Valerie Mercer

As an early childhood educator, I strive to create an environment in which children can feel that they belong and in which they can safely express themselves through their play and interactions.

I do this by:

·         Providing an inclusive environment in which all children are treated equally and fairly.

·         Establishing and maintaining positive interactions with every child with the aim of building trusting relationships which engage and support each child to feel secure, confident and included.

·         Providing children with developmentally-appropriate activities and experiences that are based on their interests.

·         Supporting children in developing healthy relationships and friendships with their peers through learning skills to work with others, play cooperatively, help others, have a sense of empathy, and be a part of a team.

·         Using routines to help children understand what to do so that they can focus on how to do it with others, feel more confident and be more competent as a member of the service environment.

·         Ensuring every child’s needs are met effectively.

·         Promoting parental and family involvement in the service as it shows children that educators are valued and that the service environment is a safe place to be. Furthermore, both families and educators have valuable information about children, and sharing this information helps to ensure children’s needs are met effectively.