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.
What it pays
Childcare Workers earn a median of $16.82/hr — about $35,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $11.66/hr; the top 10% earn $22.12/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Childcare Workers earn a median of $16.82/hr — about $35,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $11.66/hr; the top 10% earn $22.12/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- 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.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the work happens outdoors. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 21.2% of childcare workers are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are people-focused, creative and organized and detail-focused.
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Quick questions
- How much does a childcare worker make?
- The median pay is $16.82 per hour — roughly $35,000 a year, with the real range running from about $11.66/hr (10th percentile) to $22.12/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a childcare worker?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a childcare worker actually do all day?
- 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.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.