How long does it take to become a Child Care Worker?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become a child care worker. That is the time it takes to learn specific child care worker skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 5 to 7 years years to become a child care worker.

There are certain skills that you need to obtain in order to become a successful child care worker. Some of the most common skills are listed below. Along with each skill, we provide an actual example of how someone included the skill on their resume:

1. Child Care -- Provided direct supervision to child care workers I and II in a residential care facility for mentally and emotionally/behaviorally challenged children.

2. Crisis Intervention -- Fostered compliance with agency rules and expectations with all residents as well as implemented therapeutic crisis intervention techniques, when necessary.

3. Recreational Activities -- Facilitated engaging, developmentally appropriate recreational activities.

4. Care Worker -- Direct care worker with Emotionally Impaired adolescents in psychiatric hospital setting.

5. Behavioral Issues -- Interacted with parents and identified potential signs emotional and behavioral issues to notify parents of.

Common Educational Background For A Child Care Worker

The education needed to be a Child Care Worker is normally a Bachelor's Degree. Child Care Workers usually study Psychology, Criminal Justice or Business. 44.0% of Child Care Workers hold a Bachelor's Degree and 24.0% hold a High School Diploma. We found these by analyzing 27851 Child Care Worker resumes to investigate the topic of Child Care Worker education more precisely.

The most common colleges for students to pursue their goal of becoming a Child Care Worker are University of Phoenix and California State University - San Bernardino. We also broke down what colleges provide the best overall education for a Child Care Worker. Students have a great path to earning their Child Care Worker qualifications at the following schools:

1. California State University - Long Beach
2. SUNY at Binghamton
3. University of California - Davis

If you're interested in getting a college degree in an affordable college for Child Care Workers - California State University - Long Beach is an excellent option for you. If your SAT or ACT score aren't as high as you'd like, you can look at Bluefield College, as the admission requirements aren't too selective. On the other end of that spectrum are the Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University and Johns Hopkins University.

For those who would rather stay in your pajamas during the day, we prepared some online courses that can help in Child Care Worker education paths.

Common Certifications For A Child Care Worker

The First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor certification is most common among Child Care Workers. This certification is awarded by the National Safety Council. To become a certified Child Care Worker with First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor, You don't need to pass the exam. Lucky you - certification doesn't require more than two years of work experience. No renewal for certification, if you earn it once it is valid all time.