How to be an educator?
What are the roles available?
Infant and Early
Years Educator
Infant Educators work with infants aged between 2 months and 18 months old and Early Years Educators work with young children aged between 2 months and 4 years old. They are primarily responsible for creating a safe environment for the young ones to discover their potential. Besides teaching and carrying out play activities with these children, they also manage routine care.
Indicative monthly salary range:- $2,510 – $4,080 (from Beginning Infant Educator to Senior Early Years Educator)
Preschool
Educator
Preschool Educators work with children aged 18 months to 6 years old. They enrich children’s learning by carrying out a curriculum that prioritises aesthetics and creative expression, discovery of the world, language and literacy, motor skills development, numeracy, as well as social and emotional development.
- Indicative monthly salary range:
- S$2,900 – $5,880 (from Beginning Preschool Educator to Deputy Centre Leader)
- S$5,600 – $8,650 (Centre Leader and above)
Learning Support
Educator
Learning Support Educators assess, plan, deliver and review learning and in-class support for children aged 6 and below who require low levels of early intervention support. They help them develop academic, behavioural, social, motor and communication skills, and work closely with preschool educators, allied health professionals and families of children, to support the children’s needs.
- Indicative monthly salary range:
- Salary information for Learning Support Educators is not yet available as this role is relatively new.
Early Intervention
Educator
Early Intervention Educators assess, plan, deliver and review interventions for children aged 6 and below who require medium to high levels of early intervention support through an integrated range of developmentally appropriate teaching and learning approaches. They conduct transdisciplinary meetings and partner families, allied health professionals and preschool educators to ensure that children with developmental needs receive appropriate support.
- Indicative monthly salary range:
- Refer to FY21 Salary Guideline for Social Service Sector here
Where can I work at?
You can work at Childcare Centre or a Kindergarten.
Childcare centre
Age group of children:Typically 2 months to 6 years old
Operating hours: 7am – 7pm, with educators taking shifts
School term:Throughout the year with 6 centre closure days in a year
Health checks and breakfast
- 7 – 9am:
Ensure all children who enter childcare are healthy, and proceed to feed them breakfast to get them energised for the day.
Outdoor play / Lessons
- 9 – 11.30am:
Bring children outdoors to develop their gross-motor and social skills. Teach the children about numeracy, literacy, and creative expression.
Shower
- 11.30am – 12pm:
Shower the children and diaper toddlers. Keep an eye out for their health and safety.
Lunch time
- 12 – 1pm:
Provide children with a nutritious lunch and teach them the importance of a balanced diet.
Nap time
- 1 – 3pm:
Prepare children for naps so that they can recharge for the day ahead. This could mean playing soothing music to them or preparing milk for younger children.
Play time / Lessons
- 3 – 7pm:
Engage children in free play to enable creative expression and social development, or conduct story-telling sessions to enhance language appreciation.
Your work day ends at 7pm, when their parents arrive to pick the children up.
Kindergarten
Age group of children: Typically 3 to 6 years old
Operating hours:8am – 3pm, which includes 2 separate sessions
School term:10 weeks per term for 4 terms, with Mar, Jun, Sep and Dec holidays.
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Health checks and breakfast (1st session)
- 8 – 8.30am:
Check that all children who enter are healthy. Nourish them with breakfast to get them energised for the day.
Learning corners
- 8.30 – 9.30am:
Set up learning corners which allows children to select the activities they would like to engage in, observe how they learn and guide them along.
Outdoor play
- 9.30 – 10am:
Bring children outdoors to develop their gross-motor and social skills. Have fun with the children, but keep an eye out for their safety too.
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Lessons
- 10 – 11am:
Teach children about numeracy, literacy, and creative expression.
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Prepare for dismissal
- 11 – 11.30am:
Prepare children from the 1st session for dismissal, and receive children from the 2nd session.
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2nd session
- 11.30am – 2:30pm:
The next session begins with lunch. Provide children with a nutritious lunch and conduct similar activities as session 1.
Courses to build your career in early childhood education
To view early childhood courses that match your qualification, select your highest academic qualification below: