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

What is a child caregiver and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Laura Schroeder

Child caregivers are also referred to as nannies or childminders. Their main responsibility is to provide for the needs of children while their parents or guardians are away from home. This includes feeding, bathing, dressing, and supervising them. Moreover, child caregivers are responsible for creating a safe, educational, and enjoyable environment for children so that they can thrive even without their parents present.

Aside from providing children's basic needs, child caregivers may also teach children, read to them, play with them, and provide comfort when needed. They are also responsible for communicating with the children's parents to update them on their child's behavior during the day.

Patience, physical fitness, and a genuine interest in caring for children are the most important qualities of a child caregiver. When it comes to formal requirements, on the other hand, a child caregiver must have at least a high school diploma or GED to qualify.

Child caregivers can work in daycare centers, public childcare centers, client's homes, or their own homes. They typically work during regular business hours when parents are busy at work, but they may also take up part-time shifts. In exchange for taking good care of children, child caregivers make a yearly salary between $23,000 and $33,500, on average.

What general advice would you give to a Child Caregiver?

Laura Schroeder

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 CaregiverUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,065

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.7

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.95%

Asian 6.93%

Black or African American 8.11%

Hispanic or Latino 21.73%

Unknown 6.00%

White 56.28%

Gender

female 89.94%

male 10.06%

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 caregiver

Explore child caregiver education requirements

Most common child caregiver degrees

Bachelor's

40.6 %

High School Diploma

29.1 %

Associate

16.7 %

Start to develop specific child caregiver skills

Skills	Percentages
Child Care	38.57%
Autism	14.46%
Meal Prep	14.04%
Applied Behavior Analysis	11.90%
CPR	5.65%

Complete relevant child caregiver training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New child caregivers 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 caregiver based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real child caregiver resumes.

Gain additional child caregiver certifications

Child caregiver 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 child caregiver certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for child caregivers include Certified Medical Interpreter - Spanish (CMI) and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.

More About Certifications

Research child caregiver duties and responsibilities

Teach them their numbers, ABC's, months & days of the year, etc.
Appropriate pet clean-up as required.
Provide childcare service for children all backgrounds, including those diagnose with autism.
Administer minor first aid and perform emergency measures learned through CPR certify training.

Prepare your child caregiver resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your child caregiver 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 caregiver 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 Caregiver Resume templates

Build a professional Child Caregiver 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 Caregiver resume.

Apply for child caregiver jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a child caregiver 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 caregivers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Child Caregiver reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Cons

Nothing love it all.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Pros

Not only that I can care and provide a since of security for the children,I want the parents to also have comfort knowing that their little ones are in great care.