Know

Developing your sense of professionalism does not happen overnight. On the contrary, it is a process that involves a wide range of experiences. Just like when you are learning a new skill, you have to invest time and effort in getting information, practicing new things, and interacting with other individuals. Nurturing your professionalism requires ongoing work, energy, and commitment. As you think about developing your sense of professionalism, remember that each staff member is an individual. In your daily interactions with children, youth, families, and colleagues, you always bring who you are: your interests, your personality, your temperament, your background experiences, and your special abilities and talents.

Characteristics of Effective Professional Staff Members 

 Professionals who work directly with children and their families have a special obligation to act in ways that benefit those they serve. Some values that are foundational to professions based on human relationships are caring, compassion, empathy, respect for others, and trustworthiness, according to Stephanie Feeney, author of Professionalism in Early Childhood Education. Effective professional staff members above all are dedicated to serving the needs of children, youth, and families they work with. Your program should have a clearly articulated shared mission and philosophy that is demonstrated by everyone who works in the program and that all staff understand.  It is vital to familiarize yourself with this mission and philosophy.

Essential elements of professional behavior include knowledge and skills about a field, communication and relationship skills, work ethic, professional ethics, accountability, equitable practices, and passion for growth. Each of these elements is further discussed below.

Knowledge and Skills:

A staff member who wants to conduct themselves in a professional manner must acquire the skills and knowledge needed to work with children, youth, and families. Understanding children and child development are essential in your roles as a school-age or youth professional. Individual courses within the Virtual Laboratory School provide extensive information on each of the developmental domains (e.g., Cognitive Development, Physical Development, and Social & Emotional Development), as well as strategies and practical ideas on how to promote optimum growth. You should refer to these courses for comprehensive information about child and youth development. Along with child and youth development, knowledge about topics such as Safe Environments, Learning Environments, Healthy Environments, Positive Guidance, Child Abuse, and Family Engagement will strengthen your competence and enable you to positively impact the lives of the children, youth, and families you engage with. Optimum development is achieved when children and youth are healthy, emotionally secure, and socially connected. It is your responsibility to make sure that:

• Children and youth are healthy and safe - by keeping a clean environment and promoting healthy habits
• Children are emotionally secure - by responding to their cues and addressing their needs in a nurturing manner
• Children are socially connected - by fostering relationships between them and others during classroom and program routines
• Children’s families and home cultures are respected – by ensuring they are at the forefront of your work

Communication and Relationships

Building and nurturing relationships with children, families and colleagues is an important aspect of your work as a direct care staff member. Establishing these relationships can make or break your experience. As you may have learned in other courses throughout the Virtual Lab School, relationships form over time and require ongoing attention and commitment. Collaborating with others is a big part of your work, and whether you are a brand new or a seasoned staff member, your success and effectiveness hugely depend on how well you work with others. Whether you are engaging with children, youth, families, colleagues, or supervisors, nurturing those relationships early on is critical to your success. Working with others may present difficulties or challenges, it is your responsibility to maintain professional conduct and seek the advice of your trainer, coach, or Program Manager when faced with situations you are not sure how to resolve.

Work Ethic

Working with children, youth and families is one of the most rewarding and challenging endeavors. It requires dedication, commitment, problem-solving skills, and a willingness to learn, change, and be flexible, to address the multiple and often complex needs of those in your care.

Moral and Ethical Behavior

Your commitment is to present yourself with integrity in your daily interactions with children, families, and colleagues. Maintaining confidentiality is a crucial part of professionalism. You should also be very careful about how you handle your presence on social networking sites. As a direct care staff member, you should respect and protect the privacy of ALL children and families in your program. In Lesson Three of this course (Professionalism: Ethical Practices) you will learn about what it means to be an ethical staff member, identify ethical practices when it comes to interacting with children and families, and learn how you can support your knowledge and implementation of ethical practices.

Accountability and Mentorship

Each of us comes into the field with different strengths and experiences. Finding a mentor in the field can help hold you accountable for your professional goals and encourage you to extend your practice of working with young children. A mentor can provide support, be a sounding board, offer resources and challenge you to reflect on your practice as you expand your experience.

Equitable Practices

Making it a priority to represent each child and family in your program is vital. It’s important for children and families to feel valued for who they are as they enter a relationship with you as a caregiver. Be intentional in your conversations with children and families to understand each family’s preferences and cultural practices. Extending your learning in this area can go a long way toward demonstrating your value for diversity within your program and your commitment to equitable teaching practices.

Passion

Show your passion for your work. Being a positive presence for children and families creates a safe environment. Your energy can be felt by those around you. We all have moments frustration but striving to show your passion while working with children can help remind you of the important work you are doing in those difficult moments.

A Developmental Perspective

When talking about professional development, Dr. Lilian Katz identifies four developmental stages of teachers. As you read the information below on each of these stages, think about where you are in your own journey towards professionalism. For more information on the developmental stages of teachers you can visit: http://ecap.crc.illinois.edu/pubs/katz-dev-stages/

Being an Effective Professional Staff Member

Effective professional staff members enjoy their work, and they show it. They create safe, positive, and welcoming environments for the children, youth, and families that they work with, and strive for excellence in interactions with others and the experiences they plan. Effective professional staff members value collaboration and acknowledge it is important to work together with families, other staff members, and program leaders to be successful. They also know it is important to have fun and laugh, celebrate successes, and acknowledge their efforts and those of others, such as family members and colleagues. Your program may plan events and opportunities that build community among program staff, as well as opportunities that build connections among the individuals in the larger program community including children and families. Some examples include acknowledging individual staff members during staff meetings, celebrating staff birthdays and life events, attending a professional conference together, organizing family nights, and inviting families to participate in classroom and program experiences.

See

Do

Take time to review the practices listed below that highlight professionalism when working with children, youth, and families in your care:

• Respect and support each child and family in your care and acknowledge diversity and individual differences in growth, background, values, and beliefs.
• Build connections and demonstrate genuine interest in all children and families in your care.
• Acknowledge that families know their children best and learn to view them as partners and collaborators in your practice. Reach out to them and invite their input.
• Keep information about children, youth, and their families confidential.
• Provide a variety of developmentally appropriate choices and experiences for children and youth in your care.
• Be knowledgeable and have developmentally appropriate expectations about children's behaviors and be proactive when dealing with challenging behaviors.
• Honor individual differences in children and families and strive to address the unique needs of those you serve.
• Recognize and share positive feedback with families on a frequent basis.  Even though at times you may have to address topics of concern about children and youth with families (e.g., behavioral concerns), remind yourself to also highlight a child’s successes and positive attributes.