Nurturing and teaching preschool children, those who are 5 years old or younger, is the job of preschool workers. Found in daycare centers, nursery schools, preschools, and family daycare homes, preschool workers play an important role in shaping the kind of adolescent a child will become by caring for the child when the parents are at work or away for other reasons. Some parents enroll their child in a nursery school primarily to provide him or her with the opportunity to interact with other children. In addition to attending to children's basic needs, these workers organize activities that stimulate the children's physical, emotional, intellectual, and social growth. They help children explore their interests, develop their talents and independence, build self-esteem, and learn how to behave with others.
Preschool workers must work in two different worlds the child's and the parent's. At the same time that they create a safe, comfortable environment in which children can grow and learn, they must also keep records of each child's progress and discuss the children's progress and needs with the parents.
Depending on their experience and educational background, some preschool workers often called preschool teachers are responsible only for children's educational activities. Other workers sometimes called child-care workers provide only basic care to children. However, even by providing basic care, workers teach the children; the children learn trust and gain a sense of security. Most preschool workers perform a combination of basic care and teaching duties. For example, a worker who shows a child how to tie a shoe teaches the child and also provides for that child's basic care needs.
Young children cannot be taught in the same manner as older students because they are less physically, emotionally, and mentally developed. Children at this age learn mainly through play. What results is a less structured approach to teaching preschool children, including small group lessons, one-on-one instruction, and learning through creative activities, such as art, dance, and music.
Preschool workers greet children as they arrive, help them remove outer garments, and teach them how to dress and undress. When caring for infants, they feed and change them. In order to ensure a well-balanced program, preschool workers prepare daily and long-term schedules of activities. Each day's activities must balance individual and group play with quiet and active time. Recognizing the importance of play, preschool workers build their program around it. They capitalize on children's play to further language development (storytelling and acting games), improve social skills (working together to build a neighborhood in a sandbox), and introduce scientific and mathematical concepts (balancing and counting blocks when building a bridge or mixing colors when painting). (A statement on teacher aides who assist classroom teachers appears elsewhere in the Handbook.)
Helping to keep children healthy is an important part of the job. Preschool workers serve nutritious meals and snacks and teach good eating habits and personal hygiene. They see to it that children have proper rest periods. They spot children who may not feel well or show signs of emotional or developmental problems and discuss these matters with their supervisor and the child's parents.
Early identification of children with special needs, such as those with behavioral, emotional, physical, or learning disabilities, is important to improve their future learning ability. Special education teachers often work with these preschool children to provide the individual attention they need. (Special education teachers are covered in the statement on kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school teachers found elsewhere in the Handbook.)
Preschool workers help children gain independence, explore their interests, and gain independence.
Preschool care facilities may be in private homes, schools, religious institutions, workplaces where employers provide care for employees' children, or private buildings. Individuals who provide care in their own homes are generally called family daycare providers. (Child-care workers who work in the child's home are covered in the statement on private household workers found elsewhere in the Handbook.)
Watching children grow, enjoy learning, and gain new skills can be very rewarding. The work, however, can be physically and emotionally taxing, as workers constantly stand, walk, bend, stoop, and lift to attend to each child's interests and problems. Preschool workers must be enthusiastic and constantly alert, anticipate and prevent problems, deal with disruptive children, and provide fair but firm discipline. They must be able to communicate effectively with the children and parents.
To ensure that children receive proper supervision, State regulations require certain ratios of workers to children. The ratio varies with the age of the children. Child development experts generally recommend that a single caregiver be responsible for no more than 3 or 4 infants (less than 1 year old), 5 or 6 toddlers (1 to 2 years old), or 10 preschool-age children (between 2 and 5 years old).
The working hours of preschool workers vary widely. Daycare centers are generally open year round with long hours so that parents can drop off and pick up their children before and after work. Daycare centers employ full-time and part-time staff with staggered shifts in order to cover the entire day. Public and many private preschool programs operate during the typical 9- or 10-month school year, employing both full-time and part-time workers. Family daycare providers have flexibile hours and daily routines, but may work long or unusual hours to fit parents' work schedules.
Preschool workers held about 941,000 jobs in 1992. Many worked part time. About half of all preschool workers are self-employed, most of whom are family daycare providers.
About half of all salaried preschool workers are found in child daycare centers and preschools, and nearly 1 in 4 works for a religious institution. The rest work in other service organizations and in government. Some employers run for-profit operations; many are affiliated with a local or national chain. Other employers, such as religious institutions, community agencies, school systems, and State and local governments, are nonprofit. A growing number of business firms operate daycare centers for the children of their employees.
