Childcare Workers
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.
Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $18K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $20K
Median Salary: $25K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $30K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $37K
Demand
Core 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.
Care for children in institutional setting, such as group homes, nursery schools, private businesses, or schools for the handicapped.
Dress children and change diapers.
Sanitize toys and play equipment.
Support children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and positive self-concepts.
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.
Help children with homework and school work.
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.
Provide care for mentally disturbed, delinquent, or handicapped children.
Sterilize bottles and prepare formulas.
Operate in-house day-care centers within businesses.
Create developmentally appropriate lesson plans.
Perform housekeeping duties, such as laundry, cleaning, dish washing, and changing of linens.
Assist in preparing food and serving meals and refreshments to children.
Read to children and teach them simple painting, drawing, handicrafts, and songs.
Discipline children and recommend or initiate other measures to control behavior, such as caring for own clothing and picking up toys and books.
Perform general personnel functions, such as supervision, training, and scheduling.
Regulate children's rest periods.
Organize and participate in recreational activities and outings, such as games and field trips.
Accompany children to and from school, on outings, and to medical appointments.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Customer and Personal Service
75%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language
71%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Education and Training
68%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Public Safety and Security
64%
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Psychology
61%
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Administration and Management
58%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Personnel and Human Resources
52%
Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Mathematics
50%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Clerical
49%
Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Computers and Electronics
44%
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Top 10 Skills
Monitoring
70%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Service Orientation
68%
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness
65%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active Listening
63%
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.
Coordination
63%
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking
63%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Speaking
63%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning
60%
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Complex Problem Solving
60%
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Instructing
60%
Teaching others how to do something.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Comprehension
78%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression
75%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity
73%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Deductive Reasoning
63%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Far Vision
63%
The ability to see details at a distance.
Speech Recognition
63%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Comprehension
63%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Category Flexibility
60%
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Fluency of Ideas
60%
The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Inductive Reasoning
60%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Top 10 Work Activities
Assisting and Caring for Others
84%
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
78%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Thinking Creatively
75%
Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
74%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting Information
72%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
69%
Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
69%
Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
68%
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
67%
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Performing General Physical Activities
66%
Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
Detailed Work Activities
Arrange childcare or educational settings to ensure physical safety of children.
Monitor activities of individuals to ensure safety or compliance with rules.
Discuss child development and behavior with parents or guardians.
Provide counsel, comfort, or encouragement to individuals or families.
Assist individuals with special needs.
Clean tools or equipment.
Provide for basic needs of children.
Maintain client information or service records.
Monitor health or behavior of people or animals.
Teach health or hygiene practices.
Arrange items for use or display.
Perform administrative or clerical tasks.
Develop educational or training programs.
Perform housekeeping duties.
Teach daily living skills or behaviors.
Prepare foods or meals.
Develop daily schedules for children or families.
Organize recreational activities or events.
Care for patients with mental illnesses.
Train service staff.
Assign duties or work schedules to employees.
Perform human resources activities.
Accompany individuals or groups to activities.
Work Context
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Physical Proximity
To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
Frequency of Decision Making
How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets?
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
Exposed to Disease or Infections
How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?
Outdoors, Under Cover
How often does this job require working outdoors, under cover (e.g., structure with roof but no walls)?
Education
Interests
Social
100%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Artistic
72%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Conventional
48%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Enterprising
43%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Realistic
39%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Investigative
24%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Top 10 Work Styles
Self Control
93%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Concern for Others
90%
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Integrity
90%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Stress Tolerance
90%
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Cooperation
89%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Attention to Detail
86%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability
85%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Social Orientation
84%
Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Adaptability/Flexibility
83%
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Independence
81%
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Work Values
Relationships
86%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Independence
58%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Support
58%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Achievement
48%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Working Conditions
41%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Recognition
39%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
