversion within each child’s personality. One way you can demonstrate acceptance and embrace differences is to avoid trying to change a shy child by putting them in positions that make them uncomfortable. In fact, try complimenting them on how thoughtful and observant they are. Likewise, there will be some firecrackers in the group. Instead of trying to subdue their personalities, commend them for how fun and outgoing they are. 

Model and Teach Positive Social Behaviours 

As you’ll learn while earning your early childcare assistant diploma, children often learn by mirroring adult behaviour. This is why it’s so important for you as a childcare professional to lead by example and exhibit positive social behaviours, as you never know when a little one is watching. Sometimes, leading by example isn’t enough to effectively teach a child the importance of certain social behaviours, such as sharing or apologizing sincerely when they’ve done something wrong. In this case, they might require a one-on-one discussion where you directly teach a child how to handle a particular social situation. 

The tips we’ve discussed seem simple; however, a theoretical understanding of childhood development, in addition to the experience that will prepare you for the workforce, will be essential to your success in the field. At Medix College, we equip students in our early childcare assistant program with the knowledge and practical skills they need to succeed.

Ready to get your early childcare assistant college in Ontario? 

Contact Medix College for more information!

For an aspiring early childcare assistant, the role you play when assisting childcare educators in the development and nurturing of children is such an exhilarating feeling. Your role helps promote the cognitive, physical, emotional and social development of children, as you become their role model. That’s why it’s important to understand what an early childcare assistant’s day is like, as you prepare to launch your career in the field. 

At Medix College, you’ll receive hands-on training that’ll prepare you to become an early childcare assistant. You’ll learn how to collaborate with teachers, assist children in various activities and more. Below, take a closer look at what an early childcare assistant’s day is like!

Help Children Develop Coordination and Social Skills After Early Childcare Assistant College

When you start your day alongside early childhood educators, you’ll assist with children being dropped off by their parents. You’ll ensure that all the children are ready to start their day, and that everyone is safe and accounted for. 

Morning time is when the fun kicks in. Under the guidance of the teacher, you’ll probably gather the children in a circle to begin carrying out some fun and engaging activities. Your early childcare assistant college training will provide you with the skills needed to support teachers in carrying out activities in singing, stretching and other movement-related activities. Other hands-on activities may include creating seasonal arts and crafts. These all help with the development of the children’s social skills, coordination and creativity.

Prepare Snacks to Fuel Young Minds for the Rest of the Day

After you attend an early childcare assistant college in Ontario like Medix College, you’ll learn how to plan and prepare nutritious meals for children based on the Canada Food Guide. You’ll help with snack preparation and get the children ready in their assigned areas to eat. Snack time is important as it provides children with the energy they need to continue with their learning and other fun activities throughout the day. You’ll ensure that the children wash their hands properly and sit down quietly as they eat their healthy snacks, which may consist of fruits, vegetables, yogurt and granola.

Playtime and Group Activities Are Followed by Lunch

After snack time, the children will be energized to take on the work you’ve planned for the day. You’ll probably have them participate in fun activities outside or inside the classroom that promote intellectual, physical and educational development. These may include reading, drawing, puzzles or participating in a scavenger hunt outside. 

By lunchtime, the children will start to get tired and be ready to eat their midday meal. Some children will have their parents provide them with lunch, while others may be eating what you and the teachers have prepared. 

Nap Time and More Activities to Follow Before the End of the Day

After all the children have had their lunch, it’s time for you, the teacher and the children to take a nice quiet break. This is when you let the children take a nap in between. This is also a time for you to regroup with the teachers and prepare the schedule for the remainder of the day. After the children have had their naps, you’ll have them enjoy some other fun and educational activities. Finally, you’ll get them to tidy up the classroom together, which encourages good life habits in the children and builds a sense of responsibility and teamwork. 

Are you interested in getting an early childcare assistant diploma?

Contact Medix College today!

If you are great with kids and are in search of a fulfilling career, you might consider Early Childcare Assistant college. Early Childcare Assistants collaborate with educators to support the development of young children in the classroom. These professionals ensure that children’s developmental needs are met by implementing and facilitating a number of different daily activities while observing children closely to gain more knowledge about their behaviour. 

When working with children, successful Early Childcare Assistants use a number of different strategies to create a classroom environment that’s stimulating, nurturing, and safe. If you are considering earning your Early Childcare Assistant diploma, check out this infographic to discover some helpful techniques for working with young children.

[Infographic] Techniques Every Early Childcare Assistant Can Use When Working with Children

Provide Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement builds

• Confidence
• Self-esteem

Make sure that:

• You provide opportunities for children to succeed
• Praise children when they do a good job

Ask Strategic Questions 

Asking children questions helps them to:

• Engage their personal thinking process
• Challenge children to communicate
• Enhance logical decision-making

For example:

• “How do you know that’s the answer?”
• “Where else have you seen something like this?”

