Kerri Duncan, Senior Early Years Practitioner, Angus Council

Growing up, I was surrounded by family with young children and always knew working with children aligned perfectly with my skill set. When I left school, my interest lay with Primary School teaching, however after a placement in primary 1 and 2 classes and then a private nursery, I realised I was best suited to working in Early Learning and Childcare with younger children.

I was drawn to the prospect of a rewarding job, that would enable me to develop and support children and their families. I really enjoy the relationships you build with families and how you get to know them well. Observing children allows you to really understand the child and get to know their personalities but also to support and challenge them.

In this role, you truly have the capacity to make a difference to a child’s life, due to the day-to-day work that you do with the children. We create an environment that allows a child to feel safe, secure, valued and trusted.

We become role models for these children and spend a large amount of time supporting them to develop skills they will use later in life. The support and guidance we give families throughout their child’s time with us also plays a massive part in the experiences and interactions they are getting at home.

The job is very demanding, and you must be willing to work hard. I always knew this would be the case and was prepared for it. But it’s not all working directly with the children – there is a lot of time and preparation put into the strategy and observation focus of each child and staff are also involved in improvement planning. I also didn’t realise how much documentation was available to support me as a practitioner and ensure that a child’s needs were being met.

If you are motivated, prepared to work hard and are genuinely interested in a child’s wellbeing and development, I would highly recommend working in Early Learning and Childcare as it is a truly rewarding job. There are so many opportunities and every day is different and exciting. The children make your job a very happy one.