Child Care Workers
Overview
Introduction
Child care workers are employed by day care centers, preschools, and other child-care facilities and work with infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children. While parents and guardians are at work, child-care providers watch the children and help them develop skills through games and activities. Approximately 945,900 child care workers are employed in the United States.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Earnings for child care workers depend on their education level, the type of employer, the number of children being cared for, and geographic location. Those who work in formal child-care settings usually earn higher wages. According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the mean annual earnings for child care workers in May 2023 were $32,070 for full-time work, or approximately $15.42 per hou...
Work Environment
Child care workers spend much of their work day on their feet in a classroom or on a playground. Facilities vary from a single room to large buildings. Class sizes also vary; some child-care centers serve only a handful of children, while others serve several hundred. Classrooms may be crowded and noisy, but those who love children enjoy all the activity.
Part-time employees generally wo...
Outlook
Overall employment of child care workers is projected to decline by 2 percent from 2022 to 2032, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Job opportunities are declining because the cost of child care is expensive in many areas and more people are working at home (which reduces, in some instances, the need for childcare services). Some sectors will offer better employment prospects for child ...