How to become a Childcare Worker
Official title: Childcare Workers
Also called: Caregiver, Child Care Worker, Child Caregiver, Childcare Provider, Childcare Worker, Daycare Teacher, Daycare Worker, Infant Teacher, Toddler Teacher
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.
- Dress children and change diapers.
- Keep records on individual children, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered.
How to become one
Education and training requirements for childcare workers vary by setting, state, and employer. They range from no formal education to certification in early childhood education.
Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent
Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Child Care Development Specialist.
- Licence: A licence is required in 5 states.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $34,980 a year The middle half earn $29,360 to $38,570.
- About 1,010,300 people work in this job now, and about 990,400 are projected by 2035. (-2%)
- People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Childcare Worker?
Education and training requirements for childcare workers vary by setting, state, and employer. They range from no formal education to certification in early childhood education.
How much does a Childcare Worker earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $34,980 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $29,360 to $38,570.
Is a Childcare Worker a growing career in the US?
Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 1,010,300 people now and 990,400 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Childcare Worker?
Usually not. Only 23% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Child Care Development Specialist.
Will AI change the work of a Childcare Worker?
People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
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.