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Joanne
Graduated 2006
I finished university in May 2006 and took up the position of Family Nursery Worker at Dinnington Children’s Centre in August 2006.
My position as Family Nursery Worker entails the following;
- Supervising the 2-3 year olds room and other rooms when I am needed
- Managing the Children’s Centre when the manager and deputy manager are not present
- Liasing with foundation stage teachers to deliver a curriculum that flows between the children’s centres 3 rooms, (0-2 years room, the 2-3 years room and the 3-5 years room) and into the foundation unit
- Completing weekly planning in accordance with the Birth to Three framework
- Actively liaising with teachers, family support workers and other childcare professionals
- Preparing for our first OFSTED inspection
- Gathering evidence for our Quality in Action folder. This is a folder that provides evidence to Rotherham Borough Council that we are providing high quality childcare. All early years settings have to produce this information
- A range of other duties
I really enjoy my job. There is not a day goes by when I don’t learn something new. Children are so spontaneous and interesting and it’s really nice to see children reach milestones such as taking their first steps, saying a new word or peddling a bike for the first time.
It’s an interesting job where I am developing personally each day. When I started at the Children’s Centre it was just an empty building with new toys all in boxes and now it’s full of children. It’s great to see the development of the project and I am lucky enough to have witnessed it right from day one.
If I was to give advice to other Early Childhood Students I would say that the most important thing is that you need to be getting work experience from the day you start university. Placements are good experience but they are not a permanent position, which employers are looking for. Even if you can only volunteer 4 hours a week it’s better than nothing. It is this experience that will set you apart from all of the other ECS graduates looking for jobs at the same time as you. Another thing is that you need to be persistent, I sent out a lot of application forms and went on quite a few interviews before I got this job. It is all good experience.
Whilst at university I worked part time at Topshop where I worked my way up to being the weekend manager plus I was also volunteering at Sure Start. It was the combination of my childcare experience and managerial skills that helped me gain my position. So my advise to other ECS graduates is to make sure you are gaining skills that employers are looking for as this will affect your employability and salary when you start applying for jobs.