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Early Childhood Educators and Assistants  (NOC 4214)
Southern Region
Description |  Titles |  Duties |   Related Occupations

Early childhood educators plan and organize activities for preschool and school-age children. Early childhood educator assistants provide care and guidance to preschool children under the supervision of early childhood educators. Early childhood educators and assistants lead children in activities to stimulate and develop their intellectual, physical and emotional growth. They are employed in child-care centres, kindergartens, nursery schools, agencies for exceptional children, and other environments where early childhood education services are provided, or they may be self-employed. Early childhood educators who are supervisors are included in this group.

child-care worker assistant, child-care worker, day care, day-care helper, day-care supervisor, day-care worker, early childhood assistant, early childhood education worker, early childhood educator, early childhood educator assistant, early childhood program staff assistant, early childhood supervisor, preschool helper, preschool supervisor, preschool teacher.

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Early childhood educators perform some or all of the following duties:
  • Develop and implement daily activities that support and promote the development of children
  • Lead children in activities by telling or reading stories, teaching songs, demonstrating the use of simple musical instruments, preparing craft materials and demonstrating their use, providing opportunities for creative expression through the media of art, dramatic play, music and physical fitness, and taking the children to local points of interest
  • Guide and assist children in the development of proper eating, dressing and toilet habits
  • Observe children for signs of learning disabilities or emotional problems and take appropriate action
  • Assess the skills, abilities, interests and needs of children
  • Discuss progress or problems of children with parents and other staff members
  • Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with other community service providers working with children
  • Attend meetings and workshops to develop and discuss new teaching methods
  • May plan and organize activities for school-age children in child-care programs before and after regular school hours
  • May supervise and co-ordinate the activities of other early childhood educators and early childhood educator assistants.
Early childhood educator assistants perform some or all of the following duties:
  • Conduct and monitor activity programs designed for young children
  • Lead children in activities by telling stories, teaching songs and preparing craft materials
  • Prepare and serve snacks
  • Arrange rooms and furniture for lunch and rest periods
  • Assist with proper eating, dressing and toilet habits
  • Submit written observations on children to supervisor
  • Attend staff meetings to discuss progress and problems of children
  • Assist supervisor in keeping records
  • Maintain day-care equipment and assist in housekeeping duties.
Included Cities in Region | Service Canada Offices

Bridgewater, Digby, Lunenburg, Shelburne, Yarmouth

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View a list of Service Canada offices in this area.

Outlook & Prospects for Early Childhood Educators and Assistants in Southern Region

The future forecast and current conditions for an occupation can vary based on location or due to changes in the economy, technology, or demand for a product or service.

Local Employment Potential Information

Table on the employment potential for Early Childhood Educators and Assistants in Southern Region as well as in the rest of the Nova Scotia.
Location Employment Potential Release Date
Southern Region Good 2011-10-06

Currently the chances of qualified Early Childhood Educators and Assistants finding employment are considered to be good in the local area. Employment potential is good local because there continues to be an above average number of advertised opportunities, compared to the size of the occupation and additional funding has created more day care spaces and the need for a higher percentage of qualified staff. However, it must be noted that the local Community College system also graduates new entrants into the labour force yearly, making the market more competitive. Attrition can be high due to numerous employers and high stress levels. Individuals with an Early Childhood Studies certification have more job options and self-employment would also present more opportunities. The province's Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Plan, under the Department of Community Services, intended to add more day care spaces, increase subsidized spaces and provide ongoing support for our child care sector.

The number of people employed in this occupation is significantly above average (100+), compared to all occupations in the local area. As such, there will be additional demand based solely on this high level of employment - more people moving to other jobs, retiring or quitting.

In addition to employment opportunities locally, opportunities may exist in other areas of the province or in other regions of the country. People who are able to work elsewhere may want to research opportunities for this occupation in other labour markets within Nova Scotia and across the country. The future employment outlook for Early Childhood Educators and Assistants in Nova Scotia is expected to be good over the next 5 years.

Additional information on Early Childhood Educators and Assistants (opportunities in other areas, training, who hires, current job openings, statistics and other information), is available on other parts of this web site.

[ Source: Labour Market Information - HRSDC ]
Please consult the Nova Scotia and Canada tabs for more useful information related to outlook.