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Childcare Workers

People classed as Childcare Workers attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. The strongest interest signal is Social (6.2 of 7), then Artistic (3.6) and Conventional, which gives it the code SAC. The preparation level is some preparation, typically a few months to a year of learning on the job. O*NET’s skill data points to monitoring, service orientation, and social perceptiveness as the ones to build. One core duty is to maintain a safe play environment. A regular part of the work is to observe and monitor children's play activities. It tends to suit people who want helping, teaching or caring for people, and it offers little for anyone seeking research, analysis and working through hard problems.

What they do

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

Main tasks

  • 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.

Skills

  • Monitoring
  • Service Orientation
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Speaking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Coordination

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You get energy from helping other people move forward.
  • You want room to make something in your own way.
  • You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
  • You are comfortable relying on monitoring and service orientation.

May not suit you if

  • You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
  • You want to spend most of your time analyzing and researching. Investigative rates 1.5 out of 7 here.
  • You want a career built on years of advanced study.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SAC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.

Preparation

Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Caregiver
  • Child Care Worker
  • Child Caregiver
  • Childcare Provider
  • Childcare Worker

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.