Child care workers are the backbone of early childhood education and development. Their busy schedules can include planning, organizing and supervising children’s activities during the day; arranging field trips; communicating with parents regarding their child’s progress; maintaining records and files; conducting family meetings or group parent-teacher conferences at school.
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A child care worker is a person who provides care and supervision of children in non-parental settings. You will earn between $12.71 per hour, up to $20.61 per hour depending on if you are certified or not. There are different levels of the position depending upon your education and training:
Starting Salary For Child Care Worker Overview
Child care workers are one of the most important members of a childcare facility. They work with children and help them learn new things and make friends. A child care worker’s salary can vary depending on the facility that they work at and what their educational background is like.
Child care workers make between $9.25 and $19.66 per hour, which comes out to between $18,000 and $39,000 per year based on a 40-hour work week. This is just a rough estimate because there are many factors that go into determining how much a child care worker makes each year.
To find out more about how much you can expect to earn as a child care worker, check out our guide below!
What do daycare workers do?
Typically, daycare workers are responsible for teaching and maintaining a safe learning environment for learners. They mostly work for childcare agencies, centers, and individual homes to provide early childhood education and nanny services. Here’s what daycare workers do (based on role):
Child care center administrators
These are childcare center directors that manage the daycare center programs, budgets, workers, and schedules. They develop, implement, and communicate policies to staff members and discuss learners’ progress with parents.
Administrators also establish the fee for services rendered and ensure the center is properly maintained. If there are additional workers to be hired and trained, the directors take charge to ensure the onboarding process goes well. Childcare center administrators make sure the learning programs conform to the educational standards set by the state.
The qualifications for this role include a bachelor’s degree or higher diploma in early childhood education. However, requirements by state. Other states may require a nationally accredited certification in addition or instead of a degree.
Preschool teachers
Preschool teachers work with children below the age of 5 years to teach them how to read and write. Other subjects may include art and science to prepare the children for kindergarten. More often, these teachers target lessons to various aspects of the child’s development, like their motor development or language skills, then track their progress. The state requirements for a preschool teacher vary. Some states require a high school diploma, while others will ask for a college degree and a certification from the National Child Care Association or the Council of Professional Recognition
Assistant teachers
Teacher assistants work under the supervision of teachers to provide additional education attention to preschoolers. For instance, they assist with record keeping, explain concepts to students, and teach learning skills and proper behavior. Most teacher assistants work part-time. Their requirements can be an associate degree or high school diploma, depending on the state. Most child care institutions provide on-the-job training to upskill the professional staff.
childcare workers
Childcare workers support the professional staff by organizing learning activities, preparing and serving meals to the children, and helping with ensuring proper hygiene. They also help to teach the little ones routines involving social stimulation, physical activities, rest, and play. Sometimes they monitor the children’s progress. Requirements and qualifications for daycare workers also vary by state. Some states don’t put much emphasis on the requirements, while others may only need post-secondary certification in early childhood education. Others will just ask for national accreditation from relevant organizations.
What are the typical responsibilities of a daycare worker?
A daycare or childcare worker is responsible for providing a safe, nurturing, and educational environment for the children in their program. Their responsibilities include everything from helping children learn life skills to teaching developmentally appropriate lesson plans. More specifically, daycare workers:
- Lead children in activities that teach new skills and follow state developmental guidelines
- Keep a record of each child’s daily activities
- Communicate proactively with parents and families
- Maintain clean, safe, and orderly childcare facilities
- Provide snacks and meals to children
- Help children with hygiene, such as changing diapers and washing their hands
- Address behavioral issues
How much do daycare workers make?
Daycare worker salary ranges between $13,000 – $50,000, with the average total compensation falling between $21,000 – $30,000 per year. The question of daycare workers’ salaries is essential because of the role these professionals play in a child’s life.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics cited the median daycare teacher salary to be $30,520/year. The 2021 median pay for teacher assistants was $29,360/year. For childcare workers, their median salary for 2021 was $27,490/year which translates to an hourly rate of $11.65 per hour. This varies based on the childcare center’s work requirements.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also projects that the employment of daycare workers will experience a two percent growth from 2019 to 2029, slower than the average for all jobs. Although this growth is limited, about 160,200 job openings for daycare workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
In several online databases, the average salary reported for “Daycare Teacher” job titles was higher than the average salary reported for “Daycare Worker” job titles, with discrepancies ranging between $1,000 – $5,000 per year.
While these roles are virtually identical in function, the data shows that centers regarding their employees as “teachers” rather than “workers” offer greater compensation. If you’re an aspiring early childhood educator, you may want to consider this when evaluating jobs.
What is the average daycare worker’s salary based on geographic location?
The average salary of a childcare worker differs based on geographic location, ranging from $22,293 in low-cost living regions to $39,375 in high-cost living regions in the United States.
| Region’s cost of living | Average yearly pay for daycare workers | Average pay per hour for daycare workers |
| High (based on data from CA and NY) | $39,375 | $18.93 |
| Medium (based on data from TX, CO, FL) | $25,025 | $12.03 |
| Low (based on data from TN, IA, KY) | $22,293 | $10.72 |
