Doan – CoP benefits

So, in our research, we’ve really tried to provide many opportunities for educators to share their experiences. And one of the things we’ve tried to do is to highlight both early childhood educators’ experiences in the field. So, what is it actually like to be an early childhood educator? As well as their experiences in the peer mentoring program.  

So, some of the things that we have found and we continue to find is, it helps to build educator efficacy or their own confidence in themselves. And I think part of that is even the structure of the program. Allowing educators, really inviting educator input and working directly with them. So again, what I found is that the combination of both building their own confidence as an educator, building their confidence as a mentor, because sometimes we’ve even had some of our peer mentors say, I’m a peer mentor, like what do I, do I have something. I’m in my first year or do I have something to offer? You do have something to offer. You have a lot to offer. So that confidence of I can be a mentor to someone else, as well as increasing their knowledge and skills because again, it’s based on what they’re interested in. So it’s I mean, it’s not uncommon. I was an early childhood educator myself. I know what it’s like to be out in the field and be thinking, oh, what was that that I heard in class six months ago? Or I really wish I was, I had read that textbook a little more clearly. I need some support with child guidance, whatever it might be. Again, that can be brought into that community of practice. So there’s an increase in knowledge and skills as well as increasing relationships in the ECE community. 

So those three things, so increasing your at your confidence, increasing your knowledge and skills and really increasing your relationships in the ECE community, those three things combined help to sustain practice and avoid burnout. Which then leads to higher levels of retention.