Introduction
A childcare worker refers to the person responsible for the care of children in a kindergarten or nursery. They play a variety of roles in the development of children. Childcare workers impact mainly on the health, both mental and physical. They also affect their behavior, personality, and also emotions.
Responsibilities
- Childcare workers cooperate with teachers to take care of children’s daily life comprehensively.
- They are responsible for cultivating good behavior and also the living habits of the children.
- Responsible for the cleaning and sanitation of the class’s premises, equipment, and also the environment
- Instruct and urge children to wash their hands before and after eating and also after toileting.
- Responsible for cleaning up when children eat
- A childcare worker ensures the safety of children. And also do not allow them to carry utensils.
- Add meals at any time according to the child’s meal volume
- Responsible for keeping the toilet clean by flushing at all times and keeping it odorless
- According to weather changes, they change the clothes of children
- Responsible for the children’s life management and also health care.
- A childcare worker carefully observes the child’s mood.
Qualities and Skills
Patience, gentleness, availability, and organization are qualities that allow her to work with children daily. Childcare workers must in some cases, show authority in teaching children how to behave or how to speak. This professional “replaces” the parents in a way during the day, and she must accompany the children in their educational development.
They must have the following skills:
- Participate in the development of children in a new environment
- Comply with health and safety standards
- Have endurance: carry the children, play with them. You must be in good physical shape.
Education and Licensure
Entry-level positions in the United States do not have any educational requirements. However, some may require a diploma.
To become an approved childcare worker, the training and the course are specific. Indeed, no diploma is required, but it is mandatory to fulfill certain conditions and to follow the steps below:
- Having had children yourself is highly recommended
- Having healthy and suitable children accommodation
- Apply for approval from Child Protection Service (CPS), which will send someone on-site to check the state of the home,
- Follow a mandatory 60-hour training course with child nurses before being able to welcome the first child.
For licensure of childcare workers in some states, they must pass the minimum training requirements. And also pass a background check and complete immunization according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, childcare workers can get a bachelor’s degree and qualify for higher positions and therefore higher pay.
Salary
In the United States, the average hourly wage for childcare workers is $12.24. However, the hourly earnings range from $8.84 to $18.13 (BLS 2020). They also work over 40hours weekly.
Job Opportunities
In the United States, Childcare workers can work in several places. These include
- Child daycare services
- Private households
- Self-employed workers
- Elementary and secondary schools; local
- Religious, civic, professional, and similar organizations
A childcare professional works in childcare facilities (kindergarten, after-school daycare, crèche, etc.), with parents, in a family crèche, or even at home (under certain conditions of approval).
A childcare worker generally works at home but can also work in a family crèche or a municipal crèche. Some choose to work as childcare workers in the parents’ home. In this case, the children in their care can be up to 10 years old. This allows children to stay in an environment that is familiar to them.
The needs are not the same according to the departments, the cities, or the states.
Ethics
- Love and respect children
- Abide by social moral, behaves upright and also strict with oneself
- Leads by example
- Respect parents and teach with integrity
- Unity and cooperation
- Prudence and modesty
- Respect for colleagues
- Open-mindedness and also magnanimity
- Adhere to noble sentiment and carry forward the spirit of dedication
It is, however, necessary to consciously and strictly implement childcare professional ethics. Every worker must know that he must perform his duties and obligations according to the law. This is a rigid factor in enhancing morality. This part of the content is mandatory in a sense.
We must always take the childcare worker’s morality as the criterion, check and supervise ourselves, be self-respect, self-examination, self-alert, and also self-motivation.
