Day care workers are child care professionals in charge of children’s safety and welfare. If you love taking care of children aged from a few months old to five, this job may be a perfect fit. From giving children their meals to helping them groom and learn, a day care worker is involved in every aspect of the children’s care and development while their parents are at work. Go through this day care resume guide to learn how to craft a resume that catches employers’ eyes and gets you an exciting job in the child care industry.
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Job Duties of a Day Care Worker
As a day care worker, you essentially need to take on the parental role for the children under your care while their parents are away. That means your job is essential! You should be eager to nurture children and encourage them to do all the critical activities they need to be happy and healthy.
Your job duties include:
Planning snacks and meals.
Helping kids keep excellent hygiene, including brushing teeth.
Changing diapers.
Organizing activities that help them learn about the world in a fun and educational manner.
Scheduling daily physical exercise, playtime, as well as rest and nap time.
Working with parents to develop educational and behavioral goals.
Following the guidelines of the day care facility, including embodying the facility’s specific philosophy and mission statement.
Maintaining a professional atmosphere.
Assisting in the maintenance and upkeep of all equipment and facilities.
Attending meetings with other day care workers and managers.
Recording children’s daily activities.
Day Care Worker Median Salaries
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for child care workers is $25,460 as of May 2020. The job outlook is also anticipated to grow by 8% from 2020-2030.
Top Skills for Day Care Workers
As a day care worker, you should be enthusiastic, patient, and have excellent communication skills, among others. Here are essential skills you should have to advance in your career:
- Early education and tutoring: The job of a day care worker requires you to give reading lessons, teach basic mathematics, and help improve writing skills. You can use songs, games, and other fun activities such as easy-to-do puzzles to make the process engaging. You may also have to prepare weekly lesson plans in advance. Additionally, to keep up with teaching trends and acquire new skills, you can participate in training and seminars.
- Adaptability: You need to adapt to every child’s needs to make sure they feel a loving, meaningful, and respectful connection with you. As children’s learning abilities vary from one to another, you should adjust to their mindset and needs accordingly. A good day care worker should also be ready and willing to handle any urgent situation or uncertainties without a problem. For example, observing and monitoring children to identify developmental strengths to target the enrichment activities accordingly, or implementing warnings and timeout strategies to encourage good behavior.
- Patience: Kids like playing and running around carelessly, which can have harmful consequences, such as scraped knees and cut hands. As a capable day care worker, you should have great control over your temper, regardless of how difficult the situation gets. You should instruct the children properly and instill good manners using simple words. That can be done by rewarding good behavior and disciplining bad behavior. As a result of taking the time to effectively teach the children how to properly behave, it can reduce your stress and make you more effective at your job.
- Impeccable mentoring skills: Day care workers are accountable for children’s educational and emotional development by being a role model and teacher. That means anything you communicate to and show them how to do could imprint on them. Encouragement through discipline is one good example that helps them develop sound principles. Another one is modeling good behavior by being on time for work every day and maintaining cleanliness.
- Ample physical endurance: Children will drain you if you’re not in good physical shape. So make sure you have high endurance and are ready to be attentive and active every day. This is important because as a day care worker you should be comfortable holding and carrying children and lifting 40 pounds, at minimum.
- Social awareness: It’s possible that you need to care for a child that comes from a different culture and social background than yours. Their beliefs or methods may be contradictory to your own, so you must be unbiased. If you are aware of their social environment and culture, you may be able to uncover why they behave in a particular way. This type of kind, thoughtful mindset also helps you to adapt to children quickly.
- Group control: Any child care provider at any level should practice effective group management techniques. This is important because the number of children outnumber the adults in day care facilities and children love to play and explore. As such, keeping a safe and orderly environment requires the day care worker to apply techniques that’ll capture the kids’ interest and promote good behavior.
Educational Requirements for Day Care Workers
Some states ask for an associate degree in a relevant subject area, while others require a high school diploma with Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials. Usually, a bachelor’s degree is not required unless you work in the health care sector.
Degree
- High school diploma or equivalent: Many states consider high school education or equivalent along with CDA credentials as a mandatory qualification for entry-level day care workers.
- Associate degree: Some universities in the United States offer associate degrees in early education. They mainly focus on the education and care of a child, ranging from birth to primary school age. These programs also provide courses about child development, curriculum planning, child safety, and nourishment. Examples of these programs are the associate degrees in early childhood education offered by Ashworth College and Northcentral Technical College.
- Bachelor’s degree: The bachelor’s degree program explores more advanced day care topics like policies of disability education and cognitive psychology. Ferris State University, which provides a bachelor’s degree program in early childhood education, is an option. In this degree, you study topics like first aid, children’s literature, and nutrition.
Certification
The Council for Professional Recognition provides Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials for diverse child care areas, such as family child care, home visitor, center-based preschool, and infant-toddler certifications. You can apply for any of these CDA credentials that best matches your day care worker position and goals. Apart from this, the Water Safety for Parents and Caregivers and Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED Online certifications by the American Red Cross are beneficial for making you a more prepared and competitive candidate. Graduating from these programs will allow you to demonstrate your competence to deal with children-related emergencies effectively.
Day Care Worker Resume-Writing Tips
To get the attention of potential employers and increase your probability of being selected for a job, follow these resume writing tips.
- Include day care worker proficiency: Make sure you include all essential day care worker skills relevant to the job. For instance, point out traits like adaptability to children’s needs, ability to cook meals, and skill for explaining rules and concepts in terms children easily understand.
- Highlight day care work experience: Unlike other jobs, day care companies prefer experienced candidates over inexperienced ones. Include any experience you’ve had working with children in a formal setting and mention details like the age groups of the children you took care of or taught and your specific responsibilities.
- Demonstrate day care worker education: If you have day care-related education and certifications, mention them in reverse chronological order. For instance, include the degree you received in early childhood education and the certificate in child CPR and crisis prevention.
- Add accomplishments: Did you solve a complex, unusual problem that led to receiving an award or recognition from the day care or parents? Then make sure it’s in the resume! For example, if you’ve successfully prevented injuries or taught good behavior, detail that under the job where you accomplished it.
- Incorporate day care job-related keywords: Read the job description and pick out all the keywords or keyphrases that summarize the nature of the job. Be honest with yourself and mention only the skills you have. Do not add any skill set just to grab attention.
FAQ
What are the essential personality traits to become a successful day care worker?
You have to love spending time with children to teach them properly. You should be adaptable, with sufficient physical stamina, great emotional intelligence and proper social awareness.
How do I write my resume if I’m looking to move up in my day care worker career?
You have to prove your competency to move up the ladder by including all your experience, education, certifications and accomplishments. In the resume, make sure to mention your core competencies, like assisting children in communication and socialization.