Why do you want to work with children?

"I want to work with children because I want to have a positive impact on the lives of children, build relationships with children and fellow caretakers, and have the opportunity to learn and grow" is a good answer to this interview question. You might also want to highlight your interests and how they line up with this specific childcare location.

How To Become A Child Care Aide: What It Is and Career Path

What is a child care aide and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

The child care aid provides direct care and supervision to toddlers. This means that you monitor the growth, learning, safety, feeding, and monitoring of the child. You must give attention to each child regardless of the number of children. Child care aides usually find employment in schools, officers, and homes. You will assist the parents or guardians in catering to the children's needs, from feeding and changing diapers, to preparing meals and providing toilet assistance. As a child care aide, you are responsible for any child that is left in your care. This is why some basic first aid and CPR skills are necessary for the job.

Some top-rated skills for the job include CPR, care, great communication skills, and the ability to create recreational activities and develop special learning programs for children. You can start with a high school diploma or major in courses like psychology and medical assisting services. Child care aides earn an average salary of $24,713.

ScoreChild Care AideUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $29,192

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.11%

Asian 7.34%

Black or African American 9.60%

Hispanic or Latino 18.07%

Unknown 6.45%

White 57.44%

Gender

female 85.91%

male 14.09%

Age - 35

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 - 35

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

3.7

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a child care aide

Explore child care aide education requirements

Most common child care aide degrees

Bachelor's

43.3 %

High School Diploma

25.1 %

Associate

19.3 %

Start to develop specific child care aide skills

Skills	Percentages
Child Care	37.08%
CPR	28.62%
Behavior Management	5.56%
Child Development	5.10%
Foster Care	4.09%

Complete relevant child care aide training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New child care aides learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a child care aide based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real child care aide resumes.

Research child care aide duties and responsibilities

Work with the children with ABC's and numbers.
Help with ABC's and numbers on part-time schedule.
Provide activities of daily living for a child with autism.
Purchase and order groceries and household supplies to keep kitchen and household stock.

Prepare your child care aide resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your child care aide resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a child care aide resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable child care aide resume templates

Build a professional child care aide resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your child care aide resume.

Apply for child care aide jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a child care aide job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do child care aides rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Child care aide reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2023

Pros

Short hours/ same hours as school age children.

Cons

Weather conditions, minimum wage

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2022

Pros

I love working with kids

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022