3 things I’ve learned as an online early childhood trainer

I’ve been working in early childhood since I was in college. And you know as well as I do, it’s a low-paying career! But working with young children is what I love, it’s what I chose and I figured it out.

What that means is I’ve almost always had a side-gig to bring in more money. From waiting tables to direct sales to teach night classes, I’ve done lots of different things. As the years went by, my side gigs morphed into extensions of what I was doing professionally. 

The extra gig that actually launched me into my present career was being asked to write an online course for child care workers for a university program. I discovered that I really liked writing online courses! The entrepreneur in me was ignited and I started Texas Child Care Training. 

Here are 3 things I’ve learned since I started:

1. There’s a lot more to producing an online course than writing the content or script, making a PowerPoint, and recording the narration. 
2. When you create a website, potential clients won’t just magically ‘find you’. You have to position and market your website. 
3. You don’t have to know how to do everything. Focus on working within your strengths and skills and find someone else who knows how to do what you need. In other words, hire someone to help. 

 I feel like I’ve actually had to learn a whole new industry by taking my training online! It’s way more than early childhood education at this point. It’s social media, software, mailing lists, course platforms, website back ends, secure online payment systems, customer service, tech support, and learning to communicate through blog posts like this.

Tons of work. Totally worth it. 

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