Jennifer Whyte
Cumbernauld
Summary
Accomplished Early Childhood Educator with a proven track record at Perth & Kinross Council, enhancing child development through play-based learning and creative thinking. Skilled in classroom management and fostering strong parent-teacher communication, I have significantly contributed to creating inclusive, nurturing environments that support children's social and emotional growth.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Early Childhood Educator
East Dunbartonshire Council
10.2024 - Current
- Supported children with special needs, creating customized learning strategies to accommodate various abilities.
- Maintained and fostered positive and constructive interactions with staff, families, and children.
- Boosted children''s social skills development through group projects and collaborative games.
- Sanitized toys and play equipment each day to maintain safety and cleanliness.
- Communicated with parents and other staff about student progress.
- Applied play-based strategies to provide diverse approaches to learning.
- Cultivated a safe and inclusive classroom environment that fostered respect, empathy, and cultural awareness among students.
- Fostered creativity in the classroom through art projects, dramatic play, storytelling exercises, and other imaginative pursuits.
- Observed children to identify individuals in need of additional support and developed strategies to improve assistance.
- Gave one-on-one attention to children while maintaining overall focus on entire group.
- Implemented developmentally and culturally appropriate curriculum for children, creating positive, and safe classroom environments.
- Strengthened parent-teacher relationships through consistent communication, increasing parental involvement in the educational process.
- Consulted with parents to build and maintain positive support networks and support continuing education strategies.
- Contributed to staff meetings and professional learning communities, sharing insights and strategies for continuous improvement of teaching practices.
- Collaborated with colleagues on curriculum development, sharing best practices to improve overall instruction quality across the school.
- Worked with teaching staff to evaluate individual progress and recommend appropriate learning plans.
Senior Early Years Practitioner
Perth & Kinross Council
08.2019 - 06.2024
- Developed strong working relationships with colleagues and external partners to facilitate effective collaboration on shared goals.
- Championed a positive work environment by fostering open communication channels among staff members and encouraging teamwork.
- To implement child protection procedures including supporting staff and families through crisis.
- To promote and support inclusion, including planning for children with additional support needs.
- To undertake appropriate duties to ensure a safe and effective early years and childcare service in line with policy and procedures.
- To ensure staff are supported to deliver appropriate care plans for children with support needs.
- To liase with families.
- To support staff to plan, implement and evaluate suitable programmes for groups/individual children to ensure their needs are met.
- To support recording of children's progress and to report to a range of agencies as directed.
- Contribute to and, from time to time, organise meetings with early years staff and others, for example, health visitors, social workers etc.
- To participate and contribute to staff training to support others in their development, in particular newly appointed staff, students, modern apprentices, work placements.
- To support the maintenance of all records and documentation in line with policy and procedures including certain administrative tasks e.g. organisation for outings, minutes of meetings, first aid and incident forms.
- To participate in the process of review and development.
- To support staff in the process if staff review and development.
Early Years Educator
Perth & Kinross Council
11.1992 - 08.2019
- Participated in professional development opportunities to stay current on educational trends and enhance teaching skills.
- Promoted critical thinking skills by challenging students with thought-provoking questions during class discussions.
- Maintained health standards for food preparation, diapering and medication administration.
- Delivered high-quality educational environment and nurtured diverse population of preschool children.
- Integrated real-world examples into lessons to help students understand the practical applications of course content.
- Supervised and interacted with children and planned and implemented age-appropriate activities.
- Verified safety of children by surveying indoor and outdoor equipment and communicated concerns to director.
- Fostered an inclusive classroom environment where all students felt valued and respected regardless of their backgrounds or abilities.
- Assessed student progress regularly through formative assessments, adjusting instruction as needed for optimal learning outcomes.
- Inspired creativity in students through art-focused lessons that allowed them to express themselves artistically.
- Encouraged collaboration among peers through group projects and cooperative learning activities, fostering teamwork skills essential for future success.
- Collaborated with colleagues on curriculum development, ensuring alignment with state standards and best practices.
- Established positive relationships with parents and families, promoting open communication regarding student progress and wellbeing.
- Sanitized toys and play equipment each day to maintain safety and cleanliness.
- Established positive communication with parents in daily conversation and formal conferences.
- Applied play-based strategies to provide diverse approaches to learning.
- Observed children to identify individuals in need of additional support and developed strategies to improve assistance.
- Worked with teaching staff to evaluate individual progress and recommend appropriate learning plans.
- Established positive relationships with students and families.
- Created safe and nurturing learning environment for preschoolers.
- Modeled positive behavior and communication skills for students.
- Supported students in developing self-esteem and self-confidence.
- Developed innovative activities to engage young children in learning process.
- Incorporated music, art and literature into curriculum.
Education
Childhood Practice - Education
UHI
PerthSkills
- Classroom Management
- Documentation and Record Keeping
- Parent-Teacher Communication
- Lesson Planning
- Gross Motor Skills
- Maintaining safety
- Sensory Activities
- Curriculum Planning
- Safety awareness
- Fine Motor Skills
- Classroom Organization
- Behavioral modeling
- Arts and crafts
- Outdoor Play
- Circle Time Management
- Practical Learning
- Motor Skill Development
- Developmental needs
- Storytelling Techniques
- Individualized support
- Preparing meals
- Safety and supervision
- Child assessment
- Managing activities
- Social-emotional learning
- Child Safety Procedures
- Language development
- Play-Based Learning
- Collaborative and Team-Oriented
- Problem-Solving
- Child CPR and First Aid
- Strong Work Ethic and Dependable
- Communicating with Parents and Teachers
- Documentation And Reporting
- Emotional Support and Development
- Child Development
- Relationship Building
- Creative Thinking
- Fine Motor Skill Development
- Caring and Empathetic Demeanor
- Activity Planning
- Safety Monitoring and Management
- Social Skills Development
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Positive Reinforcement Methods
- Decision-Making
Timeline
Early Childhood Educator
East Dunbartonshire Council
10.2024 - Current
Senior Early Years Practitioner
Perth & Kinross Council
08.2019 - 06.2024
Early Years Educator
Perth & Kinross Council
11.1992 - 08.2019
Childhood Practice - Education
UHI
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