How to hire a day care worker

How to hire a day care worker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step day care 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 day care worker job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new day care 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 day care worker you need to hire. Certain day care 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 day care worker's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, day care 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of day care workers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Day Care Worker	Description	Hourly rate
   Day Care 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	$7-21
   Kids Club Attendant	Kids club attendants are employees who are responsible for supervising the operations of children's play facilities that are present in fitness centers, resorts, shopping centers, and other businesses. To provide safety and a place of fun, these attendants should supervise the kids who are left by their parents while doing other activities in the establishment... Show more	$8-16
   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:

   • Child Care
   • Infant Room
   • Continuous Supervision
   • CPR
   • Clean Environment
   • Social Development
   • Developmental Problems
   • Toilet Training
   • Healthy Environment
   • Role Model
   • General Care
   • Language Development
   • Open Communication
   • Outdoor Play

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

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

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your day care worker job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A day care worker salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, day care workers' average salary in alaska is 41% less than in maine.
   • Seniority. Entry-level day care workers earn 64% less than senior-level day care workers.
   • Certifications. A day care worker with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a day care worker's salary.

   Average day care worker salary

   $12.93hourly

   $26,889 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level day care worker salary

   $16,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

4. Writing a day care worker job description

   A job description for a day care worker role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a day care worker job description:

   Day care worker job description example

   *Mental Health Resource Center*,a comprehensive mental health center and Joint Commission accredited organization, is seeking *Behavioral Healthcare Assistants *to provide patient care and assistance.
   
   Behavioral Health Assistants provide competency based direct care to children, adolescents and adults on our inpatient behavioral health units. Behavioral Health Assistants assist in providing a safe, clean and therapeutic environment for our patients. These inpatient units provide crisis stabilization services and most patients are admitted involuntarily to the facility via the Baker Act, the mental health act of Florida. The normal length of stay on the unit for patients is typically 3-5 days. This is an ideal opportunity for an individual who is dedicated to providing a caring, therapeutic environment and who enjoys working in a team atmosphere. We provide a variety of training, including but not limited to Crisis Intervention, CPR, Diagnosis and Behaviors, Ethics, and Confidentiality.
   
   Each team member contributes to the completeness and confidentiality of clinical records by ensuring documentation, paperwork and system entries meet internal and external guidelines for content, accuracy and timeliness.
   Some of the responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to:
   * Monitors behaviors and documents observed behaviors as indicated in the patient record.
   * Provides ongoing attention and interaction with patients in order to establish supportive relationships, learn patient concerns and goals and work to assist patients in achieving successful outcomes.
   * Assists patients with personal hygiene and activities of daily living skills (ADLs) in accordance with age, cultural consideration and level of functioning based on current acuity and diagnosis.
   * Ensures implementation of the daily schedule that meets patients' needs and interests.
   * Performs safety checks at a minimum of 15 minute intervals on patients in accordance with policy and procedure or as directed by supervisor.
   * Supervises patients during fresh air breaks and visitation periods.
   * Remains knowledgeable of admission/discharge status, patient level and privileges/restrictions, special information, treatment plan and unusual events.
   * Performs and documents vital signs on patients, under direct supervision of Registered Nurse.
   
   *Position Requirements: *
   
   In order to be considered, candidates must have a High School Diploma or equivalent.
   
   Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), or Paramedic (PMD) certification preferred.
   
   One year experience working in direct patient care preferred.
   
   Excellent customer service skills are essential and this individual must be able to interact appropriately with internal and external customers, including patients, families, caregivers, community service providers, supervisory staff and other department professionals.
   
   *Position Details: *
   
   Full Time Day Shift: Monday through Friday, 7:00am to 3:30pm (rotating weekends)/ MHRC North and South/ Adult Unit
   
   *_Full Time positions include a comprehensive benefits package._*
   
   Job Type: Full-time
   
   Benefits:
   * Dental insurance
   * Employee assistance program
   * Flexible spending account
   * Health insurance
   * Life insurance
   * Paid time off
   * Retirement plan
   * Vision insurance
   Medical specialties:
   * Psychiatry
   Schedule:
   * 8 hour shift
   * Monday to Friday
   * Weekend availability
   
   COVID-19 considerations:
   PPE required for all staff. Temperature checks for all staff, patients, and visitors. Limited visitors at all facilities. 6 foot social distancing, when possible.
   
   Education:
   * High school or equivalent (Required)
   
   Experience:
   * direct patient care: 1 year (Preferred)
   
   License/Certification:
   * CNA/EMT (Preferred)
   
   Shift availability:
   * Day Shift (Preferred)
   
   Work Location: One location

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find day care 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 day care workers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level day care 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 day care worker job on Zippia to find and recruit day care worker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit day care 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 day care worker

   Once you've selected the best day care worker candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new day care worker. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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