Developing your professional identity and leadership style as an early childhood educator is a key aspect of your professional growth and practice. It can help you to enhance your confidence and competence, to align your actions with your values and vision, to build positive relationships with others and to contribute to the quality of early childhood education.

Professional identity is the way you see yourself as an early childhood educator, based on your values, beliefs, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It reflects your personal and professional goals, your philosophy of teaching and learning, and your role and responsibilities in the early childhood sector.

Professional identity is not static, but dynamic and evolving, as you interact with children, families, colleagues and communities and engage in ongoing learning and development.

Leadership style is the way you influence and guide others in your early childhood setting, based on your personality, preferences, strengths, and challenges. It affects how you communicate, collaborate, make decisions, solve problems and manage change.

Leadership style is not fixed, but flexible and adaptable, as you respond to different situations, contexts, and needs. Leadership style can be learned and improved through self-awareness, feedback, reflection and practice.

By developing your professional identity and leadership style as an early childhood educator, you can enhance your own professional growth and practice, as well as the quality of early childhood education. Professional identity and leadership style are not only skills but also dispositions that can enrich your life as an early childhood professional.

Here are 6 strategies that can help you to develop your professional identity and leadership style:

1. Clarify your values and vision:

Identify what matters most to you as an early childhood educator, what you want to achieve for yourself and for children, and what principles guide your practice. Write a personal or professional mission statement that expresses your values and vision.

2. Seek feedback and support:

Ask for constructive feedback from others on your strengths and areas for development as an early childhood educator and leader. Seek support from mentors, coaches, peers, or leaders who can inspire you, challenge you, and help you grow.

3. Engage in continuous learning:

Pursue opportunities for formal or informal learning that enhance your knowledge and skills in curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, environment, leadership, etc. Read current research and literature on early childhood education. Attend workshops or webinars on topics of interest or relevance.

4. Reflect on your practice

Use tools such as journals, portfolios, videos, or learning stories to document and analyze your practice. Reflect on what works well and what can be improved. Identify your goals and action plans for improvement.

5. Experiment with different styles

Learn about different leadership styles such as instructional , servant , transactional , or transformational , and their advantages and disadvantages. Experiment with different styles in different situations and contexts. Observe how others react to your style and how it affects the outcomes.

6. Celebrate your achievements

Recognize and celebrate your achievements as an early childhood educator and leader. Share your successes and challenges with others. Acknowledge your contributions to children’s learning and development.

© Gaynor Clarke, 2023

Gaynor Clarke

B.Ed (Teaching), Cert Tertiary Teaching, PGDip Ed, MEd Leadership

Reach. Teach. Lead.

Reach Education Ltd

Teacher Leadership Mentoring and Life Coaching.  Personal and Professional Development.

Gaynor is a teacher educator and mentor facilitating personal & professional leadership wellbeing outcomes for teachers.

About me

If you are an early childhood teacher or leader looking to enhance your leadership skills, I would love to work with you. As a leadership mentor and coach, I specialize in helping early childhood educators develop their leadership potential and make a positive impact for the ākonga they serve. If you are interested in learning more about my leadership mentoring services, please visit my website or contact me directly to schedule a consultation. I would love to work with you!

www.reached.co.nz