An increasing number of students in early childhood education are questioning critically the relationship of their professional training and academic background to the realities of their role as educators. This reflection has identified skills required for their work as educators for which they have not been adequately trained. To identify skills considered crucial for a pre-service teacher in early childhood education, 40 early childhood educators in preschool education settings were interviewed and administered a questionnaire. Results showed that the skills required of the early childhood educator are numerous. The teacher's role goes well beyond the provision of custodial care, and requires planning in many aspects of children's development. Observation skills, planning integration skills, and diagnosis of children's needs were rated as extremely important by the majority of the participating teachers. All participants indicated that parent conferences were important, but that they were not a priority in their training. In general, a variety of skill areas were identified as being important, indicating the complexity of the early educator's role. (RH)