The training and qualifications required of preschool workers vary widely. Many States have licensing requirements that regulate caregiver training, which generally range from a high school diploma to college courses or a college degree in child development or early childhood education. Some States require continuing education for workers in this field. For instance, Virginia requires that all workers in daycare centers receive 8 hours of courses related to child care each year. Formal education requirements in some private preschools and daycare centers exceed State requirements.
Many States require a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, which is offered by the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition. The CDA credential is recognized as a qualification for teachers and directors in 49 States and the District of Columbia. There are two ways to become a CDA through direct assessment or by completing a 1-year training program. Direct assessment is appropriate for people who already have some background and experience in early childhood education, while the training program is designed for people with little or no child development education or experience. In order to receive the credential, the applicant must demonstrate the knowledge and skills that meet certain nationally recognized standards for working with young children, whether acquired through formal training or experience, to a team of child-care professionals from the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition.
Some employers may not require a CDA credential, but may require secondary or postsecondary courses in child development and early childhood education, and possibly work experience in a child-care setting. Other schools require their own specialized training. For example, Montessori preschool teachers must complete an additional year of training after receiving their bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a related field. Public schools typically require a bachelor's degree and State teacher certification. Teacher training programs include a variety of liberal arts courses, student teaching, and prescribed professional courses, including instruction in teaching gifted, disadvantaged, and other children with special needs.
Preschool workers should be mature, patient, understanding, and articulate, and have energy and physical stamina. Skills in music, art, drama, and storytelling are also important. Those who work for themselves must have business sense and management abilities.
As preschool workers gain experience, they may advance to supervisory or administrative positions in large child-care centers or preschools. Often, however, these positions require additional training, such as a bachelor's degree. With a bachelor's degree, preschool workers may become certified to teach in public schools at the kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school levels. Some workers set up their own child-care businesses.
Employment of preschool workers is projected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005. Job openings should be plentiful as many preschool workers leave the occupation each year for other often better paying jobs, family responsibilities, or other reasons. The relatively high turnover, combined with an increased demand for preschool workers, is expected to create many openings. Qualified persons who are interested in this work should have little trouble finding and keeping a job.
Despite a slight decline in the number of children age 5 and under, the proportion of youngsters in daycare and preschool is expected to increase, reflecting a shift in the type of child-care arrangements parents choose. Many parents turn to formal child-care arrangements for a variety of reasons they may need two incomes; they may find it too difficult to set up a satisfactory arrangement with a relative, babysitter, or live-in worker; or they may prefer the formal arrangements for personal reasons, such as a more structured learning and social environment.
Rising labor force participation among women age 20-44, though increasing more slowly than during the 1980's, will also contribute to the growth of employment among preschool workers. Currently, mothers of very young children are almost as likely to work as other women, and this pattern is not expected to change. Moreover, women are returning to work sooner after childbirth.
Pay depends on the employer and educational attainment of the worker. Although the pay is generally low, more education means higher earnings in some cases.
In 1992, median weekly earnings of full-time, salaried child-care workers were $260; for early childhood teacher assistants, $220. The middle 50 percent of child-care workers earned between $210 and $320; assistants, between $190 and $300. The top 10 percent of child-care workers earned at least $460; assistants, at least $420. The bottom 10 percent of child-care workers earned less than $140; teacher assistants, less than $150.
The small number of preschool workers in public schools who have State teacher certification generally have salaries and benefits comparable to kindergarten and elementary school teachers. According to the National Education Association, kindergarten and elementary school teachers earned an average salary of $34,800 in 1992. (A statement on kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school teachers is found elsewhere in the Handbook.)
Earnings of self-employed child-care workers vary depending on the hours worked, number and ages of the children, and the location.
Benefits for preschool workers also vary. Many employers offer free or discounted child care to employees. Some offer a full benefits package, including health insurance and paid vacations, but others offer no benefits at all. Some employers offer seminars and workshops to help workers improve upon or learn new skills. A few are willing to cover the cost of courses taken at community colleges or technical schools.
Child-care work requires patience; creativity; an ability to nurture, motivate, teach, and influence children; and leadership, organizational, and administrative abilities. Others who work with children and need these aptitudes include teacher aides, children's tutors, kindergarten and elementary school teachers, early childhood program directors, and child psychologists.
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Reprinted with Permission of U. S. Department of Labor