Problems That Affect a Child Care Worker As a Professional

• Child care workers carry out a crucial role.at the nursery image by Eric Issel??e from Fotolia.com
  
  Child care workers carry out a crucial role in nurturing and educating young children. They also provide a safe and suitable environment, stimulate the minds of children, and observe and record their developmental milestones. Additionally, they liaise with parents, grandparents and other important people in the child's life. Nevertheless, the image of child care as being a low status and poorly paid profession persists in the minds of some people. Good training helps to dispel this image.
  
  

Environment

• Some child care workers perform their duties in the child's own home.Ich halt dich fest image by CMS from Fotolia.com
  
  Child care workers perform their duties in a variety of settings, from their own homes to schools and preschool nurseries. Some prefer the choice and autonomy of being self-employed. Child care workers who live in their employer's home can have a very positive experience. However, in this environment their good nature may occasionally be exploited, and they may be expected to perform additional duties. Child minders who look after children in their own homes have rigid regulation and inspection requirements imposed on them. These requirements vary between states, and can be found on the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education website.
  
  

Protection

• Caring for children demands a high standard of care. Nursery staff are often the first people who encounter evidence of child abuse. However, this is a very sensitive issue and staff can be mistaken. The welfare of the child is paramount, so any concerns should be immediately reported to a superior. The child care worker must also maintain the confidentiality of the child and family, and must not discuss work issues outside of the care setting.
  
  

Stress

• Anyone who spends long periods of time with young children is likely to find the demands difficult to deal with sometimes. This is particularly the case when the worker is in a room full of toddlers. Some child care settings expect their workers to cope with prolonged periods of entertaining highly energetic young children. The key to improving the experience of children and workers is appropriate staff training. This equips the worker with the skills to interact with the children in a more productive manner.