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Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a child care provider. Feel free to use our child care provider job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a child care provider.

 

Who is a Child Care Provider?

Child Care Provider means an individual who provides non-residential children care services in exchange for compensation, is legally licensed under the law of the State, and is compliant with any applicable state and local regulations in the provision of child care services. Child care provider refers to the owner or operator, employee, or volunteer of a child-care organization or an adult care facility licensed to provide care to the child. These professionals are also referred to as daycare service providers and they are in charge of the supervision and care of a child or several children at one time. Their ages vary from two weeks up to 18 years old.

 

There are types of Child Care providers, mostly depending on the location.

They include;

• In-home child care provider

In the home, care is usually offered by nannies, au pairs, or even friends and family members. The child is supervised within the home. This is done with the purpose to prevent illness caused by outside interactions. Following the number of children living in the home, children in care at home could benefit from the most interaction with their caregivers which in turn creates bonds of friendship. There is no requirement for licensing or background checks for home care, making the parental eye crucial in selecting the right caregiver. Au pair and nanny services offer certified caregivers. The cost of care at home is the highest among childcare options for children, even though households with a lot of children may choose this as the most cost-effective and convenient alternative. Numerous nannies pursue qualifications in childcare. The purpose of this training is to train a caregiver on how to create a secure enjoyable environment for children to love and flourish in. In general, au pairs or Nannies offer more than just routine childcare, usually providing help with household chores such as running errands, shopping, washing clothes cooking meals, and cleaning up the home.

 

• Family child care provider

Family child care providers look after children within the caretaker’s home. Children may be in an age range that is mixed with a lower ratio of adults to children. The care offered could be individualized and personalized. The hours could be more flexible, and providers may provide the option of weekend and evening care for parents working shifts. The price of a family child care facility could be considerably lower than a center. The home-based provider can provide the most personalized care, and thus better suit the demands of families with children. Furthermore the fact that family care typically has the lowest percentage of children being cared for and allows for more interaction between the child and the provider than would be found in commercial centers for care. Family child care can help foster friendships that are emotionally secure for all those that are. The caregivers can connect with parents every day at a personal level, and provide information regarding the growth of their child. They take care of multi-age groups of children, allowing them to be with one parent for many years, helping children build a sense of confidence and safety. Multi-age settings enable children to benefit from each other’s experiences and also allow siblings to remain together. Certain child care facilities for families can offer parents greater flexibility regarding operating hours, for example, the evening or weekend care, as well as overnight and even before or after-school care.

 

• Center-based childcare provider

In a center for childcare, teachers concentrate on the mental and physical growth of their students. To have greater knowledge of the children teachers in childcare centers should establish a connection with their students that meets their desires and needs, as well as guide them towards the highest standards of behavior. This kind of teaching involving an underlying relationship can improve students’ morals and their learning. Commercial care centers, also referred to as daycares have specific hours and provide an established and controlled system of child care. Parents can choose an establishment that is close to where they work and some businesses might even provide care at their premises. The form that parents use to select the child care center may be based on the mission statement and what objectives they believe need to be met. Child care centers should write their mission out and contain one of their main elements, which is health-related. The objectives must be tailored to the requirements of each child and could be altered from one child to the next. The child care provider should determine which objectives best suit the child, and adjust them following the child’s specific needs. In determining the activities that will be used to achieve these goals outdoors and indoor activities should be considered

 

 

Child Care Provider Job Description

Below are the child care provider job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a child care provider job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.

The duties and responsibilities of a child care provider include the following:

