As a nanny or a babysitter who cares for children in their home, you’re not in charge of what a child learns, right? Wrong. While you don’t have influence in their academic experience (although many child care providers offer tutoring services), there’s so much more to learn that’s crucial to becoming a well-rounded human.
There’s no classroom or set curriculum but often, a child’s nanny or babysitter is the first person outside of a family member that a child interacts with on a semi-regular basis. That’s an incredibly impactful person—whether you intend to be or not. Children will want to test the boundaries that have been set by their parents on the new adult that has been introduced.
We’ve Got Data
The skills that make a good early childhood teacher are the same skills that directly align with that of a good child care provider. It’s not surprising that over 10% of Sittercity sitters are teachers. Additionally, sitters who are still in college are often pursuing degrees in education and childhood development.
How Caregivers and Teachers Are Alike
Here are critical babysitting skills that match teaching skills:
Patience
Anyone who’s ever spent a day with a child knows that they can be very trying beings. It makes sense. They’re trying to figure out how to move around in our strange world. The ability to remain cool and level-headed while little ones test every fiber of patience is probably what makes teachers and care providers seem superhuman in the first place.
Imagination
Kids pretty much exclusively speak the language of imagination. Working with kids means you need to be able to create new and interesting ways to engage them. Just like you don’t want a teacher who rolls in the TV frequently because they’ve run out of ideas, you don’t want a sitter that defaults to screens or other devices. Having a strong imagination is crucial to having a fun time in a healthy way.
Adaptability
Every person is different. Milestones and revelations happen at different points. Needs and desires change and fluctuate. Teachers and sitters both need to have a keen ability to adapt to whatever is thrown their way. Managing the messiness of human development should be an Olympic sport.
Communication
Being able to switch from speaking directly and effectively to a child to addressing parents confidently is not a skill that is acquired overnight. It’s a balancing act that the best teachers and caregivers are able to tackle in a way that many are not.
How Can Caregivers Impact Child Development?
Some of the most basic interactions a sitter has with a child can impact their development. If you’re interested in understanding how that works, check out continuing education courses that cover the four domains in which learning and development occur, stages of cognitive development, learning through observation of models, and additional common learning theories and teaching strategies based on research into brain development. Taking continuing education courses is a great way to build your credentials on your profile as well as having strong talking points in the interview process.
