A Typical Day for Childcare Providers
What it Takes to Work in Childcare
Childcare providers tackle an array of tasks each day. Usually, the morning hours are the busiest, but their jobs go beyond just breakfast and playtime. They play a vital role in a child’s life and frequently spend time with the children they’re watching.
Providers need ample patience and some creativity to inspire both themselves and the kids. The age range of children in care varies greatly, but most kids with working parents will find themselves cared for by a provider at some point in their life.
Their hours of work are often random, and they can be spontaneous as much as they can be planned. Some providers strictly stick to working through an institution, which solidifies hours much more so than an on-call nanny position would.
Some common daily tasks of childcare workers include: preparing food and feeding the children multiple meals and snacks, brushing their hair and teeth, picking out their clothing, helping them dress, taking them to school/daycare/the park/appointments, entertaining them throughout the day, teaching them, changing their diapers, potty training them, putting them down for naps, guiding them as they learn to walk/crawl/sit up/talk, cleaning up after them, bathing the children, brushing their teeth again, reading them bedtime stories, tucking them in, etc.
Different Types of Work
There are various ways to work in the childcare field; the most popular ways are working as a nanny or babysitter, through a childcare agency, or at a preschool or a daycare center. These roles require different focuses and concentrations for the children.
Nannies and babysitters often become entwined in the family and grow close with the children, in some cases even living in their home. People in this type of role help the child wake up and move throughout the day. The job requirements extend to cooking for the child, cleaning, running errands, practicing hygiene, and overseeing many other intricate details of a child’s daily routine.
Additionally, nannies and babysitters help tidy up around the house, especially by cleaning up after the children. If the children are home all day, the nanny provides them with nutritious meals, physical activity, mental stimulation, and companionship. By the time parents are done with their workday, some children are tucked into bed by the caretaker and dinner may even be waiting for the parents.
Hours extend into the evening and sometimes overnight for nannies and babysitters. However, providers that work through a company oversee environments that children are in during the day, usually in a public space, like a daycare or preschool. They manage children in largely the same ways, but outside of the company, they are not involved in the child’s life.
There are different organizations that refer perspective families to approved childcare facilities or workers. Two national organizations that host a number of resources for childcare information are the Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) and the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCRC). They are good resources for those seeking childcare and for those seeking work opportunities.
Childcare providers in a public setting analyze and observe children’s actions and interactions. They help children assimilate into a group setting and act as extra eyes watching the child’s growth and progress. Childcare providers encourage children to understand morals, social cues, and ideas that the children harbor.
The Children in Childcare
As a child, being cared for in a structured setting by a caregiver, allows them to develop healthy schedules and daily routines. They also monitor how the kids move through the world and can potentially flag any inappropriate occurrences.
People who work with children have knowledge and previous experience with childhood development, so if a child is struggling with a learning disability or a behavioral problem, childcare providers can help identify and address the issue in some cases.
Often, children develop special bonds with their caretakers because of the time spent together. This means that childcare providers have a special job of instilling good values, morals, and lessons into children. They are a role model of sorts. Parents can’t be there for every moment of a child’s life, so they pick someone they trust to take their place.
Childcare providers help children grow intellectually, emotionally, mentally, and physically by encouraging them, teaching them, and helping them maintain healthy habits from a young age.
Whatever position a childcare provider is in, one thing remains constant: they enrich the children’s lives in a multitude of ways, both consciously and subconsciously.
Future Employment
Blackstone’s Child Care Provider Career Training Program covers the fundamentals of early childhood education, the childcare profession, and developmentally appropriate practices for dealing with children from birth through school age. It also emphasizes the importance of time and stress management skills, critical thinking skills, and interpersonal communication skills, when working with or around children.
The program prepares students for entry-level employment and teaches them the skills required for opening their own daycare. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the demand for childcare workers will continue to grow and the employment of childcare workers is projected to expand 8% from 2020 to 2030.
Start Your Career At Blackstone Career Institute and Become Certified:
Start your profession with one of BCI’s Career Training Programs and earn a diploma in Child Care Provider. Then as a qualified candidate, take any licensing and certification requirements to stand out to future employers!
