7 Cool Kid-Development Facts for Early Childcare Assistants

If you’ve got your sights set on helping to mold the young minds of tomorrow, early childhood education is where it’s at! The signs of science point to the fact that babies are brighter than we think, and children are downright fascinating creations. Parents of wee ones and even those embarking on their diploma at an Early Childhood Education (ECE) College, can be dazzled by the innate wisdom of, and sometimes daunted by the real needs of, children.

Here are 7 Cool Baby n’ Kid Development Facts that may surprise, and even inspire you to take an active role in learning about how you can support and empower these precious little humans.

#1. Babes Are Wildly Aware

Long before a baby can speak, they are listening and absorbing all kinds of thoughts, feelings and even words. So, singing incessantly, and talking to little ones, even when they seem only to stare, is good for their healthy growth. “By the time [a] baby turns one, he/she probably understands about 70 words.” (Let’s make sure they’re the good ones!)

#2. Silly Talk n’ Goofy Faces Are Fuel

• Turns out baby talk is instinctual, and research shows it’s critical to infant development. When words are over emphasized and musical, this actually helps babies grasp language. And your exaggerated facial expressions trigger emotions within them, helping babes to grasp emotional communication. So, your inner child can bust out around babies, guilt free!

#3. Trust Builds Trust

• A baby and young child express themselves to have their needs met. They are aware of who responds and, always, learning if they can count on others to care for them. A child’s sounds and movements are clues, a caregiver must learn to recognize. As you trust children to express their needs and your ability to address them, so too will they learn to trust you and settle into greater calm, feeling safe and loved.

#4. That Youngin’ Is a Sponge!

• At the age of two a child has more than 100 trillion synapses or brain connections. These are the most brain connections they will ever have in their life! So, we want to tap this miraculous time in a child’s development and fill them with wonderful opportunities to, playfully, explore their neural capacity.

#5. A Surge of Brain Development

• We want to be keenly aware that a child’s brain experiences its most dramatic growth between birth and age five. We want to incorporate this understanding into our daycare programs, consider the impact our interactions and educational techniques have and learn how to take advantage of the opportunity to influence positive learning. “Good health, good nutrition and nurturing are especially important during this time. Eighty per cent of human brain’s structure takes shape between the ages of 0-3 and the 90 percent of the human brain’s structure takes shape until the age of 5.”

#6. Play Is Essential ‘Work’ for Little Ones

• Beyond the benefits of making way for giggles, relaxation, exploration and learning, play is recognized as the essential ‘work’ for children.
  “The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights even recognizes play as a right that every human child deserves. It’s essential for mental development as well as social development, and adults can’t always design the “perfect” playtime scenario. The beauty of play is its sense of freedom. When kids feel comfortable making their own fun, they explore new parts of themselves.”

#7. They Ride the Endorphin Wave – We Should Too!

• Babies can laugh over 300 times a day; adults usually only laugh about 20 times a day. We are missing out! Let that contagious giggle fill you up and then join right in. With that laughter comes the release of awesome endorphins that fuel health and a sense of wellbeing, at any age.

If you enjoy getting down on the floor and playing with blocks more than spinning tales with the adults, if you crave cuddling and enriching the lives of little ones and supporting the parents who love them dearly … an ECA career may be for you. You may want to consider a daycare course, childcare courses or taking daycare courses online.

Take the “Early Childhood Educator Career Discovery Quiz”

Anderson College can help. Our Early Childcare Assistant program offers a pathway to engage in child daycare courses and includes a 14-week practicum for on-the-job training. We’d be thrilled to help you explore your options with this, or one of our other 30+ leading-edge programs. Book an express appointment with one of our Admissions Advisors today – the next generation needs YOU!

Quick Links to Fuel Your Success!

We want to make sure you have what you need to succeed! Check out these reference links:

• Early Childcare Assistant – Child Care Assistant Courses at Anderson College
• 10 Facts about Early Childhood Development you need to know! | UNICEF
• 71 Fun Facts about Child Development | Fact Retriever
• 28 Facts About Child Development (factinate.com)
• 11 Interesting Facts About Early Childhood Education – Kid City USA
• 8 Things to Remember about Child Development – Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
• 13 Amazing Facts About Child Development (sahm.org)