Early Childcare Educator Report

Communication is a significant part of being an early childcare educator (ECE). When we effectively communicate with families this aids in developing an enriched learning environment and experiences for children. “Places of vitality are strong, active, and energetic communities, fostered by educators who engage in a practice of relationships (Makovichuk, Hewes, Lirette, & Thomas. 2014, p.50). Every morning I am standing outside my classroom welcoming children and their parents into the class. I find this to be the best time to pass on quick communication, which addressed parents concerns about the child, this could be anything from the child having a difficulty morning or letting the educator know how the child has slept the night before. This

I get down to eye level when speaking and listening to children so they understand that they have my full attention, and I also wait for children to finish their sentence(s) before I beginning replying to them, not interrupting them to fix their sentence or their incorrect use of words. I also use a lot of positive request in the school I work in. When I see children running, yelling, or hitting my responses are; “walking feet”, “quite voices”, or “we use gentle hands with my friends”. Miller (2013) states, “Children and adults tend to respond more cooperatively to positive requests than they do to negative admonitions”

When ECE’s ignore these children’s voices this can lead the child to become frustrated, feel alone, and become disrupting in class. Miller (2013) explains when ECE’s engage in active listening with children they are teaching children how to be responsible active listeners themselves. While woking in the school, I work with a boy who has some developmental delays and speech difficulty, he is usually disruptive, not an active listener, and gets frustrated and hits others children when trying to communicate with them. However, I am trying to build a positive and trusting relationship with him, I sit down with him and listen to what he needs to communicate, if I am having difficulty understanding him we use pictures to communicate, and then I interpret what he is trying to say. This works quite well and he is getting more confident the more I work with him in his communication style. Displaying respectful and positive communication style with him, I believe will help him have better communication with his peers. Miller emphasizes “The goal of positive disciplines is not to control or manipulate children externally but to develop the child’s inner control and his own sense of responsibility and respect for the rights of others”