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How do I get a Child Care Worker Job?

Lily Ruha
Lily Ruha

To get a child care worker job, an individual must possess the skills and characteristics necessary for taking care of children. Child care workers need to be patient, energetic, and creative. Experience with children can be obtained in a variety of ways, including babysitting young relatives or neighborhood children, or prior employment in a child care center or preschool. Some schools and day care centers require child care workers to take courses and pass licensing requirements. The educational requirements for working as a child care worker can vary from no high school diploma to a college degree, depending on the setting.

Child care workers must enjoy working with children and possess specific character traits. A child care worker who works in a day care center with toddlers must be energetic enough to run after young children as needed. Children have a variety of physical and emotional needs and may repeatedly ask questions and make demands. Child care workers must be patient when answering questions and be able to nurture the growth and learning of young children. Creativity is also an important quality for child care workers, who often need to keep children engaged in a variety of play, learning, and arts activities.

Some nannies clean as well as care for the children.
Some nannies clean as well as care for the children.

The child care worker job involves taking responsibility for the health and safety of children. Young children require continual monitoring and can hurt themselves if they are not watched carefully. Some day care facilities require that child care workers complete courses in injury prevention and emergency procedures. Taking care of a child's health also means exercising sanitary practices and handling food properly to prevent illness. Many employers also require child care workers to undergo a background check and show proof of immunization.

A child care worker may keep children engaged in creative activities, such as art.
A child care worker may keep children engaged in creative activities, such as art.

Securing a child care worker job requires first identifying the right age group. Opportunities exist to care for children of all ages, from infants to adolescents. A high school graduate who has experience with babies might be interested in babysitting her neighbor’s newborn while the mother works full-time. If she prefers working with older children, she might want to work in a day care center, engaging in various activities such as monitoring children, playing with them, and leading arts and crafts activities. Some child care workers are full-time nannies who cook, clean, pick up children from school, drive them to enrichment activities, and help children with homework.

Most child care workers must take various courses in order to obtain a degree or certificate.
Most child care workers must take various courses in order to obtain a degree or certificate.

The educational requirements for the child care worker job span a wide spectrum. Some jobs may be secured without a high school diploma, such as working as a nanny or a babysitter. Caring for larger numbers of children, such as in a day care center, typically requires additional training and licensing, and requirements vary by region. A high school diploma and college child care courses are required by some employers. Some employers offer child care courses, which must be completed before being hired for the child care worker job.

Discussion Comments

Lostnfound

Substitute teaching is also a good job to list on a resume when applying for a child care worker job. It's better to have a lot of experience with elementary age children.

@Grivusangel -- Yes, kids will do anything. I had one jump off a moving merry-go-round (the kind you push). He hit his head on a pebble and there was blood everywhere. We ended up calling an ambulance, but knowing first aid probably saved my job that time. He just took a swan dive off the thing and there wasn't a thing anyone could have done about it. He was fine, though. But yeah – with kids, the thought and action are simultaneous.

Grivusangel

Sometimes, teachers get jobs at daycare centers until they can get a position in the school system. Many of these teachers have certification in early childhood education or elementary education, so this makes them ideally suited for this kind of job until they can go to work for the schools.

I'd advise any child care worker to be certified to administer CPR and to have taken a good first aid class. Kids are going to do stupid things and hurt themselves. It's inevitable. And when they do, a good child care worker will know how to react during the crisis and take care of the child.

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    • Some nannies clean as well as care for the children.
      By: JackF
      Some nannies clean as well as care for the children.
    • A child care worker may keep children engaged in creative activities, such as art.
      By: vodolej
      A child care worker may keep children engaged in creative activities, such as art.
    • Most child care workers must take various courses in order to obtain a degree or certificate.
      By: DNF-Style
      Most child care workers must take various courses in order to obtain a degree or certificate.
    • Some child care professionals work specifically with children who have been physically or emotionally abused.
      By: BlueOrange Studio
      Some child care professionals work specifically with children who have been physically or emotionally abused.