Child care workersChildcare workers nurture and teach children of all ages in childcare centers, nursery schools, preschools, public schools, private households, family childcare homes, and before- and afterschool programs. These workers play an important role in a child�s development by caring for the child when parents are at work or away for other reasons. Some parents enroll their children in nursery schools or childcare centers primarily to provide them with the opportunity to interact with other children. In addition to attending to children�s basic needs, these workers organize activities that stimulate the children�s physical, emotional, intellectual, and social growth. They help children to explore their interests, develop their talents and independence, build self-esteem, and learn how to get along with others. Private household workers who are employed on an hourly basis usually are called babysitters. These childcare workers bathe, dress, and feed children; supervise their play; wash their clothes; and clean their rooms. They also may put them to bed and waken them, read to them, involve them in educational games, take them for doctors� visits, and discipline them. Those who are in charge of infants, sometimes called infant nurses, also prepare bottles and change diapers. Nannies generally take care of children from birth to age 10 or 12, tending to the child�s early education, nutrition, health, and other needs. They also may perform the duties of a general housekeeper, including general cleaning and laundry duties. Childcare workers spend most of their day working with children. However, they do maintain contact with parents or guardians through informal meetings or scheduled conferences to discuss each child�s progress and needs. Many childcare workers keep records of each child�s progress and suggest ways in which parents can stimulate their child�s learning and development at home. Some preschools, childcare centers, and before- and after-school programs actively recruit parent volunteers to work with the children and participate in administrative decisions and program planning. Most childcare workers perform a combination of basic care and teaching duties. Through many basic care activities, childcare workers provide opportunities for children to learn. For example, a worker who shows a child how to tie a shoelace teaches the child while also providing for that child�s basic care needs. Childcare programs help children to learn about trust and to gain a sense of security. Young children learn mainly through play. Recognizing the importance of play, childcare workers build their program around it. They capitalize on children�s play to further language development (storytelling and acting games), improve social skills (working together to build a neighborhood in a sandbox), and introduce scientific and mathematical concepts (balancing and counting blocks when building a bridge or mixing colors when painting). Thus, a less structured approach is used to teach preschool children, including small-group lessons, one-on-one instruction, and learning through creative activities, such as art, dance, and music. Interaction with peers is an important part of a child�s early development. Preschool children in childcare centers have an opportunity to engage in conversation and discussions, and to learn to play and work cooperatively with their classmates. Childcare workers play a vital role in preparing children to build the skills they will need in school. (Teacher assistants as well as teachers—preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school are discussed elsewhere in the Handbook.) Childcare workers in preschools greet young children as they arrive, help them to remove outer garments, and select an activity of interest. When caring for infants, they feed and change them. To ensure a well-balanced program, childcare workers prepare daily and long-term schedules of activities. Each day�s activities balance individual and group play, and quiet and active time. Children are given some freedom to participate in activities in which they are interested. Concern over school-age children being home alone before and after school has spurred many parents to seek alternative ways for their children to constructively spend their time. The purpose of before- and afterschool programs is to watch over school-age children during the gap between school hours and their parents� work hours. These programs also may operate during the summer and on weekends. Workers in before- and after-school programs may help students with their homework or engage them in other extracurricular activities. These activities may include field trips, learning about computers, painting, photography, and participating in sports. Some childcare workers may be responsible for taking children to school in the morning and picking them up from school in the afternoon. Before- and afterschool programs may be operated by public school systems, local community centers, or other private organizations. Helping to keep young children healthy is an important part of the job. Childcare workers serve nutritious meals and snacks and teach good eating habits and personal hygiene. They ensure that children have proper rest periods. They identify children who may not feel well or