All About Childcare Workers
Occupation Description Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.
Life As a Childcare Worker: What Do They Do?
- Provide care for mentally disturbed, delinquent, or handicapped children.
- Observe and monitor children’s play activities.
- Sterilize bottles and prepare formulas.
- Perform general personnel functions, such as supervision, training, and scheduling.
- Discipline children and recommend or initiate other measures to control behavior, such as caring for own clothing and picking up toys and books.
- Dress children and change diapers.
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Things a Childcare Worker Should Know How to Do
Below is a list of the skills most Childcare Workers say are important on the job.
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
- Playground Attendant
- Day Care Home Mother
- Playground Monitor
- Child Caregiver
- Boarding Mother
Job Demand for Childcare Workers
In the United States, there were 1,216,600 jobs for Childcare Worker in 2016. 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. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 189,100 job openings in this field each year.

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.
Childcare Worker Average Salary
Childcare Workers make between $17,750 and $34,430 a year.

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?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Childcare Workers:
- Microsoft Word
- Web browser software
- Scheduling software
- Educational software
How to Become a Childcare Worker
What kind of Childcare Worker requirements are there?

What work experience do I need to become a Childcare Worker?

Childcare Workers Sector

Below are examples of industries where Childcare Workers work:

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those who work as a Childcare Worker sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Jsonin via Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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