Position Overview
The position of a childcare volunteer is usually a temporary one, and one that can be considered entry level.
People who have an inherent love for children, and a great will to provide assistance and guidance to them volunteer their services in this regard.
Position Requirements
A high school diploma or a GED equivalent is sufficient to work as a childcare volunteer – formal education is not usually a requirement. Popular employers of childcare volunteers are daycare centers, orphanages, and other facilities that cater to the needs of children.
As a childcare volunteer, your main skill must be the ability to handle infants, toddlers, and young adults, ensuring that their wellbeing and safety are kept a priority. Not everyone can do justice to the work of a childcare volunteer – it is either an inherent trait to love children and help them, or not. If you have it in you, you can easily handle the work associated with this. If not, it is best to look for something else to while away your time.
Volunteering your services in childcare is a huge responsibility, which means that you will need to be very careful in how you handle things, as there will be children involved. If you are truly interested in this work, you may go through the following list of duties of a childcare volunteer:
Childcare Volunteer Duties and Responsibilities
• Engage children into conversation to determine their personalities, and likes and dislikes.
• Create and implement recreational activities for each child, based on his or her specific personality or requirements.
• Assist children in handling activities, making sure that they remain interested and entertained.
• Speak to children in a positive and upbeat manner, encouraging them to perform feats that they are uncomfortable with.
• Assist children seeking support or help, encouraging, and pushing them to perform their best.
• Provide assistance in developing assigned children’s social, academic, physical, and emotional skills.
• Provide positive reinforcement and promote healthy, and no-violent behaviors.
• Ascertain that all play and recreational areas are kept clean and sanitized, focusing on children’s safety and wellbeing.
• Assist children during play time, ensuring that they remain within the confines of safety limitations.
• Provide support in eating, ensuring that each assigned child is properly fed the right kind of food.
• Confer with parents to provide them with information on their children’s progress, or any issues that may have transpired.
• Create and submit assessment reports based on observations, and highlight any causes for concern, detailing them to the to management.