How to hire a child daycare worker

How to hire a child daycare worker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step child daycare worker hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a child daycare worker job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new child daycare worker
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the child daycare worker you need to hire. Certain child daycare worker roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A child daycare worker's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, child daycare workers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of child daycare workers.

   Type of Child Daycare Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   Child Daycare Worker	Childcare workers provide care for children when parents and other family members are unavailable. They attend to children’s basic needs, such as bathing and feeding... Show more	$7-20
   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... Show more	$11-18
   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... Show more	$10-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Kids
   • Diaper Changes
   • Child Care
   • CPR
   • Infant Room
   • Developmental Problems
   • Open Communication
   • Social Development
   • ABC
   • Front Desk
   • Clean Environment
   • Nutritious Meals
   • Potty Training
   • Healthy Environment

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Certify in CPR and a.
   • Help learn ABC's, colors, and counting.
   • Play with the children, teach songs, ABC's, numbers, and such.
   • Supervise more than 25 students age 6-14 and are CPR certify during employment.
   • Provide group and individual behavior support and intervention as trained, including the use of TCI appropriate physical restraint as necessary.
   • Create math, reading, bible, and art lessons.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your child daycare worker job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A child daycare worker can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, child daycare workers' average salary in iowa is 45% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level child daycare workers 62% less than senior-level child daycare workers.
   • Certifications. A child daycare worker with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a child daycare worker's salary.

   Average child daycare worker salary

   $12.83hourly

   $26,693 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level child daycare worker salary

   $16,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

4. Writing a child daycare worker job description

   A child daycare worker job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a child daycare worker job description:

   Child daycare worker job description example

   Children's Ministry / Kidslife Department
   
   Non-Exempt
   
   Rate: $13 per hour base pay / Sunday Premium rate of $20 per hour
   
   Lakewood Church and Joel Osteen Ministries is an exciting mega-ministry that is making a difference around the world. Our mission is to bring hope to the world through Jesus Christ. If the message Hope Again, Dream Again, Live Again inspires you to be a part of something so much bigger than yourself, joining the staff family at Lakewood might be the right place for you. As the Childcare Worker PT, you will be a part of impacting people across the world through the opportunity described below:
   
   Job Description
   
   The Classroom Teacher is responsible for ensuring that quality ministry is taking place in the assigned classroom or role in the Childrens Ministry of Lakewood Church.
   
   This position reports to the Childcare Supervisor as well as multiple area leaders and works toward the vision set forth by the Senior Pastor.
   
   Essential Job Functions:
   
   * Minister to children in a classroom, including teaching, guiding and comforting them.
   * Care for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of children.
   * Engage all children in the assigned area at their developmental stage.
   * Teach the assigned curriculum with enthusiasm.
   * Ensure that quality ministry is taking place in the assigned classroom or role.
   * Actively pursue chances to assist with transitions, challenging behaviors, and extra duties with a positive team attitude.
   * Model a Christ-like attitude at all times.
   * Ensure that parents and children, and other Kidslife staff and volunteers have a positive experience with Kidslife.
   * Inspire volunteer commitment in others.
   * Arrive at the assigned areas on time, prepared, and ready to work.
   * Maintain flexibility to work with children of all ages (0-12), different personalities, and in different roles
   * Maintain professionalism and a Christ-like attitude in dealing with parents and other Kidslife personnel regarding sensitive and confidential information.
   * Complete all paperwork and classroom clean-up as assigned.
   * Attend all Kidslife team meetings, staff meetings, and area trainings.
   * Communicate schedule changes in a timely manner, and with all involved personnel (including the area coordinator and each ministry leader affected)
   * Perform other duties as assigned.
   
   Qualifications
   
   * Growing, committed follower of Christ
   * Uncompromised commitment to Lakewood Churchs vision, values, and core beliefs.
   * Enjoy serving and ministering to children and their parents
   * Able to relate to children of all ages, parents, volunteers, other staff, and leaders in positive ways.
   * Willing and able to make requested changes
   * Cooperative and respectful of others, regardless of their attitude
   * Gracious, kind, and loving, even under intense pressure
   * Open to correction and responsive to volunteer and staff leadership
   * Demonstrated commitment to excellence in one or more areas of responsibility
   
   This job description is not meant to be all-inclusive. The job itself is subject to change
   
   UPDATE: As more church activities and events are being added to the calendar, more shifts are becoming available and being added to this role. Flexibility will be very important.
   
   Traditional (Non-COVID) Work schedule would be typically 20 hours/week with the potential of 28 due to special events as needed
   
   This job description is not meant to be all-inclusive. The job itself is subject to change

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find child daycare workers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any child daycare workers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level child daycare workers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your child daycare worker job on Zippia to find and recruit child daycare worker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit child daycare workers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new child daycare worker

   Once you have selected a candidate for the child daycare worker position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new child daycare worker first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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