Post job

What is a child care attendant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Laura Schroeder
introduction image

People who love to take care of young children and want this mutual understanding with kids to adopt into a profession often end up as child care attendants. Child care attendants normally work in daycare centers or homes where they instruct and supervise children.

You can simply become a child care attendant with a GED or a high school degree. An Early Childhood Education (ECE) certificate is an added bonus to your resume. Other than being patient, a caring personality, attention to safety, and good decision-making skills will make you a successful candidate while applying for the position of child care attendant. First aid training can also come in handy during critical situations.

Child care attendants make about $13 an hour, which amounts to around $27,000 in a year. However, the career growth rate is tremendous in the US, which means that you can expect a lot of job opportunities in the future.

What general advice would you give to a child care attendant?

Laura SchroederLaura Schroeder LinkedIn profile

President, International Nanny Association

Young graduates will need to have some knowledge or experience in early childhood education, as help with the school day has become an important part of a nanny's job since the pandemic. They also must be able to work independently and be self motivated as their bosses will likely not be on site. There are jobs for nannies all over the U.S., but the best paying jobs tend to be in wealthier areas and larger cities, for example L.A., San Francisco, Seattle and Boston.
ScoreChild Care AttendantUS Average
Salary
2.2

Avg. Salary $27,542

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.0

Growth rate 36%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.29%

Asian 7.50%

Black or African American 10.04%

Hispanic or Latino 21.89%

Unknown 4.49%

White 54.79%

Gender

female 87.11%

male 12.89%

Age - 50
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 - 50
Stress level
8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
9.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Child care attendant career paths

Key steps to become a child care attendant

  1. Explore child care attendant education requirements

    Most common child care attendant degrees

    Bachelor's

    36.0 %

    High School Diploma

    29.5 %

    Associate

    20.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific child care attendant skills

    SkillsPercentages
    CPR25.50%
    Customer Service24.28%
    Meal Prep15.34%
    Vital Signs5.67%
    Companionship4.76%
  3. Research child care attendant duties and responsibilities

    • Aid and facilitate higher functioning patients reach their fullest potential while managing behavioral episodes as needed.
    • Attend to the basic needs of patients, including physical therapy, companionship, food preparation and personal hygiene.
    • Assist with ADL and transport to Dr's appointments and shopping.
    • Obtain and evaluate patient medication regimens, allergies, lab values and past/current medication history utilizing electronic medical records.
  4. Prepare your child care attendant resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your child care attendant 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 attendant 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 attendant resume templates

    Build a professional child care attendant 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 attendant resume.
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
    Child Care Attendant Resume
  5. Apply for child care attendant jobs

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

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

How did you land your first child care attendant job

Zippi

Are you a child care attendant?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average child care attendant salary

The average child care attendant salary in the United States is $27,542 per year or $13 per hour. Child care attendant salaries range between $17,000 and $43,000 per year.

Average child care attendant salary
$27,542 Yearly
$13.24 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do child care attendants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Child care attendant reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Learning how they’ve experience life good and bad but they always remained happy. How you can do anything in life if you believe then you can achieve it.

Cons

When they are scared because of experiences they may have encountered from someone else.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Working with the patient's and enjoying helping out what they need done..

Cons

Dogs in homes


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

I love working with people. Helping them, caring for them. It's a very rewarding position. Some days I leave clients homes and think " I actually get paid for this,!". I spent years working in an office wishing what I was doing was a Rewarding, fulfilling job that changed or helped someone's life. 8 years ago I found that job in caregiving.

Cons

Right now I do not care for the company that I work for. I see very little training for their caregivers, don't see caregivers that like what they're doing. When I'm at work I'm caring, helping, loving what I'm doing but I feel this company,Absolute Homecare, just isn't feeling it like I do. I'd like to join a more established, caring team from the owners down to the manager and caregivers. I'd like to join a team that really loves caregiving.


Working as a child care attendant? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse personal care and attendants jobs