A child care or day care worker is primarily responsible for watching children as they play and ensuring their safety. For each child under their care, they must make note of what activities the child engaged in on that particular day, what they ate and any other applicable information, such as when the child’s diaper was changed or what time the child received medication.
Often, a child care or day care worker helps the children under their care with life skills. They instruct the little ones on the proper use of utensils, how to use the bathroom and how to follow directions. These workers must also have good communication skills, as they will be responsible for cooperating with both parents and other child care workers to ensure that the children’s needs are addressed properly.
Day care facilities must have a written schedule, and child care workers help see to it that this plan is carried out. They may also help tweak the schedule to make it more applicable to the children under their care, if necessary. Each day is different; as the children’s behavior and needs will vary day-to-day, so will the schedule. However, these workers will spend time outside each day with the children and will feed them meals and snacks.
A day care "facility" can be defined an actual child care center or a private home. In general, a high school diploma is required to find work in this field. Most work full time, but the hours vary; it is not unusual for a child care worker to begin their shift early in the morning or carry on until late in the evening.
Child Care / Day Care Worker Tasks
- Interact with other adults, including parents and fellow child care workers, on behalf of children.
- Contribute to facility's planning and administration.
- Provide a safe, orderly environment in which children's needs (physical, emotional, social, etc.) are met effectively.
- Maintain appropriate documentation.
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