What degree do you need to be a daycare teacher?

You will increase your likelihood of being hired as a daycare teacher with at least an associate's degree in early childhood education. Not all employers will require a college degree. Most employers hire daycare teachers for entry-level positions as long as they have a high school diploma or GED. You are more likely to be considered for higher-level positions or be more readily considered for promotions with a degree.

How To Become An Assistant Daycare Teacher: What It Is and Career Path

What is an assistant daycare teacher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Assistant daycare teachers assist daycare teachers in monitoring the class and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the toddlers. Your activities would include ensuring the tidiness of the daycare space, changing diapers, attending to crying babies, feeding them, and preventing them from any harm. It helps to be knowledgeable in child development and early childhood education as you might function as a teacher of some sort. It also helps because you can observe some irregularities in the developmental process of some children, which would have to be discussed with the parents or guardians.

You usually require no previous work experience for this role, and a high school diploma would suffice. These days, employers are on the lookout for assistants certified in CPR and first aid. Patience, empathy, organizational, and problem-solving skills are only a few of the daily skills needed to deal with toddlers. It helps if you naturally love children as well.

Daycare assistants earn $15.29 an hour and $31,799 a year.

ScoreAssistant Daycare TeacherUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $27,524

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.5

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.13%

Asian 8.23%

Black or African American 11.14%

Hispanic or Latino 15.49%

Unknown 4.34%

White 59.66%

Gender

female 91.25%

male 8.75%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

4.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.8

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an assistant daycare teacher

Explore assistant daycare teacher education requirements

Most common assistant daycare teacher degrees

High School Diploma

39.6 %

Bachelor's

26.3 %

Associate

18.5 %

Start to develop specific assistant daycare teacher skills

Skills	Percentages
Child Care	25.78%
Kids	25.01%
CPR	13.44%
Child Development	4.68%
Learning Environment	4.65%

Gain additional assistant daycare teacher certifications

Assistant daycare teacher certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific assistant daycare teacher certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for assistant daycare teachers include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research assistant daycare teacher duties and responsibilities

Regulate under ABC and DSS.
Plan and organize daily activities for Pre-K.
Follow guidelines for Pre-K for SA when implementing classroom curriculum.
Complete paperwork for each child, roll-book, and ABC meal/milk count.

Prepare your assistant daycare teacher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your assistant daycare teacher resume.

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