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Childcare Workers in Kentucky

Thinking about a career as a Childcare Workers in Kentucky? Below are the key facts. Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play. Excludes “Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education” (25-2011) and “Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education” (25-9042).

What do Childcare Workers Make in Kentucky?

For a childcare workers working in Kentucky, wages run about $28,570 per year (or roughly $13.73/hour).Earnings range from $22,060 at the 10th percentile to $37,440 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$22,060	$10.61
25th percentile	$24,500	$11.78
Median (50th)	$28,570	$13.73
75th percentile	$31,290	$15.04
90th percentile	$37,440	$18.00

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Kentucky compared to the national average — is 1.12, meaning that childcare workers are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, childcare workers earn a median of $50,186 per year ($24.13/hour), below the Kentucky median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 395,644 childcare workers nationwide. In Kentucky alone, around 7,510 people work in this role. That’s higher than the typical state, which employs around 6,200 childcare workers.

Top Kentucky Metros for Childcare Workers

The metro areas below employ the most childcare workers in Kentucky.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN	2,200	$29,550
Lexington-Fayette, KY	1,100	$29,360
Bowling Green, KY	240	$27,790
Owensboro, KY	240	$27,420
Paducah, KY-IL	130	$27,440
Elizabethtown, KY	110	$27,600

Top States for Childcare Workers Employment

The table below shows the states where the most childcare workers work.

State	Number Employed
California	47,190
Texas	45,020
New York	42,780
Georgia	25,650
New Jersey	23,680
Illinois	22,540
Florida	21,790
Michigan	14,760
Pennsylvania	14,410
Virginia	14,150
Tennessee	13,190
Ohio	12,580
Massachusetts	12,370
North Carolina	12,200
South Carolina	11,570
Colorado	11,560
Minnesota	10,910
Missouri	10,600
Connecticut	9,630
Oklahoma	9,550

Highest-Paying States for Childcare Workers

These states pay the most for childcare workers.

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$45,400
Massachusetts	$39,290
Colorado	$38,410
California	$38,220
Vermont	$37,830
Washington	$37,800
New York	$36,630
Hawaii	$36,440
Oregon	$36,250
Connecticut	$35,290

Skills

The most important childcare workers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for childcare workers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

• Maintain a safe play environment.
• Observe and monitor children's play activities.
• Communicate with children's parents or guardians about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues.
• Support children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and positive self-concepts.
• Care for children in institutional setting, such as group homes, nursery schools, private businesses, or schools for people with disabilities.
• Sanitize toys and play equipment.
• Dress children and change diapers.
• Keep records on individual children, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered.
• Identify signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and bring them to parents' or guardians' attention.
• Instruct children in health and personal habits, such as eating, resting, and toilet habits.
• Organize and store toys and materials to ensure order in activity areas.
• Perform general administrative tasks, such as taking attendance, editing internal paperwork, and making phone calls.

Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Thinking Creatively
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Getting Information
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Microsoft Office software

Related Careers

Related occupations to childcare workers include:

• Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare
• Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
• Medical and Health Services Managers
• Social and Community Service Managers
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers
• Health Education Specialists

Also Known As

After School Coordinator, After School Counselor, Attendant, Baby Attendant, Baby Sitter, Before and After School Daycare Worker, Boarding Mother, Care Provider, Caregiver, Child Attendant, Child Care Aide, Child Care Assistant, Child Care Attendant, Child Care Development Specialist, Child Care Professional.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 39-9011.00