Job Satisfaction Is Essential For A Positive Effect On Children

Felicia Bonner is a graduated from Florida State University and is the Director of Child Care Evaluation Services at the Children’s Forum since August of 2011. She originally started with the Forum in 1998 as a T.E.A.C.H. Counselor, and then moving into the position of overseeing the Director Credential Program in 1999 until 2005. In the summer of 2005 Felicia’s family relocated to Bradenton, Florida where she worked for the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County as an Early Learning Specialist for a year. Her professional interests center on early care and education. She recently volunteered with the Mayor’s Quality Task Force on Improved Quality and Affordable Childcare for All and for the last 4 years has volunteered with the United

The state of the early childhood profession has been discussed on the basis of the following key points in terms of the characteristics, complexities, strengths, challenges and the impact of the policies, trends and movements.

All members of the staff must act as professionals while at work, especially with young children. The administrative and teaching staff must work together to ensure their practices are developmentally appropriate, and share new and/or creative ideas with one another. It is also the responsibility of a teacher to establish an open, trusting relationship with the parents of each children in their care. Thus, parents can freely communicate their thoughts, concerns, and/or suggestions about their child or the program. Parent satisfaction is something that every child care or development center should strive for.

Many people have different passions, some might share the same ones while others might have some that no one has heard of before. Mine would have to be anything that had to do with working with kids. I love teaching them, babysitting them, and even playing with them, it's a new and different experience every time. I find it amazing that you could learn more than you think from someone who is 10+ years younger than you. They can teach you the smallest things that you never realized they could. For example how they treat everyday like a new one, they don't focus on the past events from the previous day they always have a fresh look on things; which can be hard to do as you grow older. Children have this energy to them that can’t be found in adults

Preschool teachers have not been given the credit they deserve, with lots of people over looking their importance. Being a preschool teacher is more than just watching a couple of kids for a couple of hours. This field requires a lot preparation and behind the scene work that put into the job, so it really is not as easy as it may seem. Preschool could possibly shape the rest of their academic lives. At this level of school the children learn their basic building blocks for learning that they will use forever. That leaves parents with big expectations for the teacher. And for the teacher, they will have to set goals, have a plan to reach those goals, and for the most part

During my observation at the preschool here at Harper, I looked around and realized a lot of similarities and differences it has; compared to other daycare and preschool centers. The age of children in the room I observed was ages 3-5 with one lead teacher, and depending on the ratio of how many kids showed up on that day, about three or four helping teachers. The program was set up to a very open, happy and overwhelming setting. Every furniture and object in the room had a sign saying what it was, and then underneath the typed out word was the children’s way of writing what the object was. For example, a book shelf was in the corner of the room; on the book shelf was the word printed out “Book

For the classroom observation assignment I was able to observe at Stepping Stones Family Childcare and Preschool Program. I conducted observations for five hours each on the dates of September 24th and September 25th of the year 2015. This licensed home-based daycare and preschool program is located in a quiet suburban neighborhood on 4103 Bryant Street, Blasdell, New York. The facility allows for a twelve-child capacity (ages 6 weeks to 12 years with four additional school age) and is owned and founded by Kim Bannister. When I observed, there were two additional staff present. Therefore, there were a total of 3 adults and 12 children at the center when I observed. New York State Senator Marc C. Panepinto was also present on September 25th as he read to the children and toured the home. I chose this specific setting as I personally thought it would be an interesting dynamic to study how a home-based preschool program is run.

Provide a definition of what a “high quality” preschool program consists of and why that is important.

I recently left a position at a small Early Childhood Education center in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school consisted of children ranging in age of 6 weeks to 6 years. I worked there for eleven years in a variety of age groups. Most of my experience was in Preschool, with children who were three and four years old. The school was located in Point Park University located in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, in one of the University’s dorm buildings and took up two floors. Each classroom was between three and four dorm rooms combined in size. The rooms were long and narrow with partial walls knocked down and converted into doorways between the rooms. Because of the classrooms

Along with knowing the purpose of quality daycare/child care facilities, the next important factor is to be aware of what generates a high quality daycare/child care facility. It is vital to know the characteristics because these prime objectives are the driving forces influenced by what children need in order to succeed and grow in their developmental skills. Fundamentally, “High quality [preschool] education can support early development in ways that yield long term social, cognitive and emotional benefits” (Barnett 2005, p1). The most essential aspect of a high quality facility are the trained, certified and attentive teachers hired to support children’s developmental needs. They ensure this by respectful interaction,

Early childhood educators plan and lead activities that lead and build on children 's ability and curiosity and aid in developing skills and characteristics that help them grow. (“Preschool Teachers” 106) Keeping in mind that not all children learn and develop in same way, early childhood educators must develop a flexible learning schedule that incorporates different aspects for children that have varying learning techniques. Early childhood educators plan activities that encourage children to develop skills appropriate to their developmental needs. For example, the activities a preschool teacher may plan consisting of different motor skills and reasoning abilities of a three-year old child differs from a child of five years of age. (“Preschool Teachers” 108) Also, early childhood educators need to

. The daycare and child development business is booming and profits are soaring. With more people looking at the child care field from different angles, these type of programs have more opportunities for more allies and partners, for funding and positive public relations, for improving, and “professionalizing” the programs that we offer to our children in our communities. Non-profit groups and higher education have increasingly partnered with schools, often including after-school hours.

Teaching early childhood children is not a job that should be taken lightly. At this age, you are building the foundation of learning and setting the precedence of what they see school as. It is my role as an educator to take responsibility for every child’s educational development. Each day in an early childhood classroom is full of challenges, but it is also full of laughs, smiles, and enthusiasm to learn. I firmly believe that every child is capable of learning, however, every child learns in their own pace and in their own way. Children need to feel that their teacher cares for them and is enthusiastic about their learning. This will help motivate them and maximize their learning. From there, the sky is the limit in the classroom! As an educator, I need to be conscious of learning and social development in order to reach every child and make sure they succeed. It is my job to see that every student is growing both academically and socially.

While there are some caregiver’s that are only in the human service field to earn a paycheck and with the lack of parental involvement in their child’s life, it can make a caregiver’s job more challenging. Daycare centers serve as a stepping stone for a child’s future that will teach them how to establish appropriate skills and aid in the development of their cognitive abilities. Positive child interactions not only aid in the development of social and cognitive development, but also in the child’s self-esteem and it lets them know they are important and loved.

The job satisfaction data came from the response to the Early Childhood Job Satisfaction Survey (ECJSS); n = 135 (see Appendix A) and wage information was obtained from the Supplemental Information Sheet (SIS); n = 135 (see Appendix B). The researcher conducted various descriptive and statistical tests. The means and standard deviations were examined for all variables. The statistics for analysis chosen was the Pearson Moment Correlation to examine the relationship between individual wage and Job Satisfaction. The ECJSS is a standardized survey instrument that measures the perceived job satisfaction on five facets of the scale among early childcare staff (Appendix A). Part I of the ECJSS is categorized into five facets on a 5-point Likert scale that consisted of 10 items each (Appendix A). As shown in Table 1 and figure 1 the five facets are: co-worker relations, supervisor relations, the nature of the work itself, working conditions, and pay and promotion opportunities. In answering the research question, summative score of five facets from the ECJSS, based on the 5 point Likert response with 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree, was utilized to measure the job satisfaction level of early childcare staff. Half of the items were reverse coded with 1 = strongly agreed to 5 = strongly disagreed. Each of five facets contained 10 items out of which five items were reverse coded. The range for each subscale was from a low of 10 to a high of 50. The job satisfaction scored