Education / Training
Childcare Worker
Overview
A childcare worker is a professional who provides care and supervision for children, typically in settings such as daycare centers, preschools, or in private homes. Their role is multifaceted and involves a combination of ensuring the safety and well-being of children, facilitating their development, and providing educational and recreational activities.
The responsibilities of a childcare worker include developing and implementing educational programs, providing basic care needs for young children such as changing diapers, facilitating social interactions and play, supervising children and ensuring their health and safety.
Common tasks
| Task | Related trait(s) |
|---|---|
| Instruct children in safe behavior | Safety Awareness Calmness |
| Remove hazards and develop appropriate boundaries and rules to create a safe environment for children. | Safety Awareness Emotional Warmth and Understanding |
| Model appropriate social behaviors and encourage concern for others to cultivate development of interpersonal relationships and communication skills. | Calmness |
| Observe and monitor children’s play activities. | Safety Awareness Dutiful Teamplayer |
| Identify signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and bring them to parents’ or guardians’ attention. | Structured Caregiving Emotional Warmth and Understanding Dutiful Teamplayer |
| Help develop or monitor teaching schedule. | Structured Caregiving Dutiful Teamplayer |
Soft skills measured by TraitForward
| Trait | No of Questions | Cronbach’s alpha (α) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calmness | 7 | 0.80 | |
| Are they calm? | |||
| Emotional Warmth and Understanding | 7 | 0.80 | |
| Are they compassionate? | |||
| Safety Awareness | 8 | 0.71 | |
| Are they cautious? | |||
| Effective Communicator | 11 | 0.84 | |
| Do they express themselves effectively? | |||
| Structured Caregiving | 7 | 0.73 | |
| Do they have a desirable work ethic? | |||
| Integrity | 8 | 0.71 | |
| Do they have moral values? | |||
| Dutiful Teamplayer | 9 | 0.74 | |
| Do they follow rules? | |||
| Collaborative Helper | 6 | 0.75 | |
| Do they help others? | |||
| Team Harmony Advocate | 9 | 0.72 | |
| Do they like being included in a group? | |||
| Good Listener | 9 | 0.71 | |
| Do they understand others? | |||
Did you Know?
Source: US Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics
Median wage:
$28,520 / per year
$13.71 / hour
The median annual wage for this profession is $28,520. Nonetheless several professionals may not be paid in that rate. A relatively low salary the 10th percentile of the annual wage is $21,250, whilst a relatively high salary, the 90th percentile of the annual wage is $39,090.
Expected employment growth:
Number (in thousands in 2022): 945.9
Number (in thousands in 2032): 927.4
Employment percent change: -2
Entry Education level:
Most childcare workers often have a high school diploma, however some vacancies may require an associates degree and less frequently they may have some college education or higher qualifications.
Find out the psychometric properties for the Childcare Worker Traitforward questionnaire