Child Care Workers may vary according to their place of employment. Child Care Workers may:

Care for the needs of children

Encourage a positive self-concept

Ensure that children are dressed and fed

Instruct children on desirable health and personal habits

Plan and lead recreational activities

Provide stimulating experiences

Discipline children

Recommend other measures to control behavior

Help handicapped children with their daily needs

Assist handicapped children with their physical therapy treatments

Tools, equipment and materials used may include:

Child Care Workers may work directly under supervisors or physicians if they are hospital children's workers, or they may consult with regularly with supervisors regarding child care. They may work with other staff members including psychologists, social workers, child guidance counselors, or physicians in planning and providing care and/or treatment for children. Self-employed Child Care Workers taking care of children in the child's home or in their own home have sole responsibility.

Child Care Workers may work in publicly supported or privately operated children's homes, schools, dormitories, youth camps, mental hospitals, halfway houses, detention centers, receiving homes, business establishments, or child day-care centers. Some facilities are modern with adequate furnishings and staff, while others are old and overcrowded.

Certain Child Care Worker positions, such as houseparent at state schools for the blind and deaf are normally seasonal positions from September to June. Those who are employed by camps work only during the summer months. Others, such as children's institution workers in state mental hospitals, are year-round positions and workers may be required to work on holidays.

Many Child Care Workers work 40 hours, 5 days a week, 8:00.A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Others may work afternoons, nights, or split shifts as well as some weekends. Still others sleep in 2 to 4 nights a week or reside full time at the facility where they may be on duty 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, with 2 days and 1 evening off per week.

Some must provide a residence or message telephone number where they can be reached at any time because of the on-call nature of their work. They may be called for day or night duty in case of emergency.

You Should Prefer:

• Helping people and caring about the well-being of children

• Working with children

You Should Be Able To:

• Work under supervision

• Work cooperatively with other personnel and parents

• Handle responsibility

• Make decisions using good judgment

• Gain the respect, confidence, and cooperation of children

• Maintain discipline and enforce rules

• Lead in games and recreation

• Deal with emergency situations calmly

• Prepare reports and keep records

• Stay alert so that a safe environment is maintained

Math Problem You Should Be Able to Solve:

A child is supposed to receive 1/4 teaspoon of cold medication every four hours and the prescription indicates that if a dosage is missed to double the dosage. If the child misses one dosage, how much medication should the child receive?

Reading Example You Should Be Able to Read and Comprehend:

Children's activity books and teaching information.

For example, draw a paper pattern for the clown body. Cut it out. Pin the pattern to two layers of cloth and cut around it. Using a short stitch, start to sew the pieces together from point A to B. Turn the clown body inside out so that the seams are inside. Stuff the clown with cotton. Sew up the opening us the overhand stitch.

Writing Example You Should Be Able to Produce:

Prepare an analysis following an observation of a child with a potential behavioral problem.

Thinking Skill You Should Be Able to Demonstrate:

Excellent analytical and organizational skills and be detail oriented in providing child care.

NOTE: This occupation does not require a High School Diploma. On-The-Job Training provided by the employer or a High School Diploma or Equivalent or a High School Diploma with specific Vocational Education Classes or a Certificate (program of up to one year of study beyond high school) or an Associate Degree (two years of study beyond high school) may qualify a person for this occupation.

The following education and preparation opportunities are helpful in preparing for occupations in the MOIScript:

***SCHOOL SUBJECTS***

0200 ART , 0400 BAND , 0700 CAREERS , 0800 CHOIR , 0900 COMMUNICATIONS , 1100 ECONOMICS , 1500 FOODS & NUTRITION , 1800 HEALTH & HEALTH CAREERS , 2000 LIFE MANAGEMENT , 2400 MUSIC , 2700 PHYSICAL EDUCATION , 3000 SOCIAL STUDIES , 3100 STUDY & WORK OPTIONS

***VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS***

021 CONSUMER HOME ECONOMICS EDUC.

Approved vocational education programs in Consumer Home Economics Education prepare students at all education levels for the occupation of homemaking. Emphasis is on the understanding of attitudes, standards, and skills that pertain to individual and family life. Some instructional programs would emphasize child growth and development, housing and home management, food and nutrition, family living and parenthood, among others. These programs prepare students for a multiple role of homemaker and wage earner.

The following courses may be required for completion of this program:

022 CHILD AND ADULT CARE SERVICES

Approved vocational education programs in Child & Adult Care Services provide instruction in the skills needed for employment in an occupation that relates to the needs of children and the care of young children. The work may include: assisting teachers of nursery schools or day care centers; assisting with activities in children's libraries, playgrounds, recreation centers, and other public places; and caring for children in private homes. Courses in other home economics related programs may be required for completion of this program.

High school students should consult their guidance office for more information about the specific requirements of this program at their school or area vocational education center.

***POSTSECONDARY PROGRAM***

030 CHILD CARE & GUIDANCE

Programs in Child Care and Guidance provide opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills used in providing for the care and protection of children. Persons completing Child Care and Guidance programs may be employed by schools, institutions, or in private homes as "Nannies". Individuals who teach at the secondary school level must have a Michigan Teaching Certificate.

Courses vary from school to school but may include:

Earnings for Child Care Workers may depend upon the experience and education of the individual worker, the specific job, the type of child care facility, and the geographic location. Earnings tend to be higher in large centers and lower in church-affiliated centers. Earnings of self-employed Child Care Workers vary even more than those of wage and salary Workers, depending on the number of children for which they are responsible.

Nationally, Child Care Workers earned a median wage of $253 per week or about $7.03 per hour (1998).

Typical hourly wages of Child Care Workers in Michigan county or state child care facilities were (1999):

The 1997 graduates of high school vocational education programs in Michigan who are working in jobs related to this occupation earned a beginning average of $6.17 per hour in 1998.

Benefits depend on the employer. Some Child Care Workers receive paid vacations and holidays; hospitalization insurance; sick leave; and retirement plans. These benefits are usually paid for, at least in part, by the employer.

Advancement may depend upon the individual's supervisory ability, successful work experience with children, or ability to pass an examination. Child Care Workers may become a director of a child care center if they have 2 years of college.

Nationally, in 1996, about 829,700 Child Care Workers were employed. Employment is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2006 due to the increasing number of preschool-age children with working mothers. About 57.5% of them were self-employed. The industry distribution for Child Care Workers looked like this:

There are about 23,525 Child Care Workers employed in Michigan.

Employment of Child Care Workers is expected to grow as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2005. An average of 460 annual job openings will exist, with 210 due to growth and 250 needed to replace those who retire, die, or leave the labor force for other reasons. Additional openings may occur as Workers change jobs or occupations.

As more women enter or re-enter the job market, the demand for Child Care Workers will increase. Also, many openings will arise from the need to replace Child Care Workers who are not suited to work or prefer a less exacting job. Increased interest in day-care programs will lead to additional openings.

MICHIGAN'S EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK TO 2005

Printed Occupational information is available upon written request from the sources below.