For decades we’ve been placing teachers and early years practitioners within nurseries around Lancashire and Cumbria. We’ve gained insight into the type of person suited to working within an early-years learning environment, which we’re keen to share with anyone considering a profession within this area.
Working within ‘early years’ schools, often referred to as a nursery, can be a stressful environment with quite a lot of responsibility, as you’re responsible for social and educational development of young babies, but if you enjoy working with young children the pressure won’t phase you.
The role of a nursery nurse obviously varies depending on the age of the children you are caring for, so here is a very general overview of what is involved:
- Making sure children are safe and reporting any concerns
- Teaching general life skills, such as basic hygiene and manners
- Reading stories to groups of children
- Helping children learn number skills by using counting games
- Observe children’s progress and keep records to share with parents
- Feeding and changing babies, and supervising meals of older children
It is not always possible to predict a working day, as the unexpected can happen when dealing with children! You must be constantly on your toes and prepared to change your plans as circumstance demands, being flexible is a crucial part of the job!