Early Childhood Educators and Room Leaders
Support and lead the learning and development of young children in regulated centre-based services, and contribute to the implementation and evaluation of the educational program and practice using an approved learning framework.
A morning in the toddler room
You are an early childhood educator in a toddler room, working with a room leader and one other educator on a busy Wednesday. It is 8:15am and the room is filling up. Several children are clingy at drop-off, a new relief educator has just arrived, and you are in charge of the transition into the morning activity.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I'm so sorry, I'm going to be late for work, but she is clinging to me and I can't just leave her screaming. Can I stay for ten more minutes? Or should I just go? I feel awful. What do you think?
Suggest a short goodbye ritual, then take her and keep your promise to update Priya soon
A wave at the window and a favourite soft toy make the goodbye short and calm. You text Priya a photo ten minutes later, and she can breathe. A routine made it easier for both of them.
Take the child gently, tell Priya to go, and promise you will ring if she doesn't settle
The goodbye is quick and Priya leaves in tears. The child settles in a few minutes with your help. You also remembered to text Priya a photo, which made her morning.
Tell Priya she can stay as long as she likes, because it is better than a distressed child
Priya stays for forty minutes, the child gets more upset when she finally goes, and other children join in. Prolonging a goodbye made the transition harder for the whole room.
Heads up, the relief educator is new and she hasn't seen the allergy list yet. Amir has a serious egg allergy and morning tea is in ten minutes. Can you take her through the board while I settle the babies' side?
Say you will show her after morning tea, once the children are settled and the room is calmer
Morning tea starts, and the relief educator offers a snack she had not checked. You notice in time, but it was a close call. Safety information has to come before the activity, not after.
Take her to the board now, go through each child's needs, and watch her serve the first snack
It takes five minutes and the educator is grateful. She checks the labels aloud as she serves. Nothing goes wrong, and she knows exactly what to look for.
Write the allergies on a sticky note for her and point out Amir across the room
She has the information and knows Amir. But she had no chance to ask questions or see how the room checks things. A note is a start, and it is not the same as a handover.
We are one over the number of children we are allowed to have for this room because two kids from the babies' room came in early. Karen is on the phone. Should we just manage and tell her later?
Manage for now, since Karen is busy and it is only for a few minutes
A few minutes becomes half an hour, and a visiting officer notices the number. The centre is in trouble, and the children were less safe than they should have been.
Move the extra children to the garden without telling anyone, so the room count looks right
The numbers in the room are fixed, but now the garden has no staff member assigned. A fix that only changes the count and hides the real problem is not a fix.
Tell Karen straight away, even if she is on the call, and move the extra children back
Karen holds up a finger, ends the call quickly and sorts the numbers. It takes five minutes, and the room is back in order. The rule exists for the children.
How it went
By lunchtime Priya's daughter was happily building towers, the relief educator was confident with the allergy list, and the ratios were right. Working with young children takes warmth, sharp eyes and the habit of speaking up about safety. Which of those comes most easily to you?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: Oscar who would not nap
A fictional case set in a toddler room in a long day care centre, from the first drop-off to the afternoon pick-up.
The situation
Mina was an educator in a toddler room. Every afternoon, a two-year-old named Oscar refused to lie on his bed. He cried loudly and woke the other children. A parent had left a note saying he sleeps fine at home. A colleague suggested picking him up and holding him until he fell asleep, but the centre's policy was to support children without forcing sleep, and the room was getting tired and cranky.
What they did
Mina spent a week quietly observing when Oscar got upset. She noticed it was mostly when the lights went off and the room went silent. She asked his parents what the bedtime routine was at home, and learned there was a nightlight and soft music. She adapted by bringing a small lamp to his corner and a quiet song. She also offered Oscar a rest on a beanbag if he did not sleep, and recorded what worked.
How it turned out
Oscar slept on some days and rested on others. The afternoon crying faded over a fortnight. Mina shared what she learned with the team and asked her room leader to add rest options to the room routine.
What would you do?
- Why do you think Mina watched for a week before changing anything?
- How would you decide between following the room routine and meeting one child's needs?
- What does this tell you about the detective work in caring for very young children?