What are careers in childcare?

Careers in childcare include Au pairs, babysitters, nannies, daycare workers, child care aides, child care center workers, and nursery daycare workers, to name a few. There are plenty of potential jobs for someone who is interested in childcare. Keep in mind, however, that most childcare jobs have their own state-by-state requirements. Those working as an au pair, babysitter, or nanny may not be subject to the same requirements as someone working at a child care center or school.

How To Become A Childcare Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a childcare specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Laura Schroeder

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a childcare specialist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.37 an hour? That's $36,133 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 61,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a childcare specialist?

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.

ScoreChildcare SpecialistUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $36,133

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.92%

Asian 6.98%

Black or African American 9.88%

Hispanic or Latino 18.42%

Unknown 5.94%

White 57.86%

Gender

female 83.48%

male 16.52%

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 childcare specialist

Explore childcare specialist education requirements

Most common childcare specialist degrees

Bachelor's

52.4 %

Associate

20.5 %

High School Diploma

13.0 %

Start to develop specific childcare specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
CPR	24.32%
Child Development	12.15%
Direct Supervision	8.88%
Learning Environment	8.67%
Food Preparation	4.79%

Complete relevant childcare specialist training and internships

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

Research childcare specialist duties and responsibilities

Deliver patient belongings and information as well as provided exceptional assistance to patients and their families.
Maintain nutritional guidelines consistent with USDA guidelines

Prepare your childcare specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your childcare specialist 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 childcare specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable childcare specialist resume templates

Build a professional childcare specialist 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 childcare specialist resume.

Apply for childcare specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a childcare specialist 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 childcare specialists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Childcare specialist reviews

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.

Cons

When parents, parent don't have full communication with me about problems that the children, child may have, if any.