How often does it happen that when you look for something, you have absolutely no clue where to start or where to find it? This happens to me all the time! This can become a nightmare for early childhood development (ECD) practitioners, who need resources and guidelines that are easily accessible. Don’t worry, though – in this article, you will find some essential resources that you can use as a future or current ECD practitioner.

 
Firstly, let’s talk about the profession and what you would be expected to do as an ECD practitioner. Some of your duties would be to:

  • Plan, organise, and conduct educational activities to help children develop a wide range of skills, including speech, reading and writing, and social skills.
  • Supervise children, usually within a limited age range.
  • Supervise indoor and outdoor playtime.
  • Create social lesson plans and organise activities throughout the day.

 
There are many rules and regulations involved when it comes to working with children, and the job of an ECD practitioner comes with high levels of responsibility. ECD practitioners are expected to be proactive in preventing mistakes and accidents, but must also be able to react quickly if something goes wrong. This is why it is so important for ECD practitioners to have the right resources on hand, as well as to know how to find relevant resources quickly when they need them.

 
Secondly, let’s have a look at some of the essential resources ECD practitioners can use:
The Centre for Early Childhood Development has an interesting article on the challenges facing the early childhood development sector in South Africa. They even have some great printables for ECD practitioners or teachers to use in and around their classrooms. Here are a few examples:

 

together as a nation

To see the rest, click here.

 

The Cape Town Project Centre also has a variety of resources you can use, like:

 

Other resources:

How do I become an ECD practitioner?

You will need a national qualification to become an ECD practitioner. There are many colleges and universities – including Oxbridge Academy – that offer Educare/ECD courses.

Once you have completed your studies, you will have to register with the South African Council of Educators (SACE).

 

Here is the list of Educare Courses available at Oxbridge Academy:

 

Have any ECD resources of your own that you’d like to share with us? Let us know in the comments box below!