Why did you decide to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education?
Before studying Early Childhood Education at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, I studied art therapy in the Netherlands. During my practicum semester at a large psychiatric hospital, I worked in the child and adolescent psychiatry department, among other places. There I realized that I enjoyed working with children, but I wanted to start earlier, before problems arose in the families and with the children. After doing more extensive research, I came across the “Early Childhood Education” program at HSRW. Since I’m from Kleve myself and didn’t want to move away, this was the perfect location for me.
After an orientation internship at a municipal family center, I felt even more convinced, as I experienced a great deal of gratitude from the children there and saw the work the educators do every day to give the youngest of the young the best chances for a successful and happy life. Each child was addressed individually, and parents were supported in all educational matters.
What happened next in your career after graduation?
I completed my practicum semester at the same family center where I had already done my orientation internship. Immediately following the practicum semester, I received a job offer at the facility to serve as an additional language specialist for the federal Sprachkitas program. While I was writing my bachelor’s thesis, I was already working part-time as a language specialist. After successfully completing my Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in October 2016, I initially worked only at the family center as a language specialist and also served as a Kidix parent-child course instructor. In the meantime, I also worked as an additional language specialist at a second municipal daycare center and have been working in the group services department of the family center since October 2020. There, I was able to gain a lot of practical experience, which is now also very valuable for my new job.
You started your new position on January 1, 2022. What tasks await you?
My current role now includes providing specialized consulting for daycare centers and for daycare providers. As a daycare center consultant, I assist and support a total of 17 daycare centers with educational issues. I help them develop educational concepts or address specific questions related to day-to-day operations at the daycare centers.
As a daycare consultant, I match parents with suitable daycare providers. I also train these providers, issue their operating permits, and regularly review quality standards in their daycare facilities.
This role covers a wide range of responsibilities and is very diverse. On the one hand, I’m in direct contact with the field, and on the other, my organizational and administrative skills are in high demand. This means I experience a certain amount of variety every day.
What skills did you acquire during your studies that you can effectively apply in your current profession?
I focused my bachelor’s thesis on the topic of language development and language support in early childhood, which was very helpful for my role as an additional language specialist. Additionally, the project management and counseling modules were very helpful in designing in-house training sessions and seminars for my colleagues, as well as in conducting professional discussions with both colleagues and parents.
The diverse modules of the program have provided me with a broad and valuable foundation of knowledge that I have been able to draw upon in all my previous roles and that I can also utilize in my role as a specialist consultant.
What advice would you give to current or future students?
I myself have noticed in recent years that the Early Childhood Education program is not yet very well known. Not even in Kleve and the surrounding area (unfortunately). I can advise every single student to start “promoting” the program and early childhood educators as early as possible. In my experience, it becomes particularly clear during job interviews just how little-known this program is. It’s important to clearly communicate your skills and explain that we early childhood educators do not view ourselves as competition for childcare workers, but rather as a complement to them.
What is your fondest memory when you think back on your studies at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences?
The fondest memory I have of my time at HSRW is the interaction among students and with the faculty. The sense of community was very strong during my time there, as the program was still very new and many aspects were still being developed. We students were involved in many decisions and were able to contribute to various initiatives.
Date of interview: February 2022