Create a Predictable Environment 

Making your classroom safe and predictable helps children to:

• Feel comfortable
• Build confidence
• Become dependent on visible cues
• Reduce stress

Encourage Social Interaction IMAGE

Help children to develop their social skills by:

• Providing opportunities for group work
• Introducing games to boost communication
  • The “Telephone” game works well for this

With these techniques, you’ll be ready to give children the support they need!

Sources:

11 strategies to use with aggressive children in class | Stonebridge

10+ Strategies – Learning for All (learningforallab.ca)

Social Skills Games for the Kid-Friendly Classroom – Proud to be Primary

How to be a good teaching assistant (theclassroompartnership.co.uk)

Early childhood education is important for children’s development – especially for improving their literacy skills. This is why Family Literacy Day, a national celebration of literacy since 1999, always takes place on January 27th. This is time for schools, literacy organizations and libraries to raise awareness of the value of reading and for families to engage in literacy-related projects together.

At Medix College, we provide aspiring early childcare assistants with extensive training that allows them to work under the guidance of teachers. Students will learn how to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children that encourages their social, emotional, physical and intellectual development. Read on for a look at some important things to note when pursuing an early childcare career!

You’ll Be an Advocate for Literacy Development After Finishing Early Childcare Assistant College

Before children can learn to read and write, they need the proper guidance to develop their ability to speak, listen and interpret their surroundings. While establishing these building blocks, a childcare assistant will play a vital role in a child’s literacy development. Literacy development helps a child to prepare for school, socialize, develop their own ideas and become an independent learner. You’ll be a beacon for literacy development as you help guide families in their child’s development. After you complete your training from early childcare assistant college, you’ll be able to collaborate with teachers in planning, developing and implementing daily activities that support and promote a child’s development. You’ll also discuss a child’s progress, address any issues and offer solutions with staff.

Communication Through Activities Is Important for Early Childhood Development

After you complete your training from an early childcare assistant college in Ontario like Medix College, you will understand the value of communicating with a child at an early age. You’ll collaborate with teachers in creating seasonal arts and crafts and organizing fun educational games to improve their literacy. You’ll be able to work with families in encouraging them to communicate regularly with their children, which will help develop their ability to speak, listen and understand as they get older. Facial expressions along with words and singing all play a role in improving a child’s communication and language skills.

Reading Develops a Solid Foundation for Literacy

As an early childcare assistant, part of your daily responsibilities will include telling stories and organizing reading exercises with children. Reading helps children develop a solid foundation for literacy, as they observe how a word is written. By reading, children can take pleasure in learning new things–while improving their thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as identifying pictures on a page to follow along with you while you read. Reading to children will also give you the opportunity to bond with them and help establish a healthy relationship. Therefore, it is also encouraged for families to read with their children on Family Literacy Day, as it creates a strong bond between them.

Rhymes Help Connect the Sound of a Word to How it Is Written

Part of a child’s early development involves identifying different sounds for various words. As mentioned earlier, reading helps build a solid foundation for literacy, and when you introduce rhyming into the mix, it can help children make the connection between the sound of a word and how it is written. 

Part of your responsibilities as an early childcare assistant is to organize games that assist with learning. Rhyming games can help children recognize common sounds and draw connections  between words that will expand their understanding of the English language. 

Are you ready to pursue an early childcare assistant diploma?

Contact Medix College to get started!

Few jobs are more rewarding than those that allow you to support, inspire, and nurture young minds. As an early childcare assistant (ECA), you will have the opportunity to work closely with young children, laying a solid foundation for their education and growth, and essentially helping to shape who they will become.

With the right training, you’ll gain the knowledge and skills needed to thrive on this career path. Your courses will provide insights into better understanding children and their needs–as well the mental, physical, and emotional developmental stages that they go through in their early years.

Once you become an ECA, you’ll be responsible for observing infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children, and supporting their growth and development. You’ll also be able to do this from within a number of different work environments. Here, we discuss potential environments you can explore upon graduation.

Work Within a Childcare Centre After Early Childcare Assistant College

A childcare centre offers part-time and full-time childcare services to working parents of children aged between a few months old and pre-school or kindergarten age. If you choose to work in this setting after earning your early childcare assistant diploma, you’ll be responsible for caring for young children from early in the morning well into the afternoon.

