Childcare Workers
What Childcare Workers Do
Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 21.2%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.7/5
- English Languageimportance 3.5/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.4/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.2/5
- Psychologyimportance 3.0/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.9/5
- Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 2.6/5
- Mathematicsimportance 2.5/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Contact With Others4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.5/5
- Physical Proximity4.3/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.2/5
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.1/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Manicurists and Pedicurists97% skill match
- Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants97% skill match
- Interpreters and Translators97% skill match
- Psychiatric Technicians96% skill match
- Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials96% skill match
- Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks96% skill match
- Receptionists and Information Clerks96% skill match
- Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Service Orientationimportance 3.4/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.3/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
- Instructingimportance 3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.9/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.9/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Empathy
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Optimism
- Social Orientation
- Integrity
- Self-Control
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- SocialHigh
- ArtisticMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- RealisticMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- InvestigativeLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where childcare workers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Bismarck, ND3.24× national avg
- 2Lincoln, NE3.15× national avg
- 3Omaha, NE-IA2.97× national avg
- 4Lewiston-Auburn, ME2.89× national avg
- 5Fargo, ND-MN2.79× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Preschool Teachers, Except Special EducationCareer Change
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special EducationCareer Change
- Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports OfficialsCareer Change
- Animal CaretakersLateral Move
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.