BY BONNIE LAXTON-BLINKHORN, KINDICARE

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

There are many sectors and careers that are enhanced through the soft skills of individuals, but this is particularly the case in early childhood education and care where these qualities give educators the ability to support and nurture children more effectively.

Soft skills can also support educators to better relate to families and their colleagues.

We spoke to the experts at training provider Practical Outcomes, who offer a range of professional development courses in the early learning sector, to learn more about the soft skills that build strong educators, but first the difference between hard and soft skills.      

Hard skills are the technical knowledge, training and experience you bring to your job, they are relatively easy to measure and quantify on a resume and often quite specific.

In early education hard skills might include your Certificate III training, your first aid certificate or your ability to drive the software management system that keeps all your paperwork up-to-date.

Soft skills, on the other hand, are the personal characteristics that impact how you work with children, families, your team and others. Soft skills in high demand among employers in the early learning sector include good communication, reliability, organisation, patience, teamwork, creativity, curiosity and the ability to solve problems and think on your feet.

Soft skills are particularly important in the early childhood sector because educators are a frontline influence in the lives of children and important role models.

Here are four soft skills that Practical Outcomes have found to be highly useful in the early childhood education sector and there are plenty of others:

1. Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a broad term comprising self-regulation, self-awareness, motivation, social skills and empathy. These areas all contribute greatly to employability as well as ability to succeed in (and out) of the workplace. Emotional intelligence impacts relationships with others and making the right behavioural choices in a range of contexts.

2. Communication

Whether you are communicating with children, parents or other early childhood professionals, communication skills can play a key role in your career success.

The team at Practical Outcomes say ‘This soft skill doesn’t just mean developing your own speaking and writing skills, but also comprehension of others through effective reading and listening’.

3. Patience

Young children are still learning how to understand the world, and as we all know, learning new things can be frustrating. Children are prone to emotional outbursts as they learn to master new skills, including self-regulation!

Patience is very useful for early childhood educators, especially when guiding children through their own frustrating situations.

4. Cultural competence

We all come from a variety of different backgrounds and cultures. Cultural competence is the ability to understand and educate across them. Early childhood education involves working with children and families with a range of cultural backgrounds and demographics, so possessing cultural competence is important.

Soft skills for better outcomes

It’s clear that each of these soft skills in the workplace can contribute to providing children with a high-quality early childhood education as well as a fulfilling career as an educator.

Soft skills are increasingly valued by employers and Practical Outcomes explains that ‘Learning how to identify your unique toolbox of personal attributes and interpersonal skills gives you the ability to hone in on your soft skills and gain the most from your career in early childhood education’.

Some of the pointers in this article are reproduced with kind permission from Practical Outcomes who offer a range of courses designed to boost the confidence of early childhood graduates and support organisations to provide exceptional education and care to children and families.