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Career Details

39-9011.00 - Childcare Workers


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


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
1
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
1,260,600
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
1,329,900
Estimate
Change in Employment
+69,300
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+5.5%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • 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 the handicapped.
  • Sanitize toys and play equipment.
  • Discipline children and recommend or initiate other measures to control behavior, such as caring for own clothing and picking up toys and books.
  • Identify signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and bring them to parents' or guardians' attention.
  • Observe and monitor children's play activities.
  • Keep records on individual children, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered.
  • Instruct children in health and personal habits, such as eating, resting, and toilet habits.
  • Read to children and teach them simple painting, drawing, handicrafts, and songs.
  • Organize and store toys and materials to ensure order in activity areas.
  • Dress children and change diapers.
  • Perform housekeeping duties, such as laundry, cleaning, dish washing, and changing of linens.
  • Maintain a safe play environment.
  • Communicate with children's parents or guardians about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues.
  • Assist in preparing food and serving meals and refreshments to children.
  • Create developmentally appropriate lesson plans.
  • Regulate children's rest periods.
  • Perform general administrative tasks, such as taking attendance, editing internal paperwork, and making phone calls.
  • Organize and participate in recreational activities and outings, such as games and field trips.
Supplemental
  • Operate in-house day-care centers within businesses.
  • Sterilize bottles and prepare formulas.
  • Help children with homework and school work.
  • Accompany children to and from school, on outings, and to medical appointments.
  • Provide care for mentally disturbed, delinquent, or handicapped children.
  • Perform general personnel functions, such as supervision, training, and scheduling.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 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
  • 70%
    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
  • 67%
    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
  • 57%
    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.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Educational or reference software
  • Educational software
  • Nearpod
  • Schoology
  • Seesaw
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • Scheduling software
 Network applications software
  • Tadpoles
  • Web browser software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
FastForward at Virginia's Community Colleges is a short-term training program for high-demand industries, like healthcare, information technology, and skilled trades and infrastructure, helping Virginians get the jobs and salaries they need. Our goal is to get you trained, help you earn your certification, and get you into a career that can support you and your family. Explore the latest training program offerings by visiting FastForward
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Blue Ridge Community College
Brightpoint Community College
Central Virginia Community College
Danville Community College
Eastern Shore Community College
Germanna Community College
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Laurel Ridge Community College
Mountain Empire Community College
Mountain Gateway Community College
New River Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Patrick & Henry Community College
Paul D. Camp Community College
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Southside Virginia Community College
Southwest Virginia Community College
Tidewater Community College
Virginia Peninsula Community College