Originally published in the Spring 2023 issue of Kansas Child Magazine.
A Career in Child Care is Rewarding
Child care is a wonderful and rewarding career that allows you to spend your day working with children, watching them grow and learn new skills. Whether you work with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, or even school-age children, they keep you on your toes and busy all day long. Your days never look the same, and there is no denying that working with little ones is a life-changing experience.
Child care may be your dream job, but, no matter how much you enjoy working with children, it can be extremely lonely. At times, you may even feel isolated, especially if you work in a classroom by yourself or run a program on your own.
Support for the Overwhelming Moments
Let’s be honest, you can only talk about your third favorite dinosaur or princess so many times before you need a more stimulating topic of conversation. Of course, it isn’t appropriate to talk to children about behavior concerns or ask their advice on changes to your parent handbook.
So, who do you turn to when you feel overwhelmed and in need of adult conversation? Who do you bounce ideas off of? Maybe you turn to a friend or family member, or maybe you talk to a co-worker. Another option is joining a learning community with other child care providers from your area.
What are Learning Communities
A learning community is a peer support network of early childhood professionals who meet on a regular basis to work toward shared goals. Meetings are typically driven by providers, who choose topics they want to learn more about to support their business. This may involve inviting a guest speaker or just talking through things together. Ultimately, it’s up to the providers who attend to decide what they want to hear more about.
Attending a learning community meeting allows you to meet other providers in the same area where you live and work, or even a provider from across the state. As long as you work in early care and education, be it family child care or a child care center, you are welcome and encouraged to attend. Everyone’s ultimate goal is to improve the quality of the child care they offer and strengthen the relationships they have with children and families.
