If you love children but also value flexible working that wraps around your daily household hum, the role of a home-based educator is ideal for you.
What is a home-based educator?
A home-based educator is someone who provides education, care and comfort to children directly in their care. Educators can take care of up to four children at hours convenient to them and the family within their home environment.
Home-based educators are passionate about children and their development. You could be a stay-at-home mum, grandparent or full-time professional seeking an alternative career, if you love children in all their moods, you could become a home-based educator.
Guide to becoming a home-based educator
Becoming a home-based educator is easy. Here is a quick guide on how to get started on this rewarding journey.
- Find the right home-based childcare provider. A home-based ECE agency such as Home2Grow will support your journey to becoming a home-based educator and supporting your growth in this area. They collect government funding and in return refer you to children, liaise with families and provide you support via resources, supervision and gaining an ECE qualification.Before you choose the home-based childcare provider of your choice, meet a few to understand who can provide better ongoing support. Don’t be tempted only by free resources. Ask about their marketing efforts and experience of visiting teachers. Question them about rates and if you can set your own rates. Home-based providers offer free ECE Level 4 Qualification support – ask about the support your chosen provider offers in this field. How do they help you prepare for the qualification? Ask also about ongoing support such as play groups and upskilling opportunities.
- Admin and invoicing. Ask the home-based childcare provider you’re considering if they support you in administration and payroll. This includes invoicing families. While some educators prefer to take this task on themselves, others rather have the admin managed by the provider. Note that the home-based provider may choose to provide this service for free or charge a fee for it, depending on their policy. Make sure to ask about it.
- Complete the application. Before you are up and away with your home-based childcare, you need to complete a few essentials as part of the application process:
- Seek landlord approval for service if you are renting
- You need a safe home with a fenced section
- Complete and sign application forms
- Complete police vetting of yourself and any other family member over 17 years of age who resides with you
- Have a health and safety check done of your home
- Gain a first aid certificate
- Finding children. The home-based provider you choose should do the bulk of marketing to find children for you. They typically support with marketing collateral and local promotions. It does pay to be proactive and market yourself by joining local Facebook groups, community-based children’s programmes such as Mainly Music etc.
- Family interviews. This is the part when you get families who are interested to enrol their child come to your home and interview you. It is important to have your home set up as you would for a day with children. Have activities out, have the sleep room set up, this gives parents a visual idea about the environment and programme you are offering. This meet and greet is also a chance for you to see the family, and the children and whether they would fit into your homebased environment. Home-based childcare providers guide educators through this process.
- Child enrolment. Interviews done, if the family is comfortable with your home and approach to early childhood learning, they will enrol with you. Necessary documentation is completed (with the help of the coordinator from the home-based provider) and you’re away with shaping the future of a child.
Is home-based education right for you?
No better way to find out than meet some educators. Talk to a home-based childcare provider to introduce you to a few other educators on their roll. Ask them about their experience to evaluate if this is the right path for you. Find out more on 0508 466 324.
