All children are different with unique personalities that child day care workers must adjust to. While they perform the basic duties of feeding children and making sure they are clean, they have to try to relate to them individually. Children may be difficult to watch when they throw tantrums, talk back, and don't listen. Child care workers must try to stimulate their minds by playing games, reading stories, and some types of physical activities, like a game of catching.
There are many cases where both parents are working and are unable to take care of their child or children during the mornings, afternoons, and early evenings. Child care workers can spend time with these children after their schools and can help in developing their socials skills even further. These after school programs are greatly beneficial as they increase the learning and social capabilities of young minds.
A particular child care worker cannot take care of children of all ages. You, as a child care worker, may specialize in taking care of a specific age group. You may work in a child care center, which allows parents to drop off their child or children if they are too young for school. After the parents return from work, they pick their child or children up from the child care center. Many parents may choose this method rather than having their child spend time alone with a private household worker, or a babysitter. By sending their child to a child care center they allow their child to develop socially with other children of the same age.
Private household workers act as part-time parents and stay at the children's homes to take their care. Families that can afford such in-home child care professionals will find them very important to their child's life. Some child care providers take care of children at their own house, taking on numerous children at once, just like child care centers. They must really enjoy taking care of children, right?
There are no absolute official requirements to become a child care worker though one can do colleges courses and obtain a degree or a credential in child development and become a Child Development Associate or a Certified Childcare Professional. Those who work in child care centers must have some type of formal training, such as CPR and emergency healthcare. Those who are experienced may open their own private child care facility in their own home. State requirements for private child care only apply if child care workers care for more then a few children.
Those who have gained enough experience caring for children at a child care center, private home, or their own home, may advance in their child care careers by becoming teachers, or taking on some type of supervisory role.
The National Child Care Association is one of the leading private child care organizations that focuses on education and training. Others include National Association of Child Care Professionals.
The number of child care workers is expected to increase over the next decade with the population increase, so employment opportunities should be great. However, those who are looking for high wages in child care profession might as well try finding a different career, as earnings for child care workers are relatively low. Those who are interested in becoming pre-school or middle school teachers may want to consider child care work beforehand. This will give them a sense of what a day in the life of a school teacher may consist of. Many child care workers work on a part-time basis trying to earn an extra income.
Becoming a child care worker may not pay enough to enable those in the field to fly first class, ride in limos, dine at five-star restaurants, wear designer clothing, drive luxury cars, and take lavish vacations. Rather, what you will achieve is that you will have a positive influence on children as they mature and grow into adults. The external influences have an effect on us when we are children so it is very important to interact with children in a positive way to help in their development. Children can never have enough positive role models in their life. Being a child care worker will give you the opportunities to influence a young mind to achieve a great life, which in turn will have a great effect on others.