• Ensuring child’s safety under supervision.
• Planning a thorough cleaning strategy to ensure that all places of interaction are clean and secure.
• Designing fun and educational activities for children.
• Keeping current records of children’s behavior, development, routines, and interests.
• Planning and monitoring the plans to ensure that children get sufficient rest, physical exercise, and time for play.
• Cooking and serving food items.
• Assisting children, either individually or with groups of children, in their lesson plans and assignments.
• Maintaining excellent written and verbal communication with parents and guardians.
• Offering care to children, for example, making schedules and routines for feeding, grooming, changing diapers, and cleaning up toys and areas.
• Promoting and fostering socialization and learning that is age-appropriate to help children develop fundamental skills and concepts like communicating, manners, sharing,
• Ensuring that the workplace is safe by monitoring children’s physical, mental, and emotional issues, and reporting them to parents and staff.
• Children can discover new passions by giving them exposure to music, art as well as sports, and other possible hobbies.
• Ensuring that children are learning positive behavior and offering guidance or discipline if needed.
• Helping children prepare for the next stage of care or be prepared for the transition into the school system.
• Record keeping about the child’s care.
• Assisting parents in helping children achieve their academic and behavioral goals.
• Engaging in positive interactions with the children to help build confidence and self-esteem.
• Ensuring that children are engaged, and entertained in activities for development.
• Correcting children who are not behaving properly.
• Setting and monitoring daily schedules.
• Encouraging and modeling the development of good social skills, e.g. good communication skills and conflict resolution.
• Reporting and monitoring developmental or safety-related concerns.
• Monitoring and supervising the safety of children.
• Planning activities or creating an educational program that allows children to discover the world around them and develop their interest
• Becoming aware of indications of developmental or emotional issues with children and bringing possible issues to the attention of the parents or guardians.
• Assisting preschoolers to learn thereby preparing them for Kindergarten.
• Employing the play method and other techniques for teaching to support children’s growth. For instance, employing rhyming and storytelling games to teach children about language and vocabulary.
• Helping children improve their social abilities by having them work in teams.
• Assisting students with their homework and accompanying children to afterschool activities, for example, sports practices and club meetings.
• Recording each child’s growth, interests, and any issues that could arise.
• Maintaining contact with parents of the children in the event of an emergency.
• Creating plans to ensure that children receive enough physical activity, time off, and nutrition, as well as stimulation for their minds.
• Examining children for any indications of emotional or behavioral problems and alerting their parents or guardians if any be found.
• Introducing toddlers, babies, and young children to the basic concepts such as sharing toys and reading.
• Teaching children the development of their language and artistic activities like painting and music, as well as dance.
• Staying up-to-date on community care licensing regulations, the local options for child care providers and trends in child care, subsidies for child care, and the best methods for child care and developmental programs.

 

• Explaining complicated policies, services, and procedures to parents, members of the community, and/or other child care providers and seeking the advice of the supervisor when the proper method of operation is unclear
• Collaborating with other child care providers from other organizations to create an academic and spiritual environment.
• Creating a positive and stimulating social interaction by interacting with children individually as well as in groups.
• Keeping a daily log of the points and numbers of the children in classrooms.
• Assisting children in addressing their physical needs by assisting when necessary
• Teaching the lesson plans that are provided to support the academic and the development of social and emotional skills of every child in their classroom.
• Writing daily reports to the parents of every child in their the classroom assigned, as directed by the Director.
• Assisting in the management of behavior issues for children in the classroom
• Providing oral reports according to the request of parents.
• Ensuring a proper record of any important incidents or accidents.
• Keeping the standard of the program that satisfies the physical, emotional, and intellectual needs as well as the social, as well as developmental requirements of each particular child in the group.
• Exhibiting professionalism, by not showing favoritism but rather acting as a role model for behavior, language, and social conduct.
• Knowing all compliance laws of the states related to childcare, policy, and procedure and following these in a professional, yet sensitive way.
• Instructing the parents and children to follow the guidelines of our center concerning safety and cooperation, as this will ensure a safer, more organized atmosphere and also increase the confidence of clients.
• Assisting children to learn how to collaborate through various interactive activities and games designed to foster collaboration.
• Helping to resolve conflict situations as they occur.
• Preparing the children for snacks and lunchtimes and assisting the other staff with handing out beverages and food items.
• Contacting local government agencies, private businesses, and civic associations to help organize special events and visits at the child care center for children.
• Engaging in one-on-one sessions with parents when issues related to an individual’s behavior in the center should be addressed or when it is requested by parents.
• Ensuring that children are transported to various daily activities, including libraries, school, and other recreation activities.
• Respectingparental discipline and diet standards.
• Tutoring students individually.
• Administeringminor first aid and carrying out emergency measures including CPR certification.
• Assisting those with special educational requirements.

 

Qualifications

• High school diploma.
• An associate’s diploma in the field of early childhood development.
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, or education.
• Minimum of two years of solid working experience in a reputable early elementary education center or similar program.
• State license
• Child Development Associate (CDA) certification.
• Child Care Professional (CCP) certification.
• Certification in cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
• Caring and compassion-based attitude.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal capabilities.
• An active driver’s permit.
• A required minimum age.
• An understanding of the various developmental stages in childhood.

