Earning professional certification in Early Childhood Education (ECE) can lead to employment opportunities in the early childhood education industry, and potential courses in the ECE program can include child development, safety and nutrition, child psychology, and teaching fundamentals, which are specifically listed in this article. Some of the jobs you can get after becoming certified, with tips to help you advance your career in early childhood education.
What is ECE certification?
Certification in Early Childhood Education is a professional program dedicated to educating children from infancy to 5 years of age. People with ECE certification can work in elementary education positions such as daycare providers or assistant and preschool teachers
How to get an ECE certificate?
You can find ECE certification programs at many trade schools, and some private organizations also offer hybrid or online ECE certificate or diploma programs where you complete coursework online through interactive or asynchronous course lectures.
An ECE certificate typically takes approximately two years to complete, and the licensing agency typically requires approximately 480 hours of work with children before issuing you a certificate.
Jobs you can do with your ECE certification
If you have an ECE certificate, here is a list of some jobs you can apply for. For the latest salaries at Indeed, please click on the link:
1.Teaching assistant
National average salary: $27,474 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Teaching Assistants provide support to teachers in the classroom. They can take roll, check homework, help supervise children during school trips and work with children individually or in small groups to improve performance. Teaching assistants who specialize in early childhood education often assist preschool teachers and daycare staff with enrichment activities.
2. Personal care attendant
National average salary: $28,497 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Personal care attendants provide personal services to people who are unable to care for themselves. Responsibilities include preparing food, managing transportation needs, administering medications and helping maintain personal hygiene. Professionals with ECE certification can serve as personal caregivers for children with disabilities or complex needs whose parents are unable to care for them without assistance
3. Child care providers
National average salary: $30,216 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Child care providers supervise children in a day care center or similar facility while the children’s parents or guardians are at work. They feed the child, supervise play and activities, track developmental progress and address any potential developmental issues. Child care providers also often create enrichment activities for children and teach simple concepts, such as how to count or the names of different colors.
4.Kindergarten teacher
National average salary: $41,032 per year
Primary Responsibilities: Preschool teachers lead children in educational activities in a preschool environment. Preschool teachers teach concepts such as color recognition, learning to count, how to follow rules and basic hygiene to children as young as 5 years old. They can also monitor their children’s progress and communicate their needs to parents.
5.Nanny
National average salary: $45,351 per year
Key Responsibilities: A nanny travels to children’s homes to provide care for them. Nannies are similar to nannies in that they supervise children while parents work. However, a nanny is a permanent position with set hours and may perform more complex tasks than a nanny. Responsibilities include cooking food, responding to emergencies, supervising children and performing basic household management tasks. Nannies can care for children of all ages, but they may specialize in caring for children of a certain age.
6. Mentor
National average salary: $54,170 per year
Key Responsibilities: Tutors help students learn outside of the classroom. They can help with homework assignments, personalize study plans, answer academic questions and assess students’ individual learning strengths and challenges. Tutors for early childhood students may focus less on academic subjects and more on educational activities or encouraging children to develop good study habits.
Advice on advancing your ECE career
Click on the link to see more tips for advancing your career as an early childhood educator
show less