Embrace Your New Career with Confidence as an Early Childhood Educator

Anisha Grossett • September 1, 2023

Welcome to the exciting world of Early Childhood Education! Get ready to embark on a career filled with a variety of adventures, new knowledge and skills, and continuous learning. How wonderful to work where every day is different, a child’s smile can brighten your day, and you get to facilitate enquiring little minds. It takes a special person to do this job, so be proud that you are an Early Childhood Educator.

 

Let me tell you a story about a girl I know. She was just like you. She wanted to facilitate the learning of young children. She wanted to guide and see them succeed in meeting their developmental milestones. She understood that children were capable, curious, problem-solvers and wanted to help them explore their world. She wanted to be an Early Childhood Educator. She was me.

 

I remember being so happy and motivated upon graduating, just as I'm sure you are now. To me, this field is all about children. Nothing is more rewarding than being part of a child's accomplishments and seeing them smile. I could not wait to start my career! 

 

Now it's your turn to shine and make a difference in the lives of our youngest learners! You will face challenges and struggles. Learn to view struggles as skill-building experiences. One of my earliest challenges was being taught play-based learning in school, then discovering this had yet to be implemented in childcare centres. I told the director what I was learning in school. Her response? She didn't believe me and told me it would never happen in Toronto. Just a year later, it did! Guess who incorporated this into the classroom first and ran the pilot project? Me! I was ecstatic. I finally got to put what I learned into practice. 

 

>>New to ECE and looking for a like-minded community? We’ve got a group for that! Join our Facebook group to connect with others, get inspired, and gain free resources to support your new career path.



Another challenge I faced was implementing this practice with an experienced coworker set in her ways. I eventually won her over. I would not trade a minute of it; it was one of my favourite experiences in this field. You will have situations like this as well. Try to embrace it. Bring your best outlook and be yourself!

 

New graduates are the new experts. Be confident and take in those teachable moments. You are fresh, vibrant, positive, and bursting with ideas. Your energy is your superpower. I love to mentor students! Your enthusiasm is uplifting, and I like learning what's yet to come in this field.

 

There may be times you feel repetitive or stagnant with programming. We've all been there. I have some tips and tricks for that!

 

Here are just a few of my favorites:

  • Peruse Pinterest for fresh ideas.
  • Search the internet for free resources for educators. 
  • Follow educators and ECE groups on social media. Don’t forget to follow the ECC on IG!
  • Join Facebook groups for Early Childhood Educators.
  • Subscribe to our newsletter to stay in touch and receive resources from experts who have been there.

 

I'm in multiple ECE groups on Facebook and find them most helpful. These groups are packed with Early Childhood Educators offering creative ideas. Search in groups for ECEs and join a few. I’ve included a list of excellent ECE groups at the bottom of this post. Feel free to post questions or request feedback. The more engaged you are within the field, the more successful and positive your experience will be.

 

>>Looking for unique programming to bring to your centre? Schedule an author visit with our founder, Anisha Angella!

 

Another fun way to freshen things up (for you and for children) is change! Rearrange a room, switch up programming, or revise your routine. Identify areas where you want to offer yourself a fresh outlook. Even minor changes can motivate, inspire, and provide a new perspective. I loved to reorganize my room and move toys around to offer kids a new way to explore and interact with the classroom. 

 

I hope these ideas empower you to embrace your new career and use your voice to advocate for ECEs and children. You will be more empowered as an educator when you actively participate in this profession. Empowerment to me is dedication, passion, research, workshops, involvement in ECE networking (in-person and online), and using your voice. If educators didn't have a voice, we wouldn't be where we are in this field today. We need your voice too. As educators, we are the best advocates for ECE, as we see the positive impacts of early childhood education every day. I can't wait to see what you bring to the field!



Helpful Links

 

Facebook:

 

ECE Teacher’s Ontario

https://m.facebook.com/groups/209389359154783/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

 

The ECE Hub

https://m.facebook.com/groups/theecehub/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

 

Registered Ontario Early Childhood Educators

https://m.facebook.com/groups/880196888677318/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

 

ECE Resources and Networking

https://m.facebook.com/groups/734867726714200/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

 

CPL Support for ECE’s

https://m.facebook.com/groups/748978855292149/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

 

Continuous Professional Learning (CPL)

https://m.facebook.com/groups/116295385659426/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

 

Early Childhood Educators Looking for Work and Places Looking to Hire

https://m.facebook.com/groups/713994248781637/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

 

Ontario Early Childhood Educators

https://m.facebook.com/groups/412511913022276/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

 

Early Childhood Educators of Ontario

https://m.facebook.com/groups/2260447343/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

 

Canadian Childcare Federation

https://m.facebook.com/groups/CanadianChildCareFederation/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gv

 

 

Twitter:

 

AECEO

https://twitter.com/aeceo?s=21&t=6h8CyHSeQMG3qTogS7N5ew

https://www.aeceo.ca/

 

Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare

https://twitter.com/childcareon?s=21&t=6h8CyHSeQMG3qTogS7N5ew

https://www.childcareontario.org/

 

Childcare Now

https://twitter.com/child_care_now?s=21&t=6h8CyHSeQMG3qTogS7N5ew

https://childcarenow.ca/

 

 

 

July in ECE: Reset, Reflect & Reignite Your Passion

By Anisha Grossett • June 22, 2026
Why Summer Is the Perfect Time for Early Childhood Educators to Reconnect With Themselves July often brings a shift in energy within the world of early childhood education. For some educators, it means summer programming, outdoor adventures, and changing routines. For others, it brings a slower season, time off, planning for September, or moments to finally pause after months of pouring into others. But no matter what July looks like for you, one thing remains true: ECE professionals deserve time to reset too. In a field centered around nurturing children, supporting families, and leading learning experiences, educators can easily forget to nurture themselves in the process. July is the perfect opportunity to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with the passion that brought you into this field in the first place.

Risky Play the Right Way

By Anisha Grossett • May 29, 2026
Move over trips and falls and organized sports, we have a new injury inducer in town for our children and it’s starting to raise some heated debates. When we look at what’s happening with the injuries we see with children today, it’s not the same from when I was a child. I was falling out of trees, cuts and scrapes on knees and elbows from going too fast around a corner or down a hill on my bike. I was learning physics in the hands-on experiential way, so that when I was a 16 year old driving my dad’s pickup truck, I was already familiar with sliding tires and changing road conditions. I took the lessons I learned going over the handlebars and the feelings of losing control and used them to become more aware and resilient during stressful situations as I grew older into adulthood. I recently read an article online talking about emergency room injuries with children in British Columbia and the number one culprit on the list comes from E-scooter accidents. I definitely have my opinions on these scooters, but we’re not gonna dive into that one today. I want to tell you how easily these injuries can be prevented with a little bit of background education, situational awareness, and some foundational motor development. A lot of these children likely missed the opportunity of learning how to ride a bike properly, they don’t have the vestibular development and appropriate proprioceptive skills to get their balance and their coordination correctly on a scooter. If they never learned the mechanics of how to ride a bike, then how do they know that when they go around that sharp turn and hit a little bit of loose gravel that the back end might slide out a little bit. These foundational fine and gross motor skills are imperative for children to use these conveyances safely, not to mention the spatial awareness needed to navigate the world around them while travelling at high speeds. Parents often send their children out on these scooters without helmets, further exacerbating the risk level. Scooters pose a much higher risk than a traditional bike because you don't need to invest the same amount of time learning to “ride” it. The physics and mechanical lessons I learned as a child are often missed in this day and age and it’s showing up in our emergency rooms across the country.