Help two kids share a toy
Keep watch on the play area, and when two kids grab one toy, calmly help them take turns.
Career profile
Childcare Worker
Childcare workers help kids through meals, play, and naps as they gradually gain independence.
Tasks shift fast: read a picture book aloud, help two kids share one toy, change a diaper. You track each child's needs and everyone's safety.
A day in the life
Get kids through snack time
Wash hands with kids, serve food, clean up, and handle younger kids' diapers and toilet trips all day.
Read a picture book aloud
Get kids pointing at the pictures, with songs, drawing, and easy games giving other ways to join.
Clean and reset the room
Clean toys and play equipment, put materials back where kids can find them, and set up what's next.
Log meals, activities, and observations
Use those notes to brief a parent at pickup, and in some programs, send records through an app.
Quick facts
High school diploma is typical
United States
$16.82 an hour
United States · May 2025
2% employment decline
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school diploma is typicalEntry requirements vary by state, employer, and age group. Some jobs accept workers without a diploma; others require early childhood training or a credential.
Pay
$16.82 an hourThe national median is equivalent to about $34,980 annually at full-time hours. Part-time schedules can mean lower yearly earnings.
Outlook
2% employment declineAbout 150,300 openings are projected annually as workers leave the occupation, despite a decline in total employment.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You can explain the same simple step patiently more than once.
- You enjoy noticing what a child is trying to do and helping without taking over.
- You are comfortable talking with adults as well as spending time with children.
Things to weigh
- You spend time bending, moving, and cleaning, and still need to respond calmly when children are upset.
- Part-time and irregular schedules are common. Check the actual weekly hours before judging whether a job's pay works for you.
Where AI may help
Family apps can collect activity updates and send daily reports from the entries you make, reducing the need to relay every detail separately.
What people still lead
You still observe the child, provide physical care, and decide which concern needs a conversation with a parent.
What we can’t predict yet
More digital reporting may save handoff time or create more recording work. The balance depends on what a program expects staff to enter.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median was $16.82 an hour in May 2025, or about $34,980 at full-time hours. Your weekly schedule matters as much as the hourly rate when planning a budget.
The national spread
The 10th-to-90th-percentile range was $11.66–$22.12 an hour, equivalent to $24,260–$46,010 annually. These mark the lower and upper ends of the wage distribution, not starting and experienced pay.
The workplace changes the comparison
Median hourly pay was $18.15 in local elementary and secondary schools, $16.43 in child daycare services, and $16.23 in religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations.
Openings come from replacement
Employment is projected to fall 2% from 2025 to 2035. About 150,300 openings a year are still projected as people change occupations or leave the workforce.
Getting started
Enter a childcare program and learn on the job
Paid
- What the route involves
- Seek an entry position that matches your qualifications, complete required initial training, and learn care routines alongside experienced staff.
- What it can lead to
- You build paid experience caring for children while learning how a program handles meals, play, rest, and family communication.
- What to check
- Licensed programs require background checks. Minimum age, education, and initial training depend on the state and role; check these before applying.
Build toward a Child Development Associate credential
- What the route involves
- For the center-based Preschool Child Development Associate (CDA), complete 120 hours of formal early childhood training on ages 3–5 any time before applying, with at least 10 hours in each of eight subjects. Complete 480 hours of professional work experience with ages 3–5 in a center-based setting within three years before applying. Prepare a portfolio within six months before applying. You need a high school diploma, equivalent, or enrollment as a junior or senior in a high school early childhood career and technical program.
- What it can lead to
- After application approval, take the exam, then complete the observation visit. The Council decides whether to award the CDA. Some employers and states require this credential.
Start with the requirements for the age group and setting you want. A college degree is not the usual entry requirement, but training and screening still matter.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Get established
Learn the children's routines and the program's care procedures. Build the habit of recording what happened before details slip away.
Plan from what you notice
Use your observations to choose activities that suit the children. Get better at explaining a child's interests or difficulties to families with concrete examples.
Move toward directing a center
With experience and a bachelor's degree, you may progress toward a childcare center director role. That adds responsibility for staff, program plans, and budgets; requirements vary.
Where you can work
Childcare centers
You work with other staff around a shared activity schedule. Staggered shifts may cover early drop-offs and late pickups at centers that operate year-round.
- Indoors
- Outdoors
- Shift work
- Physical demands
Home-based childcare
Running care from your own home also means managing a business. Supplies, payment records, and cleaning can keep you working after the children leave.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
A family's home
As a nanny, you focus on one family's children in their home. Hours may extend around parents' commutes, and some jobs include driving children to activities.
- Indoors
- Travel
- Physical demands
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Choose a picture book and rehearse a five-minute activity with a friend playing the listener. Ask them to lose interest halfway through, then try another way to involve them. Notice whether you enjoy adapting and explaining patiently.
Stay safe: Use an adult partner for this rehearsal; it does not require taking responsibility for a child.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Childcare Workers — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: 39-9011.00 — Childcare Workers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine. 39-9011.00 — Childcare Workers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Childcare.gov. Staff Qualifications and Required Training. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Childcare.gov. Staff Background Checks. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Council for Professional Recognition. Center-Based Preschool. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Childcare.gov. What Is Child Care Licensing?. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Brightwheel. View your child's activity feed. Accessed 2026-10-03.