As an ECA at a childcare centre, you’ll have many responsibilities throughout your workday. On a typical day, you’ll greet the children when they arrive, feed them at snack times and lunchtime, supervise their nap period, and help them participate in learning activities, crafts, and playtime in between. Such duties require extensive training since you’ll need to have the knowledge and skills to prepare educational activities, help children to eat, dress, and use the toilet, as well as record observations about their progress and challenges for your supervisors to share with their parents.

Find Work in a Family or Child Literacy Centre

A family or child literacy centre is a designated place or space that’s specifically designed to offer children support in reading comprehension, writing development, language learning, and social skills. This area is meant to provide children with opportunities to read, write, and collaborate with others all while developing and enriching their literacy skills. Such centres could be integrated into existing classrooms and libraries, and are typically organized and executed by educators and professionals holding an early childcare assistant diploma.

If you decide to work in a child literacy centre, some of your daily responsibilities will include assisting the educator in:

• Planning and delivering programs and lesson plans
• Leading lessons for classes or small groups
• Coordinating literacy and learning activities
• Observing and recording childrens’ progress and information
• Tracking attendance
• Communicating with parents and/or caregivers

This type of environment is the right fit for someone who is passionate about literacy and understands the importance of building this knowledge from a young age. Here, you will provide young students with the opportunity to build skills, collaborate with others, and develop routines, all at a level and pace that is manageable for them.

Secure an ECA Position at a School After Earning Your Diploma

Another environment you might choose to work in once you’ve completed your program is a school, working with children up until the age of 12. Within a school setting, an ECA works under the guidance of the teacher. Their main responsibility is to assist and lead children in educational activities that support and promote their physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development.

You might lead activities such as reading stories, teaching and singing songs, preparing arts and crafts projects, and more. As an ECA, you could also be called upon to observe children for signs of potential learning or behavioural challenges, and document such observations for teachers and parents. You might organize activities for before and after school programs, prepare snacks, clean and arrange classrooms, and more.

Finally, one of the most important roles of any professional working with young children is to create and maintain an environment that promotes the safety, health, security, and well-being of children.

Are you ready to enroll at an early childcare assistant college in Ontario?

Contact Medix College to learn how you can get started!

A career in early childhood assistance is a rewarding experience–seeing the young minds and bodies of children learn and acquire new skills every day. As an early childhood assistant, you get to foster this growth by creating an encouraging, safe and nurturing environment for all children in your workplace. 

Learning to cater your knowledge and guidance to the development of childrens’ social, emotional, physical, and intellectual abilities is a highly respected skill of an early childhood assistant. Not only will perfecting these abilities for the child make your job easier as you’re able to step back from each task the child must perform, but it will also provide you with the satisfaction of knowing that the child is progressing and proud of their accomplishments. It can be hard for a child attempting to learn new tasks, so here are a few tips you can implement in order to help along the process while still building independence for the child.

1. How to Make Getting Dressed a Successful Task for a Child

Children love getting themselves dressed, as they are really able to express themselves and have a great sense of pride when they’re finished. They may need some assistance, but with a bit of preparation, you should be able to guide them in the right direction without hindering their feeling of independence.

When getting dressed, it’s important to give the child ample time to complete the task. Yes, they are slower than you are in getting dressed, so be sure to prepare for that added time so they can figure everything out. You should offer them limited choices over which dressing task they can try to complete themselves, such as buttoning up their jacket or tying a shoe, so they feel they have some autonomy in the choosing process. Break down the task for them and help them with where to start the order of operations. If they are struggling or ask for help, be sure to step in, and then let them continue on their own and finish with pride.

2. Lunchtime Activities for Children You Can Implement After Your Early Childhood Assistant Diploma

A great tip for approaching lunchtime independence is to allow the children to choose where they want to sit. Offering a placemat or cup that has their name on it will help them set up their own eating space, helping them feel proud of their area and more likely to stay for their meal. Another great tip for child independence at lunchtime is the option for the children to serve themselves, giving them the opportunity to develop gross motor skills and practice their portion selection.

Finally, allow the children to take responsibility for their spills and any lunchtime clean up that needs to be done. Using the skills learned in your early childcare assistant diploma, you can foster this independence by making it a positive experience for the children. Once they realize that enjoyable and social meals require a bit of clean up, they will be more accepting of the cleanup process. 

3. Assisting Children with Washroom Routines to Foster Independence

A big factor that aids in independence in the washroom is having the room set up for the child’s success. A step stool to reach the toilet and sink, along with soap that they can effectively disperse and use are both musts. 

Try to maintain a schedule during your work following early childcare assistant college, bringing children to the washroom at regularly scheduled times. This will help them feel a sense of routine, allow them to understand what to do, and give them plenty of chances to practice the skill independently.

Are you interested in attending an early childcare assistant college in Ontario?

Contact Medix College for more information!