How to Write an Early Childhood Educator Resume (With Example)

Updated January 26, 2023

Your resume represents an essential component of your job application. When applying to early childhood education jobs, this document highlights your most relevant skills, experiences, and qualifications as a candidate. Learning how to format your resume and understanding the type of information to include can help make this process simpler. In this article, we provide steps for writing early childhood educator resumes and offer tips and an example for additional inspiration.

Why is an early childhood educator resume important?

An early childhood educator resume is important because it offers potential employers their first opportunity to know you as a candidate. In this role, you're responsible for teaching young children, often under kindergarten age. Employers and students' parents need to trust that you have the qualifications to help children develop and learn the skills they need to succeed. A well-written resume showcases your most relevant teaching abilities, along with the soft skills and experiences you have that create an optimal learning environment. It can show employers why you're the best person for the job.

How to write an early childhood educator resume

When drafting a resume for job applications, you can follow these steps to help you create a well-organized and engaging document that showcases your qualifications:

1. Choose your resume format

There are several popular resume formats, and the type you choose often depends on your level of experience. A chronological resume focuses on professional experience, placing this information toward the top and listing your roles from most to least recent and the relevant responsibilities for each. After this section, you can add a skills section that lists your most relevant hard and soft skills. This format works well for candidates with at least a few years of experience working in education.

If you have little to no professional experience, you might consider a functional resume format. This format can work for recent graduates or individuals transitioning into new careers as early childhood educators. It focuses on relevant skills, often placing this information above your work history. As a less experienced candidate, you can emphasize the transferable skills you've gained from other roles and experiences.

2. Read the job description

Review the job description before writing your resume to ensure you understand the employer's expectations. Highlight keywords and phrases used in the job description and incorporate them into your resume to showcase your alignment with the role. You can use job descriptions to tailor your resume for each opportunity. This step helps ensure you provide information that attracts employers' attention, and it shows them you can fulfill the job's responsibilities.

3. List your contact information

When you provide these details at the top of your resume, you make it easy for hiring managers to contact you. Create a header that includes your name in a bold, large font to ensure they know whose document they're reading. Follow this with your current mobile or home phone number and email address. Use a professional email address, such as one that includes your name rather than a nickname.

4. Highlight your qualifications with a summary or objective

This section toward the top of your resume aims to engage hiring managers and encourage them to learn more about you. A resume summary is a statement, usually two to three sentences, that highlights your level of experience and most relevant skills, traits, or achievements in early childhood education. This brief section can tell hiring managers immediately whether you meet their requirements. If you don't have early childhood education experience, you can provide a resume objective. This section focuses on your professional goals while also highlighting your relevant skills or accomplishments.

5. Describe your work experience

When describing your work history, list your prior roles from most to least recent. Provide the job title, place of employment, and dates of employment. Under these job titles, list three to five responsibilities or achievements from each role. Use keywords and phrases that match the job opportunity and its duties to illustrate your experience performing them. If you don't have experience, focus on relevant tasks performed in other roles or transferable skills. For example, working as a camp counsellor or babysitter might have provided you with beneficial skills and responsibilities.

6. List your relevant skills

Use the job description to determine which hard and soft skills to include in your skills section. Hard skills represent abilities gained through formal education and training, such as specific teaching techniques and expertise. Also, the employer may expect you to have technical skills related to particular teaching tools or software. Examples of hard skills for early childhood educators may include:

Curriculum design and lesson planning
Differentiated learning techniques
Classroom management techniques
Knowledge of early childhood development
Individual and group instruction techniques

Employers may also request or prefer additional qualifications, such as specific certifications or the ability to speak different languages. You can also include these details in your skills section. For example, you may list "Fluent in Spanish" or "First Aid/CPR certification" as skills. They also seek soft skills that represent traits or behaviours beneficial to your job. Some soft skills for early childhood educators include:

Verbal and written communication
Empathy
Patience
Organization and time management
Ability to motivate and lead others

7. Provide your education qualifications

Your education section proves you meet the requirements set by potential employers. For example, early childhood educators typically need to complete an early childhood education program at a college or have a bachelor's degree in a related field, such as child development. List the degrees you've earned and the names and locations of the issuing institutions. You can also include relevant licences or certifications you hold.

Unless you graduated recently, you don't need to include your graduation date. If you're a recent graduate, you can also list relevant activities from your time in school or achievements. These details help differentiate you from other candidates and show your interests or work ethic if you don't have much professional experience.

Tips for creating your resume

You can use the following advice for writing an effective early childhood educator resume:

Use a template: You can find resume templates online or create one yourself. Templates can make your resume-writing process more efficient, allowing you to make minor adjustments and add keywords or phrases to align your document with each job opportunity.
Research the employer: When applying for a job, learning more about the organization and its culture can help you craft a tailored resume. You can review school websites, social media profiles, and employee reviews to gain a clear understanding of their values and how they align with yours.
Stay concise: Because hiring managers often need to scan several resumes at a time, keeping your resume's format and language concise helps them assess your qualifications quickly. Keep this document to one page, or two at most, to show respect for their time and display your strong written communication skills.
Include additional sections: Adding sections dedicated to relevant certifications, volunteer work, or professional achievements and awards can help differentiate you as a candidate. Make sure these additions are relevant to the role, such as volunteering as an after-school tutor.
Proofread before submitting: Read your resume to check for grammar or spelling errors and ensure that your document looks professional. You can also ask a friend or colleague to review it and provide feedback for other improvements.

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Example of an early childhood educator resume

You can use this sample resume as inspiration for writing your own:

Your Name
123-555-1234
your.name@email.com
Toronto, ON

Resume summary

Dedicated early childhood educator with three years of experience working with children to develop their social, motor, and adaptive skills. Committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for students, using patience and knowledge of instruction techniques to support their unique needs.

Professional experience

Early childhood teacher at [Name of School] | August 2019–present
Toronto, ON

Taught classes of 15 students between the ages of one and four
Designed creative and play-based activities to promote children's mental, physical, and social development and skills
Adjusted lesson plans to meet children's unique needs or learning styles
Maintained files and assessments for each student to monitor their learning and development progress

Early education assistant teacher at [Name of School] | July 2018–July 2019
Toronto, ON

Assisted early educator teachers in managing classes of 15-20 students under the age of four
Supervised meal times and free-play periods to ensure children's safety
Implemented and enforced classroom rules to encourage positive and respectful behaviour
Maintained clean and organized classroom environment according to the school's standards and procedures

Skills

CPR/First Aid certification
Excellent verbal and written communication abilities
Curriculum development
Patient and empathetic
Classroom management techniques
Highly organized

Education

Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education
[Name of College] | Toronto, ON