male childcare workers - employment barriers?

[Pandora]

I guess I'm wanting to guage people perceptions of male childcare workers, and to get any opinions from people who are in the industry..

DH is thinking seriously about doing early childhood studies and becoming a qualified childcare worker.

However he is worried that parents would be "funny" about a male childcare worker in his late 30s.

What do you think?

[MantaRay]

Rayray, I know that some people do have a suspicion of male cc workers. However this is not universal, and thankfully seems to be improving. I have come across some male workers since my boys' have been in cc and I have been impressed by all of them.

At our current centre one of the full time carers is a male and he is brilliant. I wish there were more of him LOL! The kids respond so well to him and I think they benefit from having a male role model there. He was actually a carer in Jack's room until recently and I was so sad when I heard he was moving rooms - until I realised it was Tom's room he was moving to! The boys both love him and the other carers also love working with him. I know they would hire another male carer (as long as he was appropriate) in a flash.

My advice would be strongly encourage your DH down this path. I think more males are desperatly needed in the industry and if it's what he wants to do he would no doubt really enjoy it. If he does strike some resistance in some places, he will find the opposite in others I'm sure. Also, the ex-director from the boys' centre has moved to Melb and is now director of a centre not far from you (although I found out today she will be going on maternity leave soon!!). If your DH is ever looking for work, let me know, and I can email his details to her and I am sure she would do everything she could to help him find work.

[~breeze~]

While living in Townsville in 2006 with DD she attended a CC centre. There were 2 different male CC workers there & they were fantastic! The kids loved them, they looked just as confident as the girls & its a nice change for the parents too I think seeing males as well as females.

I also think its important for kids to see men are able to look after them as well as females are.

I would encourage him to go for it! I think its wonderful he's so interested in it

[The[cookie]Doctor]

My mum has a CC training business and owns a CC centre and I think she'd be the first to say for the most part, male CC workers would be a guaranteed job. The parents don't have to know that he is 'credible' - they just have to have trust in the centre. And I would think that male CC workers would be highly encouraged so kids have more interaction with men in their day to day lives. Go for it rayray's DH!!

Ps love the new av

[Salsa]

I would love it if your DH becomes a childcare worker!!!! I`m very aware of the big shortage of men in childcare and education, especially for the under 10`s. I would even give preference to sending my children somewhere that had male staff over somewhere that didnt because i believe its so important for children to see men in this role, not just woman - its skewifs their perception of gender roles etc (imo) - men add a difference balance than an all female work enviroment, as well as what they offer a child. I also think is so important for all those boys and girls who do not have a male (or a good one) roll model/figure in their life - which is the unfortunate case for many little ones, and they really do need it in as many areas as they can get it, if they dont have that at home ( and even if they do such as my DS has, I still would prefere him to have some other good male models out of the home, in situations that are not just family or celebrities).

But, yes, there will be some hessitation towards men doing this kind of work still, but I hope and think that with the increase of dads involvment with their kiddies, society is becoming more open and accepting of men being in roles such as the one your DH is considering.

It could be a challenging choice but good on him!!!

[indie24]

I just wanted to second what Mantaray said. I used to work in child care and saw how children benefitted from having a male role model in the room. I say go for it.

[melham74]

We have a male at our CC and he is gr8t. the Kids love him and the parents have relly welcomed him.

[ajm mum]

We have rob at our kindy. he is a huge hit with all the kids (4 year olds) fantastic with the parents i find him really easy to approach. My dd always notices if he isnt there and wants to know why!! Having her dad working in the mines and away 4 days every week its great for her to have another male role model many dads work long hours and i think its good to have males involved in there lives.

[Phteven]

I would love to see more men become teachers and childcare workers. There is an accute shortage of men in the industries and children benefit from interacting with both genders.
Three cheers for RayRay's DH!!!!!

[~breeze~]

Three cheers for RayRay's DH!!!!!

HIP HIP HOORAY
HIP HIP HOORAY
HIP HIP HOORAY!

[Nai]

I guess it's sort of like nursing - a domain that is seen as traditionally female and it needs some strong and resilient men to break through those barriers. Once there are more men in the industry it will be much easier for others to be accepted into those sorts of roles. Rayray we need trailblazers like your DH!

[shaza12345]

I would tell your DH to go for it i run my own family day care and my DH is a co carer with me and the children love doing activities with him and they really learn from having that male role model its great for the children, I think people need to encourge males more in this industry, When doing a childcare course before coming a carer there were many males in my class, and there experences and knowledge was just as good and sometimes better then the females in my class. so i say if thats what your husband wants to do go for it, and working with children is the best job in the world...

[dust]

my uncle in the mid 90s was a SAHD who did courses and then went on to do that family daycare where u have the group of kids at your house. he did that till his youngest started school.. so bout 10years. he would have been in his 30s also. Now he has gone back to being a mechanic! lol. all the best with ur DH, the childcare industry could so do with some men!

[Pandora]

Wow thanks everyone! I wasnt aware that there would be so much support out there. I think I will print this thread out to show him

[mrsmac]

What about doing teaching?? The education dept is very short on male infants/ primary teachers. DD is in yr 3 and has her firts male teacher this year and adores him.
I love DSs FDC cause the dad is there sometimes and the oldest boy (19) so he gets to interact with men not just women all day.

[Bathsheba]

As well as all the positive comments in here I'd just like to add that having a male colleague in such a dominently female working environment does GREAT things for the level of professionalism of the place. We all know how b!tchy women can get in the workplace but having a guy there really helps to quash that a bit. We had a few male specialist teachers come in to the classroom where i used to work and the whole feel of the room would change for the better. it wasn't because they were good looking or anything... it was just a good balancing element. Like anything... if there is too much Yin or too much yang things don't function optimially. Excellent point about male nurses Nai! We don't question that as much do we? I think a shift of more guys into the CC industry would benefit everyone! And pay rates might even improve a bit too!

[Beckibee]

We've just moved interstate and Maddy started her new daycare on Monday. She didn't want to leave daycare on Wednesday she was having so much fun. *L*

Anyway, I digress from the intention of this thread. Although she's never had a group leader or assistant in a room she's been in (nursery, toddler, pre-kindy) at her old daycare in Brisbane; her new team leader is a lovely young man called Carlos. The kids adore him and to be honest, he really does have a much better level of authority and respect from the little boys than any of the female care givers. Don't know him particularly well yet but he seems to have just the right personality for Maddy's age group and he went out of his way to engage with her on her first day.

Maddy is SUCH a daddy's girl...she just follows him around like a little puppy, as she does DH's father (her Papa). The right kind of males in the caregiving industry can only be a positive in my opinion.

[Ellibam]

the ccc i work in has a male in the rooms( he might soon be going to team leader) and he is great! children really do interact so well with him( and he is very respected).
but even though i work with him and i trust him as a parent i sometimes get that little voice in my head.......which i usually knock out pretty quickly!(yes my two go there 2 days a week)
but on the whole its fantastic and its my own issue i have to deal with.