What does a child caregiver do?
Basically, a child caregiver looks after the fundamental needs of children like feeding, playtime supervision, and dressing. Child caregivers take responsibility for preparing and organizing the snacks and mealtimes for children. They organize the activities or implement a curriculum allowing children to learn about the world as well as explore their interests. It is part of their job to keep records regarding the routines, interests, and progress of the children. They may work as family childcare providers, nannies, or childcare center workers.
Child caregiver responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real child caregiver resumes:
- 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.
- Provide pet sitting services including feeding, dog walking, and yard care.
- Introduce children to a wide variety of foods following USDA requirements to support healthy growth.
- Assist in setting up and taking down equipment and maintaining the cleanliness of the area.
- Supervise and coordinate activities for the children such as teaching colors and ABC'S , 123'S.
- Prepare USDA approve meals, plan outings, education, structure free play, and hygiene care.
- Provide a safe and stimulating environment for a child with autism that will also engage a typically developing child.
- Provide group and individual behavior support and intervention as trained, including the use of TCI appropriate physical restraint as necessary.
- 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 caregiver skills and personality traits
We calculated that 39% of Child Caregivers are proficient in Child Care, Autism, and Meal Prep. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Instructional skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Child Caregivers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Child Care, 39%
Provided consistent child care for two different families, one with two young boys and the other with two elementary-age girls.
- Autism, 14%
Provided care for multiple typical, special needs children, 2-11; diagnoses include autism, bipolar disorder and developmental delay.
- Meal Prep, 14%
Cared up to three different clients on a rotating schedule, performing meal preparation as well as personal grooming.
- Applied Behavior Analysis, 12%
Studied Applied Behavior Analysis to ensure constructive interaction and adequate feedback.
- CPR, 6%
Certified CPR and First Aid, Live Scan Finger Printed, and negative TB tested.
- Homework Assignments, 3%
Mentored children and assisted one-on-one aid with homework assignments.
Most child caregivers use their skills in "child care," "autism," and "meal prep" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential child caregiver responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a child caregiver to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "childcare workers need good speaking skills to provide direction or information effectively and good listening skills to understand parents’ instructions." Additionally, a child caregiver resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "supported children's emotional and social development by adapting communication tactics for differing client needs. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of child caregivers is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday child caregiver duties, as "childcare workers need to work well with people in order to develop good relationships with parents, children, and colleagues." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "cared for children age 6 weeks to 5 years displayed strong interpersonal skills with directors and fellow employees parent/family communication"
Patience. child caregiver responsibilities often require "patience." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "childcare workers need to be able to respond calmly to overwhelming and difficult situations." This resume example shows what child caregivers do with patience on a typical day: "practiced self-management, customer service, child care and safety managed meal plans and employed patience"
Physical stamina. Another crucial skill for a child caregiver to carry out their responsibilities is "physical stamina." A big part of what child caregivers 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 caregiver duties can be seen in an example from a child caregiver resume snippet: "organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development. "
The three companies that hire the most child caregivers are:
- CARE70 child caregivers jobs
- ComForCare14 child caregivers jobs
- LHC Group7 child caregivers jobs
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Compare different child caregivers
Child caregiver vs. Nanny
Nannies are family employees who are primarily responsible for taking care of children in the family's house. They are usually tapped to take care of the kids while the parents are at work or away on vacation. Their responsibilities include preparing food for the children, feeding the children, bathing them, dressing them up, ensuring that they take a nap, playing with them, and tucking them to bed at night. They also ensure that the schedule set by the parents is being followed. They may also do other household chores such as cleaning, watering the plants, washing the dishes, among others.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between child caregivers and nanny. For instance, child caregiver responsibilities require skills such as "autism," "applied behavior analysis," "homework assignments," and "child development." Whereas a nanny is skilled in "kids," "first aid aed," "transport children," and "discipline programs." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Nannies earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $41,844. On the other hand, child caregivers are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $33,688.On average, nannies reach similar levels of education than child caregivers. Nannies are 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Child caregiver 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.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, child caregiver responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "autism," "meal prep," "applied behavior analysis," and "homework assignments." Meanwhile, a toddler teacher has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "open communication," "classroom environment," and "classroom management." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Toddler teachers earn a lower average salary than child caregivers. But toddler teachers earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $42,458. Additionally, child caregivers earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $33,688 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Toddler teachers tend to reach similar levels of education than child caregivers. In fact, they're 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Child caregiver 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.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a child caregiver is likely to be skilled in "autism," "applied behavior analysis," "medical appointments," and "child development," while a typical baby sitter is skilled in "kids," "family friends," "babysat," and "babysit."
Baby sitters earn the highest salary when working in the finance industry, where they receive an average salary of $48,994. Comparatively, child caregivers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $33,688.When it comes to education, baby sitters tend to earn similar degree levels compared to child caregivers. In fact, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Child caregiver 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.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between child caregivers and recreation aides, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a child caregiver might have more use for skills like "child care," "autism," "meal prep," and "applied behavior analysis." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of recreation aides require skills like "customer service," "rehabilitation," "cleanliness," and "recreational facilities. "
Recreation aides enjoy the best pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $29,131. For comparison, child caregivers earn the highest salary in the manufacturing industry.In general, recreation aides hold similar degree levels compared to child caregivers. Recreation aides are 0.1% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of child caregiver
Updated January 8, 2025
