Career Profile: Childcare Workers

Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 949,000 people employed as childcare workers in the United States. The median annual salary is $27,490. Entry level employees earn approximately $18,540 per year and senior employees earn approximately $37,430 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• Regulate children's rest periods.
• Care for children in institutional setting, such as group homes, nursery schools, private businesses, or schools for the handicapped.
• 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.
• Create developmentally appropriate lesson plans.
• Perform housekeeping duties, such as laundry, cleaning, dish washing, and changing of linens.
• Read to children and teach them simple painting, drawing, handicrafts, and songs.
• Assist in preparing food and serving meals and refreshments to children.
• Discipline children and recommend or initiate other measures to control behavior, such as caring for own clothing and picking up toys and books.
• Provide care for mentally disturbed, delinquent, or handicapped children.
• Operate in-house day-care centers within businesses.
• Perform general personnel functions, such as supervision, training, and scheduling.
• Accompany children to and from school, on outings, and to medical appointments.
• Organize and participate in recreational activities and outings, such as games and field trips.
• Sterilize bottles and prepare formulas.
• Help children with homework and school work.
• 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.

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