I am currently a full-time, third year Early Childhood Studies Student at the University of Plymouth (2022-2025). This course has provided me with multiple opportunities to develop my skills, including safeguarding courses, and in the first year, being able to take school children on a trip to the beach. I have been able to experience two placement opportunities within settings, working with children, young people and families. This included The Child Development Centre and Jeremiah's Journey (a bereavement charity), both of which are in Plymouth. These placements and the course itself, has inspired me to apply for two different master's degrees in Speech and Language Therapy and Psychology. Both routes are rewarding and involve working with others to reach the ultimate goal of helping individuals.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS PARTICULAR ROUTE, AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO PURSUE STUDYING EARLY YEARS?
I moved to England when I was five years old. Growing up with English as a second language meant I was exposed to different challenges than other children.
How this affected my childhood has always intrigued me, and how similar circumstances may influence children today. I grew up with younger siblings which has made me naturally drawn to look after children, and from a young age I did want to be a teacher. This led me to pursue studying an early years degree to understand how different factors such as lifestyle, play, learning and development can affect a child and how they see and explore the world around them.
My degree has enabled me to understand childhood through various different lenses, such as psychological, political and play. I enjoy participating in hands-on experiences, therefore having the opportunities to volunteer and complete placements has enabled me to enrich children's learning experiences and be involved in a small yet significant part of their childhood. It is delightful to be seen as a role model for young children and an inspiration for them and their future. This has made the whole experience a lot more rewarding.
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE HIGHLIGHTS?
Within the Early Childhood Studies (ECS) undergraduate degree at the University of Plymouth, I have had the opportunity to apply for and receive the Plymouth Astor Trust (VHS) Scholarship Bursary. This provides financial support for students studying courses relating to young children, and funded an educational trip for me to the Czech Republic as part of an International Summer Language School. During this experience I participated in and led activities for two weeks, teaching English to 30 children between the ages of six to 12. I was able to see how educational systems vary in different countries, including safeguarding practices and policies, and how classrooms are laid out. My observations and interactions with children contributed to my modules within my degree, by seeing early childhood and education from a different perspective. Opportunities like this are eye-opening to see how diverse children are, and how different education systems within other countries are set up. Because of these experiences I have become more passionate to work with children.
Furthermore, at the University of Plymouth the ECS degree has a multidisciplinary team; the lecturers all have different backgrounds, experiences, knowledge and perspectives. Working in partnership with these lecturers has not only allowed me to deepen my understanding of early childhood, but given me a sense of the wider world and what I want to pursue after my studies.
The support system during my studies has been strong. The degree offers multiple opportunities to further my skills, attributes and experiences, which has enabled me and my peers to enjoy our academic experience.
WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND CHALLENGING, AND ALSO HELPFUL IN OVERCOMING THESE CHALLENGES?
As a student, I often found it challenging trying to manage my time wisely. Having a part-time job, volunteering, contact hours and also independent study often became overwhelming, due to having to split my time and often having to prioritise one thing over another.
To overcome this, I had to plan my days and weeks to suit me. This often included having a physical calendar, and also a diary to take around with me. It was also important to have some time during the week for myself, such as spending time with friends, as often I missed out on opportunities to do so being so busy with coursework and working.
Within the early years sector working with children can often be challenging, due to their diverse needs and the different situations they are experiencing. During my placement with Jeremiah's Journey it was quite difficult to see children grieving, especially when individuals were physically upset due to the loss of someone close to them. Within my interactions I had to be empathetic and understanding of children's situations. This then led to children being more open with me and more willing to interact with the activities. It was often challenging when children did not want to do this, but often this was due to them being in a new situation and not knowing who you are. Spending time with individuals and getting to know them, improved the whole Jeremiah's Journey experience for both me and them.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER STUDENTS CURRENTLY STUDYING OR WORKING IN THE SECTOR?
Working in the early years sector is often challenging, due to staff being underpaid and sometimes there are insufficient job roles in an area. Therefore, the advice I would give others would be to find and gain practical experiences. This is essential as it can make you stand out from other individuals. But it will make your future experiences easier too, due to being able to draw on times when you were in similar situations.
I think it is also important to understand the attributes needed when working in the early years sector. Often, as practitioners we can be seen as children's role models. Having the passion to work with children, and attributes such as patience and kindness are important, as you will be involved in aspects of their development which are contributing to their future.
I would also encourage students to reflect. Whether it is reflecting on your practice, or on yourself when working with children, it is important to reflect. Reflection can identify what could be improved, as well as seeing what your key strengths are, which allows you to be more effective within your role. Often this can be challenging due to self-criticism, however, it will help to improve professional development and the support you can provide for children's learning, play and development.
which figures in the sector do you find most inspiring?
Through my volunteering experience within my sector, I have found the bereavement charity, Jeremiah's Journey, greatly inspiring. This is because of their dedication and empathetic work with children, young people and families. Through volunteering with this charity, which started as my work-based learning placement, I was encouraged to reflect on how I viewed situations and subsequently acted. This allowed me to challenge myself and ask important questions to develop as a practitioner. Being able to witness the charity's work with children made me realise how underfunded bereavement support is. Many children suffer grief but are not able to get the support needed. Jeremiah's journey offers a seven week grief journey programme and one-to-one family sessions which help individuals and families manage their grief and find coping mechanisms.
What inspires me the most is the outstanding effort from volunteers within the Jeremiah's journey team, put into supporting individuals, and making a difference especially for young children. I have seen the impact myself and others have made on children who are often shy and quiet at the start of the group. However, by the end of the seventh week they are talkative, confident and have made some strong friendships. They understand they are not alone and that many individuals within the group are suffering similar experiences. This has been an invaluable experience that has inspired me to help children and young people in the future.
