How To: ECE Portfolio

How To: Create a Portfolio for Early Childhood Educators

A portfolio is a great way to distinguish yourself from other applicants when looking for a job as an Early Childhood Educator. In this blog post, I will outline best practices and what to include in your ECE Portfolio to help you get that job! The portfolio is a way to showcase your experience and abilities in addition to your resume. This provides visual evidence of your past work and how you interact with children.

DESIGN

It is a good idea to use colours and tabs to differentiate sections as well as add to the experience of looking at the portfolio. A blank white portfolio is boring, but also using too many patterns and colours can be overwhelming. There needs to be a balance of colour and space so the portfolio flows and is easy to look at. Consider the size of the portfolio to ensure that it is not too long. Make sure that the portfolio suitably represents yourself and your personality.

Clearly state on the first page that it is your portfolio, ie. Jessie’s Portfolio and include a picture of you in the classroom. Make sure that the picture focuses on you so that the employer knows what you look like.

On the second page, add a Table of Contents with either the corresponding colour tab or page number so an employer can directly see what they want to focus on.

INTRODUCTION TO YOURSELF

The first things that should be included in your portfolio are your resume and cover letter. Your resume should not be longer than 2 pages and your cover letter should only be 1 page. Make sure to address your cover letter to the organization you are applying for and add details in there that relate to the specific job you are applying for. It is good practice to reference the job posting and mention how you are the perfect fit for the job.

CERTIFICATES

Next, you should attach copies of your relevant certificates such as your BC Early Childhood Educator Certificate, Emergency Child First Aid and CPR Certificate, and your Food Safe Certificate. This will make it clear that you are certified and qualified for the job. It will also let the employer know when you got certified and when your certificate needs renewing.

EXAMPLES OF WORK

In this section, you should introduce any academic assignments, teaching aids, or proof of experience. During your studies, if you had any assignments you were proud of, you can attach them here. In addition, if you have any teaching aids like a felt story board or arts and crafts activities, you can attach pictures here. If in any of your previous work experiences, you had the opportunity to take pictures of the kids you worked with or someone took photos of you with the children, here would be a great spot to put them. Try not to have more than 4 pictures per page as otherwise it gets crowded. It is a good idea to put a description with the pictures to describe the name of the workplace as well as the activity happening in the photos.

VIDEOS

Most employers enjoy having videos of applicants interacting with children. It is not required to have children in the video with you, but you will need to be energetic and enthusiastic as if there were children. The videos would be separate from a paper portfolio but if you create a slide deck, then videos can be inserted. A good idea is to have at least one video of you singing a song ie. Welcome or If You’re Happy and You Know It. Another video that is good to make is you reading a short story ie. 5 Little Monkeys. The videos should be approximately 3-5 minutes in length to showcase how you would do that activity with children. 

I hope this can help you find the perfect job in a daycare centre! If you need assistance or further information, contact us.
Happy Portfolio-ing!

How To: Resume Building

How To: Resume Building

A resume is a document that is required when applying for a job in Canada. Another name for a resume is a Curriculum Vitae (CV). A resume showcases your education, work experience, skills, and other qualifications. It is important to be detailed and provide information on each related work experience to the job you are applying for. However, a resume should not exceed two pages, if there are lots of spaces between text or an abundance of details, an employer will not be interested in reading it. A resume may be altered depending on what job is being applied to. There is no one way to format and organize a resume, but a resume MUST include:

  • Candidate’s name, phone number, and email address
  • Education
  • Work Experience
  • Certificates (if applicable to job)

In addition to these, it is common to see a Summary / Highlight of Qualifications, Objective, or a Skills section. These are not required, but it is nice to have in many circumstances. If you lack work experience, they are a good way to emphasize your skills and show what you can bring to the organization.

TOP OF RESUME

The top of the resume should have your First and Last Name with your phone number and email address. It is not necessary to include a picture or your home address. In addition, it is important to not include personal information such as religion, age, marital status, and so on.

SUMMARY / HIGHLIGHT OF QUALIFICATIONS OR OBJECTIVE

At the top of a resume after your name and contact information, it is optional to have a section to provide an overview of your skillsets. There are many names that are used but all are used for the same purpose. This section should be around 5 sentences and should make a nice block of text to introduce yourself before the rest of the resume. An important thing to note that is commonly done is never use I to describe your qualifications; it should not be direct. To help get you started, see a sample below:

Recent graduate looking for a job in computer science to apply knowledge and expertise. Strong knowledge of computer based languages like C++, HTML, Java Script.

EDUCATION

In the education section, it is vital that all relevant education is listed. Each education experience should include:

  • Degree or Diploma received with Specialization
    • ie. Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science
  • Name of Institution
  • Period of study including Month, Year for start and end
  • Location (optional)

Education should be listed from most recent or current to oldest. Any education before secondary school does not need to be included. If you have multiple post-secondary education certificates, then you do not need to include your secondary school information.

WORK EXPERIENCE

In the work experience section, it is important to provide details on each relevant work experience. This means providing full details of the work done. Each work experience should contain the following information:

  • Job Title
  • Employer
  • Period of employment including Month, Year for start and end
  • Location (optional)
  • Four to Five bullet points of detailed duties describing what you did in that job

This is the most important part of a resume. The detailed bullet points for each work experience showcases your abilities and experiences in a clear manner for employers to understand your qualifications. Work experience should be listed from most recent or current to oldest.

CERTIFICATES AND SKILLS

If you have any relevant certificates that can support you in the job that you are applying for, you will need to provide information. The certificate section should either be combined with education or be separate, immediately after education. There are different ways you can state the information regarding a certificate. You must include the name of the certificate such as Serving it Right Certificate. Here is where the options come in, there are three ways to mention dates and validity:

  1. One way is you can just mention when the certificate was issued. For example: Issued: May 2022.
  2. Another way is to do the opposite and only mention when it expires. Example: Expiry: November 2023.
  3. The third option is to combine the two. For example: Valid: May 2022 – November 2023.

A skills section is good to add if you have little to no relevant work experience. Or, if you have extra space and want to fill it then skills are a nice way to fill empty areas. In most circumstances, it is best to keep points to 1-3 words. For instances where that does not apply is mentioning languages or if you want to include Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) as a skill. Try to keep the skills section direct and related to the job you are applying for. Things such as hobbies or things you like to do in your spare time are not necessary to be included on your resume.

I hope this helps you create an outstanding resume to achieve your career goals!
If you need assistance, contact us!