Find Trade Colleges

Childcare Worker

Life As a Childcare Worker

Childcare Worker Definition Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.

Childcare Worker Responsibilities

  • Read to children and teach them simple painting, drawing, handicrafts, and songs.
  • Sanitize toys and play equipment.
  • Provide care for mentally disturbed, delinquent, or handicapped children.
  • Dress children and change diapers.
  • Operate in-house day-care centers within businesses.
  • Organize and store toys and materials to ensure order in activity areas.

What Every Childcare Worker Should Know

Childcare Workers state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.

Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Types of Childcare Worker Jobs

  • School Bus Attendant
  • Child Caregiver
  • Day Care Aide
  • Lunchroom Mother
  • Child Attendant

Job Opportunities for Childcare Workers

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 1,216,600 jobs in the United States for Childcare Worker. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6.9% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 84,300 new jobs for Childcare Worker by 2026. There will be an estimated 189,100 positions for Childcare Worker per year.

undefined

The states with the most job growth for Childcare Worker are Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. Watch out if you plan on working in Wyoming, Maine, or Vermont. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Salary for a Childcare Worker

The salary for Childcare Workers ranges between about $17,750 and $34,430 a year.

undefined

Childcare Workers who work in District of Columbia, Massachusetts, or Vermont, make the highest salaries.

How much do Childcare Workers make in each U.S. state?

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $19,920
Alaska $27,900
Arizona $25,160
Arkansas $20,900
California $28,630
Colorado $28,770
Connecticut $27,400
Delaware $22,300
District of Columbia $33,110
Florida $23,590
Georgia $21,810
Hawaii $26,090
Idaho $21,740
Illinois $24,250
Indiana $21,620
Iowa $21,540
Kansas $20,650
Kentucky $21,540
Louisiana $19,820
Maine $25,010
Maryland $25,980
Massachusetts $30,090
Michigan $23,670
Minnesota $25,820
Mississippi $19,310
Missouri $23,490
Montana $22,380
Nebraska $23,980
Nevada $22,280
New Hampshire $23,940
New Jersey $26,450
New Mexico $21,940
New York $28,820
North Carolina $22,940
North Dakota $25,190
Ohio $22,740
Oklahoma $20,440
Oregon $26,740
Pennsylvania $22,920
Rhode Island $27,560
South Carolina $21,030
South Dakota $21,330
Tennessee $21,270
Texas $22,150
Utah $22,420
Vermont $29,430
Virginia $24,620
Washington $29,430
West Virginia $21,490
Wisconsin $22,630
Wyoming $24,840

What Tools do Childcare Workers Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Childcare Workers may use on a daily basis:

  • Microsoft Word
  • Web browser software
  • Scheduling software
  • Educational software

How do I Become a Childcare Worker?

What education is needed to be a Childcare Worker?

undefined

How many years of work experience do I need?

undefined

Are you already one of the many Childcare Worker in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:

References:

Image Credit: Jsonin via Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Find Trade Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited trade schools across the U.S.