3 answers
Tariona
Student
Mertztown, Pennsylvania
1
Question
Asked
486 views
Is it possible to find a job in any early education/early childhood position while in high school?
I am in my second year of trade school and third year of high school. I study early childhood education at trade school and would really like to start working with children before I graduate, if possible.
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3 answers
T T
27
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
T’s Answer
Your best bet would be to pursue volunteer opportunities. After you have proven yourself, you may be considered for a part time paid role if there is a strong mutual fit.
Monica Chibuogwu
Educational Consulting/Counseling
89
Answers
Lagos, Nigeria
Updated
Monica’s Answer
Hi Tariona, trust you are fine 😊
I'm happy to hear about your passion for early childhood education! It's amazing that you're already pursuing your dreams in trade school while still in high school.
To answer your question, absolutely, it's possible to find a job in early education or early childhood positions while still in high school! Many organizations, schools, and childcare centers offer part-time or volunteer opportunities for students like you.
Check out some potential options to consider👇🏽
✔️Volunteer Opportunities
🧩Local daycare centers or preschools: Reach out to nearby centers to inquire about volunteer opportunities. This will give you hands-on experience and exposure to the field.
🧩After-school programs: Many schools offer after-school programs for younger students. You could volunteer to assist with homework, activities, or supervision.
🧩Youth organizations: Organizations like the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Volunteering with these organizations can provide valuable experience.
✔️Part-time Jobs
🧩Babysitting or nannying: Consider taking on part-time babysitting or nannying jobs for families in your area. This will help you gain experience caring for children and build your confidence.
🧩Tutoring or mentoring: If you excel in a particular subject, offer tutoring or mentoring services to younger students. This can be a great way to develop your teaching skills.
🧩Assisting in childcare centers: Some childcare centers might hire part-time assistants to help with daily tasks, such as preparing meals, leading activities, or supervising children.
✔️Other Opportunities
🧩Job shadowing: Arrange to shadow a professional in the early childhood education field to gain insight into their daily responsibilities and challenges.
🧩Internships: Some organizations offer internships for high school students. These can provide valuable work experience and sometimes even lead to job offers.
You can find these opportunities, through 👇🏽👇🏽
🎉Networking: Reach out to family, friends, or teachers to see if they know of any openings or opportunities.
🎉Online job boards: Websites like Indeed, LinkedIn, or local job boards may have part-time or volunteer opportunities listed.
🎉Social media: Follow local organizations, schools, or childcare centers on social media platforms to stay informed about potential openings.
Note🫴🏽gaining experience and building your network while still in high school will not only give you a head start but also make your future job applications more competitive.
Keep shining, and I wish you all the best in your early childhood education journey✈️
I'm happy to hear about your passion for early childhood education! It's amazing that you're already pursuing your dreams in trade school while still in high school.
To answer your question, absolutely, it's possible to find a job in early education or early childhood positions while still in high school! Many organizations, schools, and childcare centers offer part-time or volunteer opportunities for students like you.
Check out some potential options to consider👇🏽
✔️Volunteer Opportunities
🧩Local daycare centers or preschools: Reach out to nearby centers to inquire about volunteer opportunities. This will give you hands-on experience and exposure to the field.
🧩After-school programs: Many schools offer after-school programs for younger students. You could volunteer to assist with homework, activities, or supervision.
🧩Youth organizations: Organizations like the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Volunteering with these organizations can provide valuable experience.
✔️Part-time Jobs
🧩Babysitting or nannying: Consider taking on part-time babysitting or nannying jobs for families in your area. This will help you gain experience caring for children and build your confidence.
🧩Tutoring or mentoring: If you excel in a particular subject, offer tutoring or mentoring services to younger students. This can be a great way to develop your teaching skills.
🧩Assisting in childcare centers: Some childcare centers might hire part-time assistants to help with daily tasks, such as preparing meals, leading activities, or supervising children.
✔️Other Opportunities
🧩Job shadowing: Arrange to shadow a professional in the early childhood education field to gain insight into their daily responsibilities and challenges.
🧩Internships: Some organizations offer internships for high school students. These can provide valuable work experience and sometimes even lead to job offers.
You can find these opportunities, through 👇🏽👇🏽
🎉Networking: Reach out to family, friends, or teachers to see if they know of any openings or opportunities.
🎉Online job boards: Websites like Indeed, LinkedIn, or local job boards may have part-time or volunteer opportunities listed.
🎉Social media: Follow local organizations, schools, or childcare centers on social media platforms to stay informed about potential openings.
Note🫴🏽gaining experience and building your network while still in high school will not only give you a head start but also make your future job applications more competitive.
Keep shining, and I wish you all the best in your early childhood education journey✈️
Rebecca Joseph
Substitute Teacher
6
Answers
Pembroke Pines, Florida
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Hey Tariona,
Thank you for submitting your Question to CareerVillage! It's awesome that you've already started working on your degree while still in high school! It seems to me that you are already on the right path to securing a job in your chosen field of early childhood education. It sounds like you're pursuing dual enrollment which is perfect for students who are looking to start their college education early.
Here's what I would say: If you have chosen to study early childhood education in high school, there should a Early Childhood Education course that enables you to earn your Childhood Education Associate Certification (CDA) to start working at places like daycare centers and some early learning centers with babies and young children up to 4 years of age. This certification teaches you everything to know from newborn development, social skills, feeding etc.
If not, there is another option to secure the certification. If you search "childhood education certification" and "Pennsylvania" you will find your state's official government website where you will find information there.
Finally, the easiest way would be that you get in contact with your trade school's career center and speak to your advisor on how to secure an internship or other position to help you get employed fast. You can may try speaking with some professors or coaches you have had who you have built rapport with to be your references on job applications.
I linked some websites here for you:
For Childcare Courses in PA
https://www.childcareed.com/courses_in-PA-pennsylvania.html
Your State's Government Website (for teaching certification)
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/education/programs-and-services/educators/certification/teacher-information-management-system-tims.html4
(You might not need this one, if your working on your degree, but could be useful for extra certifications)
I hope I helped.
Best of Luck,
Rebecca
Thank you for submitting your Question to CareerVillage! It's awesome that you've already started working on your degree while still in high school! It seems to me that you are already on the right path to securing a job in your chosen field of early childhood education. It sounds like you're pursuing dual enrollment which is perfect for students who are looking to start their college education early.
Here's what I would say: If you have chosen to study early childhood education in high school, there should a Early Childhood Education course that enables you to earn your Childhood Education Associate Certification (CDA) to start working at places like daycare centers and some early learning centers with babies and young children up to 4 years of age. This certification teaches you everything to know from newborn development, social skills, feeding etc.
If not, there is another option to secure the certification. If you search "childhood education certification" and "Pennsylvania" you will find your state's official government website where you will find information there.
Finally, the easiest way would be that you get in contact with your trade school's career center and speak to your advisor on how to secure an internship or other position to help you get employed fast. You can may try speaking with some professors or coaches you have had who you have built rapport with to be your references on job applications.
I linked some websites here for you:
For Childcare Courses in PA
https://www.childcareed.com/courses_in-PA-pennsylvania.html
Your State's Government Website (for teaching certification)
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/education/programs-and-services/educators/certification/teacher-information-management-system-tims.html4
(You might not need this one, if your working on your degree, but could be useful for extra certifications)
I hope I helped.
Best of Luck,
Rebecca
Thank you so much, Rebecca!
Tariona
I forgot to mention that searching for city volunteer opportunities like reading to children at your local library etc. can be good ways to start working with children. Otherwise, I believe that using my steps will get you the results you are after. Good luck!
Rebecca Joseph