What does a child care associate do?
A child care associate is primarily responsible for children's welfare and health care while their parents are away. Typically in a school setting, a child care associate monitors children's behavior while giving them tasks that enhance their academic and interpersonal skills, such as recreational games and coloring sessions. For younger learners, a child care associate may change diapers, prepare milk, and accompany them to the toilet. Furthermore, it is essential to adhere to all the school's policies and regulations while ensuring a safe and healthy environment for the children.
Child care associate responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real child care associate resumes:
- Complete accurate and timely documentation on kids' behavior as outlined by policy.
- Supervise and coordinate activities for the children such as teaching colors and ABC'S , 123'S.
Child care associate skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Child Care Associates are proficient in Kids, CPR, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Instructional skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Child Care Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Kids, 24%
Worked directly with the parents regarding their child's experiences, as well as Kids Club pricing, rules and guidelines.
- CPR, 18%
Certified by the Red Cross in 2005 CPR Training in 2011 Took Child Development and Parenting classes in high school
- Customer Service, 16%
Committed to providing excellent customer service and complete satisfaction in service.
- Nutritious Meals, 14%
Prepare nutritious meals for patients, taking into account any dietary restrictions or special physician instructions.
- Child Care, 12%
Contributed to child care responsibilities such as monitoring and providing teaching assistance.
- Homework Assignments, 5%
Supervised four children during daily activities Prepare meals according to specific dietary needs Assist with homework assignments
Most child care associates use their skills in "kids," "cpr," and "customer service" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential child care associate responsibilities here:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a child care associate to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what child care associates do because "childcare workers need good speaking skills to provide direction or information effectively and good listening skills to understand parents’ instructions." Additionally, a child care associate resume shows how child care associates use communication skills: "supported children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and enhancing confidence and self-esteem through communications and discussions. "
Interpersonal skills. child care associates are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to child care associate responsibilities, because "childcare workers need to work well with people in order to develop good relationships with parents, children, and colleagues." A child care associate resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "facilitated strong interpersonal relationships, organized activities to stimulate children's physical, emotional, intellectual, and social growth. "
Patience. For certain child care associate responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "patience." The day-to-day duties of a child care associate rely on this skill, as "childcare workers need to be able to respond calmly to overwhelming and difficult situations." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what child care associates do: "performed household chores and proper child care safety while utilizing patience and cpr training. "
Physical stamina. Another crucial skill for a child care associate to carry out their responsibilities is "physical stamina." A big part of what child care associates relies on this skill, since "working with children can be physically demanding, so childcare workers should have a lot of energy." How this skill relates to child care associate duties can be seen in an example from a child care associate resume snippet: "sign kids in help children develop social, verbal, and physical skills organize recreational activities change diapers when needed"
The three companies that hire the most child care associates are:
- Bright Horizons97 child care associates jobs
- CARE21 child care associates jobs
- MemorialCare6 child care associates jobs
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Compare different child care associates
Child care associate vs. Toddler teacher
A toddler teacher is responsible for teaching young learners by administering physical care and monitoring their social and mental development. Toddler teachers prepare fun and engaging activities for the children and evaluate their behaviors and assess how they interact with the environment. They create lesson plans that adhere to the learners' appropriate curriculum, such as teaching them how to speak and count. A toddler teacher must comply with the safety guidelines to keep and promote a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, child care associate responsibilities require skills like "kids," "nutritious meals," "homework assignments," and "first aid aed." Meanwhile a typical toddler teacher has skills in areas such as "child development," "open communication," "classroom environment," and "classroom management." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Toddler teachers earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $42,458. On the other hand, child care associates are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $29,149.The education levels that toddler teachers earn slightly differ from child care associates. In particular, toddler teachers are 2.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a child care associate. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Child care associate vs. Baby sitter
A Baby Sitter is responsible for the welfare and safety of children while their parents or guardian are away. The tasks will vary on the age, behavior, or needs of the children. However, most of the time, a Baby Sitter must supervise the children's activities in a friendly and fun manner, prepare meals, assist in bathing or dressing, and get them to bed. There are also instances when the Baby Sitter must do some light chores, such as cleaning up after the kids or washing the dishes.
Child care associate vs. Recreation aide
A recreation aide is responsible for assisting with the planning of recreational activities, following the supervision of a recreational manager. Recreation aides prepare all the resources, guide the participants, maintain the activity equipment, facilitate the program, and reiterate the guidelines for the safe execution of the activity. They also ensure the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities to be used. A recreation aide must have excellent communication and organizational skills, responding to the participants' inquiries and concerns, as well as performing administrative duties as the recreational manager advises.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from child care associate resumes include skills like "kids," "nutritious meals," "child care," and "homework assignments," whereas a recreation aide is more likely to list skills in "rehabilitation," "cleanliness," "recreational facilities," and "safety rules. "
Recreation aides earn the best pay in the government industry, where they command an average salary of $29,131. Child care associates earn the highest pay from the education industry, with an average salary of $29,149.recreation aides typically earn similar educational levels compared to child care associates. Specifically, they're 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Child care associate vs. Assistant daycare teacher
An assistant daycare teacher is responsible for performing support tasks in a daycare center. Most of the duties primarily revolve around maintaining a safe and healthy environment for children, preparing meals and learning materials, assisting children during bathroom or hygiene-related activities, and keeping the classroom clean and sanitized. Furthermore, there are instances when an assistant daycare teacher must come up with recreational activities, maintain student records, and help children improve their motor skills and basic knowledge in concepts such as recognizing the alphabet or coloring.
Types of child care associate
Updated January 8, 2025
