How To Put Stay-At-Home Mom Or Dad On Your Resume (With Examples)

Every parent understands that caring for children can demand as much effort as a full-time job. With childcare costs continuing to rise, it often makes financial sense for one parent to stay home rather than work and pay for daycare.

As a stay-at-home parent, you embody various roles—educator, coach, social planner, and leader—which can all be effectively represented on your resume.

This article will guide you on how to include these experiences on your resume, complete with examples of effective presentations.

Key Takeaways:

• Highlight the skills you honed as a stay-at-home parent.

• Structure your resume to emphasize your accomplishments rather than merely listing domestic tasks.

• Reflect on your deliverables as a stay-at-home parent and frame them in terms relevant to the job you are pursuing.

How to Include Stay-at-Home Mom or Dad on Your Resume

When crafting your resume summary, consider avoiding a direct mention of being a stay-at-home parent. Instead, focus on the roles you undertook and the skills you acquired that align with your previous work experience.

1. Include Your Education. List any degrees you’ve earned along with the institutions attended. If you graduated over three years ago, omitting the graduation date is acceptable.

   Additionally, include any relevant courses or workshops completed during your time as a stay-at-home parent, noting the institutions where they were taken.

2. Highlight Homeschooling Experience. If you homeschooled your children, you possess valuable skills in coaching, organization, and teaching.

   Homeschooling showcases your ability to research curriculums, develop lesson plans, and mentor children while adapting to their needs. For instance, if you taught for five years before homeschooling, your resume might read:

   Sample Stay-at-Home Parent Resume Summary
   A dedicated educator with eight years of teaching experience. Proven ability to engage diverse learners through innovative lesson plans across various learning environments.

   In your work history section, blend your homeschooling experience with your previous professional roles.

3. Translate Parenting Skills to Workforce Skills. You might think your parenting experience lacks relevance to the job market, but you may be surprised at how transferable these skills can be.

   Being a stay-at-home parent involves multitasking and managing various responsibilities—skills that are highly applicable in the workplace. Use specific keywords like:

   • Delegating

   • Financial Planning

   • Multitasking

   • Time Management

   • Organization

   Incorporating these keywords will enhance your resume’s visibility to applicant tracking systems.

   Here’s another illustrative example:

   Stay-at-Home Parent Resume Summary Example
   Resourceful professional with six years of management experience across diverse environments. Equipped with strong communication and delegation skills, adept at working effectively within varied teams.

   Then, detail your management and leadership skills gained as a stay-at-home parent.

4. Emphasize Achievements Over Employment Gaps. Some employers may view your time at home as a gap in employment. However, if framed correctly, they can recognize that parenting is a substantial, full-time experience.

   To prevent recruiters from visualizing mundane domestic tasks, avoid using “domestic” terminology unless applying for roles specifically related to childcare, teaching, or cleaning.

   Here are examples of how to showcase your parenting experience to reflect sought-after skills:

   Stay-at-Home Parent Resume Skills Example

   • Coached children in dance and soccer → Developed children’s complex skill sets through coaching.

   • Organized playdates at the park → Coordinated large events for 20+ children at community venues.

   • Taught children through college → Managed educational paths, achieving a 100% college acceptance rate with $100,000 in scholarships.

   • Oversaw children’s volunteer projects → Organized initiatives yielding 100+ hours of community service across 10 projects.

   Detailing your accomplishments as a stay-at-home parent effectively demonstrates your career-oriented skills. Reflect on your deliverables: what did you achieve during this time?

Where to Include Stay-at-Home Parent on Your Resume

At this point, you may be thinking, “Yes, I have all these skills!” Now, it’s time to articulate them in a way that resonates with potential employers.

You can describe your time as a stay-at-home parent in two sections of your resume: within your resume summary and/or under your work experience.

Stay-at-Home Parent Resume Example

Here’s a complete example of a stay-at-home parent resume:

Tips for Stay-at-Home Parent Resume

• Include Previous Experience. Regardless of how long it’s been since you were in the formal workforce, be sure to include your prior professional experience.

  Identify transferable skills relevant to the industry and role you’re targeting. While honesty is essential, seek out keywords that align with your past experience.

• Utilize Volunteer Experience. Whether related to your children or not, volunteering is a valuable addition to your resume.

  It highlights your commitment to community engagement and the skills developed through those experiences, which are applicable in various roles.

• Include Contract Work. If you’ve engaged in side gigs, freelance work, or other paid projects while being a stay-at-home parent, make sure to include this on your resume. The gig economy is thriving, and hiring managers are increasingly open to seeing this type of experience.

  It enhances your credibility and illustrates that you’ve remained active in your professional development.

• Include Your Education. If you hold a college degree or a post-graduate qualification, be sure to showcase this on your resume. Strong academic credentials can help balance your work experience section.

• Don’t Neglect Your Cover Letter. Your resume is not the sole platform for discussing your stay-at-home parenting experience.

  Your cover letter offers an opportunity to inject your personality, detailing how your parenting and household management skills prepare you for the role you seek.

Returning to Work Stay-at-Home Mom Resume FAQ

1. How do you describe stay-at-home mom on a resume?

   You can refer to your role as “Household Manager,” “Caregiver,” or “Homemaker.” Some may opt for “Chief Home Officer,” but this could seem overly ambitious to some hiring managers.

   Keep the title straightforward and focus on the valuable skills you utilized during that time.

2. Should I include stay-at-home parent on my resume?

   Absolutely, you should include your status as a stay-at-home parent on your resume. This period, while not formal employment, provided you with substantial work experience and skills that merit recognition.

3. Is stay-at-home parent considered an occupation?

   Yes, being a stay-at-home parent is an occupation. Although you may not receive a paycheck, it represents a significant portion of your time and is a role that many rely on.

Final Thoughts

Embarking on a job search after a break from the workforce can feel intimidating, but remember that being a stay-at-home parent does not automatically diminish your job prospects.

This experience can be incredibly rewarding, allowing you to form a deeper connection with your children while cultivating a diverse skill set. You’ve developed the ability to manage relationships, engage with individuals from all walks of life, and motivate others.

With the right perspective on how your parenting experience translates into valuable skills, you’re equipped to pursue your dream job—it’s all about articulating what your parenting journey means for the industry you’re aiming to enter.

References

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Stay-at-Home Mothers Through the Years

2. Pew Research Center – Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads Account for About One-in-Five U.S. Parents

Author

Heidi Cope

Heidi Cope is a former writer for the Zippia Career Advice blog. Her writing focused primarily on Zippia's suite of rankings and general career advice. After leaving Zippia, Heidi joined The Mighty as a writer and editor, among other positions. She received her BS from UNC Charlotte in German Studies.