The professional role of an early years practitioner is extraordinarily complex and demanding, and a full job description would be daunting to the faint-hearted and unprepared. The job requires skill and knowledge about child development and learning, play and all the other arenas for learning, how to stimulate and challenge, how to work as part of a team, designing interior and outdoor spaces, how to engage with parents and how to work with other agencies. The list goes on.
Some qualities, though, are beyond the reach of study and qualifications. Being a warm and caring person who can offer a child an emotional base is a core requirement, and it's true that no certificate can guarantee that. There is another aspect of working with young children which can't be pinned down in a competence, but which defines for me what is special about being with babies and young children.
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