who show signs of emotional or developmental problems and discuss these matters with their supervisor and the child�s parents. In some cases, childcare workers help parents to locate programs that will provide basic health services. Early identification of children with special needs—such as those with behavioral, emotional, physical, or learning disabilities—is important to improve their future learning ability. Special education teachers often work with these preschool children to provide the individual attention they need. (Special education teachers are discussed elsewhere in the Handbook.) Related news articles Former child care worker sentenced to at least 50 years for ... - Sep 26, 2006 Boston Globe,NASHUA, NH --Parents stated that he took away their children's innocence. A 7-year-old victim wrote that he "deserves to never see ... Former child care worker sentenced for molesting kids - Sep 25, 2006 Boston Globe,NASHUA, NH --A former day-care worker was sentenced Monday to at least 50 years in prison for molesting 12 children on the job. ... Former child care worker sentenced for molesting kids - Sep 25, 2006 WCAX,NASHUA, NH A former New Hampshire day-care worker has been sentenced to at least 50 years in prison for molesting 12 children on the job. ... Early Childhood Check-in - Oct 6, 2006 Cape Codder,The presenter will be an employee of the Department of Social Services, which must be notified when any child care worker or licensed family child care ... Child-care crunch a crying shame - Sep 29, 2006 Daily Courier,With the average child-care worker earning $12.29 hour, staff turnover is high, Duffy said in January. Many of them work 50 hours a week. ... Barnes works with kids as part of college work - Oct 6, 2006 Fergus Falls Daily Journal,...keep a sense of humor. She is the new volunteer child care worker, and her critics are as tough as they come. “If you were two ... Legion hall offers apology, free rent - Oct 10, 2006 Fayetteville Online,The trouble started when Evelyn Hernandez, a 24-year-old child-care worker, called the American Legion and asked to rent its hall for her daughter and ... Bosses' lucky streak - Oct 1, 2006 Courier Mail,But Wageline award pay-rate levels show a qualified child care worker takes home only $624.30 per week, or a before tax yearly sum of just $32,463. ... 300 Metro Detroiters start anew as US citizens - Sep 25, 2006 DetNews.com,See full image. Brighton child care worker Vera Pecaj, 31, with her son, Mark, 4, says about becoming a US citizen: "I'm happy. After ... Job Fair set for Tuesday at Capital Mall - Sep 23, 2006 Jefferson City News Tribune,...technology positions, laboratory technicians, sales representatives, therapists and case manager, youth care specialist, child care worker, night watch position ... Local businessman loses his ‘princess’ - Oct 3, 2006 Oak Ridger,...father said. Having graduated from Farragut High School in May, Brooke was a child care worker at Concord Christian School. “The ... Covering the Counties - Sep 19, 2006 WTVF,A LaVernge child care worker has changed her story since being charged with sexually abusing a 16-month-old child almost two years ago. ... Former manager, 18, of Farragut soccer team dies suddenly - Oct 1, 2006 Knoxville News Sentinel (subscription),..."She never bragged about herself or talked about herself.". She volunteered as a child-care worker at Concord Christian School. She ... Short work for Manning - Oct 1, 2006 Chicago Sun-Times,Manning's dad, Joe Brown, laughed at the memory. ''[Danieal] was about 10 years old, and he was very little,'' said Brown, a child-care worker. ... Yonkers residents fear renovations mean rent hikes - Oct 2, 2006 The Journal News.com,Whitney Young resident Patricia McClain, 54, a child-care worker, said she was familiar with the 191-unit Thessalonica Court and the improvements there. ... Diocese Settles Multi-Million Dollar Abuse Lawsuit - Sep 14, 2006 NBC5i.com,FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Catholic Diocese of Dallas and a girl who said she was sexually assualted by a child-care worker at a parish have reached a multi ... What minimum-wage law means to residents - Sep 16, 2006 Arizona Republic,Despite her determination to turn her modest salary into something bigger, the child-care worker would welcome a state minimum wage of $6.75. ... Band director faces seduction, child-porn charges - Sep 22, 2006 Fort Wayne Journal Gazette,...to consent to sexual relations, but because the girl was a student at the school where Johnson taught, he qualified as a “child-care worker�? under Indiana ... Adams Central band director Jeremy Johnson Jailed under $240,000 ... - Sep 21, 2006 Bluffton News Banner,The law defines child seduction as a person who is at least 18 years of age who is considered a child care worker (a teacher falls under that definition) who ... More information on Child care workers from The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook Overview of Child care workers occupation Number of Child care workers in the U.S. Salary and earnings for Child care workers Working conditions for Child care workers Significant points for Child care workers Training requirements for Child care workers Labor Information Home | Occupational data by city | Search Rainforests | Madagascar | What's new |