16/03/2023
Feels very appropriate at the moment ❤️
10 REASONS TO APPRECIATE AN EARLY YEARS PRACTITIONERS ❤️
1. They are not Early Years Practitioner, they are teachers. Their lesson plan every day includes: how to share, how to use 'Kind hands” and “walking feet,” how to say please and thank you, how to walk behind someone without pushing, how to take turns, and how to have “listening ears.” They educate themselves with qualifications and degrees, they educate our youngest little people , they nurse the poorly , they comfort the grazed knee. They risk assess , they observe , they plan , they action , they record.
They are masters of food hygiene , allergies, manual handling , Health and safety , and are Paediatric First aid trained.
2. They are not just teachers. They are also cleaners and nurses. They make injures feel better and dry up tears. They spray, wipe, sanitize, sweep, mop, and take out the trash.
3. They are waitresses. They balance little trays and cups of milk. They pick up squashed peas off the floor. Scoop peaches when they ask for more. They feed , they teach children to self feed and to self serve.
4. They change 5 dirty nappies, within 10 minutes.
5. They get 12 little ducklings to follow in a row on their way to the playground. They headcount , oh how many times they headcount!
6. They tie tiny shoes. They help pull up tiny underwear and trousers. Fold tiny blankets. Wipe tiny noses , Multiply all of this by 12 or more on most days.
7. They are there before parents go to work and don’t go home until the last child is picked up , as the second hand ticks to closing time.
8. They lay out cots and sleep mats and blankets and dummies. They know who gets a dummy, who gets a 6 oz bottle, who has to have all the lights out, who will wake up early, who came in late and will lay awake.
They sit between cots and mats patting restless toddlers to sleep. They spend the rest of nap time keeping the one early riser from waking the 11 others , or quietly trying to update display boards. They carry out 10 min sleep checks to ensure your little one is safe.
9. They go home and take care of their own families and homes, or their own children. They somehow find time to rest their tired feet, oh how tired their feet are!
10. They are patient and kind. They are trustworthy. They do their best with no promise of rest.
Their heart swells to see your child grow and learn and smile and play.
They laugh at the funny things children often say.
So say thank you to your Early Years Practitioner.
They are so much more than a carer for your child ❤️
