How To Become A Day Care Aide: What It Is and Career Path

What is a day care aide and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Laura Schroeder

Day Care Aides use their childcare capabilities to look after kids in a daycare facility. They also assist children with homework, play sports, and read books. Most of the time, daycare aides are busy planning meals or snacks and helping kids practice healthy hygiene. While daycare staff typically work in a dedicated daycare center, they may often work in private homes, classrooms, or offices.

Regardless of the age at which the children are cared for, they should have a healthy, clean and comfortable atmosphere. That is why daycare aides help tidy up the daycare center at the beginning and the end of the day. They are also responsible for playtime. Playtime is essential because it lets children learn about the world around them and helps them practice social communication and grow various new competencies.

On a daily basis, daycare aides help prepare and give out at least one complete meal and extra snacks. They help cook breakfast and drinks, supervising children as they eat, and wash utensils from time to time.

What general advice would you give to a day care aide?

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.

ScoreDay Care AideUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,874

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.01%

Asian 6.59%

Black or African American 8.77%

Hispanic or Latino 18.47%

Unknown 6.41%

White 58.75%

Gender

female 83.82%

male 16.18%

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 day care aide

Explore day care aide education requirements

Most common day care aide degrees

High School Diploma

30.3 %

Bachelor's

28.2 %

Associate

20.7 %

Start to develop specific day care aide skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	25.03%
CPR	13.07%
Child Care	10.09%
Home Health	6.34%
Professional Growth	5.94%

Complete relevant day care aide training and internships

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

Gain additional day care aide certifications

Day care aide 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 day care aide certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for day care aides include Advanced First Aid & CPR and First Aid Certification.

More About Certifications

Research day care aide duties and responsibilities

Train in first aid and CPR.
Certify in basic first aid and certify in CPR.
Implement strategies learned in TCI to assist clients in crisis.
Work in a fast pace environment with many kids of elementary school age.

Prepare your day care aide resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable day care aide resume templates

Build a professional day care aide 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 day care aide resume.