Home childcare providers must have more than the proper credentials and the permission to run a home childcare service out of their home. They must also have the necessary personal skills and qualities in order to care for and deal with children in their care.
Likes Children
A home childcare provider must like children before they take on this sort of work. It does not matter if they are over qualified for the job. If they do not like children, they will find the work draining and a chore, rather than as a pleasure.
Conscientious
A home childcare provider must be aware of the fact that their new job will not be a cushy work at home job opportunity that requires little effort on the part of the childcare provider. Every candidate must be willing to work as hard, if not harder, than they did in their traditional job outside the home. That means the children should be their focus. Home childcare providers must not neglect their duties while the children are in their care, but spend their time caring for the children’s physical and emotional needs. After all, parents who are willing to pay for their children to cared for by qualified home childcare providers will expect a high quality service for their children.
Patience
It goes without saying that a home childcare provider who lacks patience will not fare well in their job. Home childcare providers who do not have children of their own may underestimate the demands of the job and realise that it is not as easy as they thought it would be. The theory of childcare can appear quite straightforward in theory. But putting it into practice is another matter altogether.
Authority Figure
Home childcare providers do more than care for the children’s physical and emotional needs. They must also establish that they are an authority figure. If older children see the home childcare provider struggling to establish their authority then they will exploit that. That does not mean to say that home childcare providers should be authoritarian and overly strict. They must be able to win the children’s respect. Should the home childcare provider be known as “Anne” or “Mrs. Miller”? That is up to the person to decide. But the point is that the home childcare provider must quickly make it known that they are the adult and that they are in charge, not the children.
Calm Under Pressure
The issue of calmness relates to patience. But it goes further than that. A home childcare provider must be able to remain calm under pressure. How will they react if one of the children in their care has an epileptic seizure or if a child faints? They will need to know how to respond to the situation. But they should also know how to keep the other children calm and not foster an atmosphere of panic by panicking themselves.
These are just some of the personal qualities that home childcare providers should have. It is a challenging job. Unfortunately, not all qualified childcare providers are actually suited to this job.
