Chloe Leitch

I am a passionate and considerate early childhood studies advocate with10 years of experience providing individualised care to children. I have led exciting and safe activities while setting an excellent example through appropriate social behaviour. I have volunteered in primary schools, daycares and nurseries and have engaged children on topics of personal interest to build relationships and foster communication skills. I am a responsible and passionate childhood advocate who has just finished a degree in early childhood education and am looking forward to pursuing lifelong career in education. I am familiar with traditional and modern teaching methods and versed in standardised testing. Friendly and approachable individual with excellent communication skills. I build relationships easily and encourage participation in group settings. I am a proactive and engaging mediator with practical health and safety knowledge. I am an enthusiastic educator passionate about early childhood education. I am skilled in coordinating events, group instruction and individualised academic, emotional and personal support, as weak as being familiar with maintaining supplies, organising field trips and preparing classroom materials. I am dedicated to supporting emotional, social and academic development of young children. I am trained in developmental stages and knowledgeable about offering safe, nurturing environments to boost learning. It is my desire to complement education-based strategies with techniques to promote overall health and wellness.

Working with children has always been my main passion.
I have volunteered to work with children since 2014 and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Although I was able to see the challenges of this line of work, such as lesson planning, difficult family members/guardians, long hours, and meeting each child's specific needs, I was also able to see the rewards of this role. Seeing a joyous child meeting milestones and being responsible for introducing the concept of learning new things and exploring the world around them is the most fulfilling role that I hope to have the delight of taking on.
When I volunteered in a primary school for three weeks, it truly opened my eyes as to how rewarding and special being a teacher is. I saw how children relied on their teacher for guidance, but by doing this, gained the confidence to explore activities and opportunities for themselves, promoting the idea of child-led learning. Through this experience, I saw how significant holistic learning was to the development of the whole child and how through play, social interaction and child-lead learning, children were becoming more confident, empathetic and aware of the world around them.
Whilst volunteering in a primary school I was fortunate enough to help teachers who were using music and drama to educate children. I attended drama school for eight years and have played several instruments including flute, guitar and piano since I was twelve years old. I was additionally a member of the Education Authority School of Music Junior Orchestra. I hope to use these experiences to incorporate music and drama into children's learning experience and perhaps extra-curricular activities or school clubs, promoting confidence, self-esteem and encouraging the learning of new skills.
I believe that mental well-being is a crucial aspect of child development and childcare that needs to be taken seriously as a practitioner. Children can experience mental health issues just as complex as adults and we, as practitioners, need to understand the signs and symptoms to help children understand their feelings and make sense of issues they may face in or out of school. To prepare for this I took part in a Youth Mental Health First Aid course. I have two adopted cousins who are still in primary school but as a result of their early adverse childhood experiences, they struggled to cope when they started school as they had difficulty trusting new people and they had previously struggled to identify their 'key person' from being moved in foster care. They needed one-to-one help to transition into a routine that they found hard to adjust to. Teachers should understand the complex needs of each individual child and being an observer and a listener will help to pinpoint the children who may need the extra help.
As an empathetic, hard-working, highly experienced, passionate person, I know that teaching is the profession I wish to pursue. I know that I will continue to be an advocate for children's rights and to encourage children to have a voice in how they learn and throughout their development. All children are unique and their needs reciprocate this. I will strive to make sure I am the educator that reflects the standards I have looked up to my whole life. I have always been passionate about teaching in a primary school. I have volunteered in nurseries, daycares and primary schools which have given me an insight into the role of a teacher and early years practitioners, including the rewards and challenges of this job.
In sixth form, I completed my Health and Social Care A-Level. This qualification allowed me to understand the intricate role of early childhood practitioners and highlighted how important health and safety and safeguarding are in early years settings. My Nutrition and Food Science A-Level allowed me to study the dietary needs and the importance of a balanced diet for early childhood development.
I am currently in my last year of an Early Childhood Studies BA (Hons) degree. This degree has given me insight into the learning and development of children. I have gained knowledge of the importance of holistic development and how each unique child has its rights, voice and complex needs. I have been able to study the inequalities throughout the world regarding education and rights and the plans in place, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, to improve the quality of life for children worldwide. Furthermore, I have studied the relevant curriculum, including the Statutory Framework for the EYFS.
As part of my degree, we were given the privilege of visiting settings such as forest schools which gave us the opportunity to see different methods of teaching and learning and how this affects a child's holistic development.
This degree has additionally allowed me to research and gain insight into the challenges and barriers practitioners may face and how solutions such as multi-agency working can significantly help not only children but their families too.
I am very involved with music and play the guitar, flute and piano. I hope to use these skills to incorporate music into teaching and make learning an enjoyable experience. I also attended drama school for eight years and I hope that using drama in teaching will boost children's self-esteem, confidence and social interaction with peers.
I completed a Youth Mental Health First Aid course to gain knowledge on how to approach mental health involving children at such a young age. This has made me confident in knowing the signs of children struggling mentally and how I, as a practitioner, can approach this knowing the appropriate steps, services and professions that can be contacted if needed.