 

Essential Skills

• Communication skills.

The child care provider should be able to communicate with colleagues and parents about the progress of the children they take care of. They require good communication skills to convey this information effectively, and also excellent listening skills to comprehend the instructions of parents. Child care providers need to interact with parents, supervisors, and obviously, the children. They’ll need to employ the correct approach, based on the person they’re working with. Since a lot of young children learn by watching stories and examples that they can relate to, child care providers must be able to instruct and demonstrate new concepts using scenarios they can relate to. The ability to communicate well is a must for a successful child care provider. As they work with children, they have to communicate with children using appropriate language for their age. On another hand, caregivers need to communicate with their parents and colleagues. Therefore, child care providers must possess strong communication abilities. A strong combination of written, verbal, and nonverbal communication skills is essential to your work as a child care provider. Planning and recording your lessons, activities, and other paperwork rely in large part on your ability of you to effectively communicate through writing. Communicating verbally is crucial to interact with staff members, children as well as parents. Your body language as well as other types of non-verbal communication can be very beneficial when you need to communicate with and establish connections with colleagues at work.

• Decision-making skills.

As a child care provider, it is important to have a good judgment to ensure you can respond quickly to emergencies or challenging situations. When caring for children, there are bound to be many instances where the child care provider must react quickly and use the right decision to resolve the issue. There are a variety of complex scenarios that could occur all at once, and that’s the moment when a child provider’s decision-making skills need to come to the forefront and make the right decision for all affected parties. Child care providers have to make numerous decisions during a typical day of work. The ability to make an unbiased judgment and take quick decisions is crucial in deciding on the lessons to plan during your day’s activities or whether you need to manage the conflict between students at school. Child care providers could require quick decisions to deal with emergencies in the classroom, which require the use of logical thinking.

• Instructional skills.

Child care providers must be able to explain concepts in terms that children comprehend. Based on the environment in which they work the child care worker may also be responsible for planning and delivering classes to children that they supervise. For example, an in-home child care provider for children in preschool may create educational programs and guide them through various topics like writing and reading. It is therefore essential to learn these abilities to become an early childhood educator.

• Classroom management

Classroom management skills include leadership abilities, paired with the capacity to manage and keep rules for small groups. In the case of working in a child care facility, you may be accountable for managing a larger group of children than you worked in private with one family. It is therefore essential to master effective classroom management skills such as keeping track of the work of your children and ensuring that you have the tools you require in the classroom, observing the behavior of your class, and creating an environment of a community. 

• Problem-solving skills

The environment of child care is often unpredictable. This makes developing critical thinking and problem-solving abilities important. Professionals in child care might have to think of innovative solutions to everyday problems and ensure the safety and well-being of the children under their care. They could also be required to discover unique solutions for difficulties in learning. Other problem-solving abilities which include CPR as well as first aid are particularly beneficial for childcare workers. Being able to tackle challenges can be one of the most important aspects of the job of an employee of a child care facility and therefore, strong problem-solving abilities are required to perform in this position. For instance, difficulties within the learning environment such as shortage of resources and children being unhappy or sick, or having to modify the way they teach are examples of problems that child care providers would have to resolve in their work.

• Creative thinking

Child care providers are exceptionally creative, particularly when working with children. Organizing fun activities, planning activities for children, keeping the children they care for excited, and active is a key part of the job which is why finding ways to improve your creativity and apply it to your task can be beneficial.

• Patience

Children can be stressful, which is why child care providers must be able to handle stressful and challenging situations with calm. Since every child is in a different stage of development, each child care provider will have to be able to handle certain situations in which their patience can be helpful, be it listening to a piece of specific music repeatedly, repeating and explaining something repeatedly, or handling an occasional temper tantrum. Being patient with children is essential to their emotional and academic growth and is a skill every child care provider should possess. Without this characteristic, the majority of child care providers would not be effective in their work. Children are skilled at making up all sorts of scenarios that range from the difficult and stressful ones to the challenging as well as the chaotic. Children are innocent, so should they be treated with respect if they’re acting out or are not adhering to the rules. The best childcare provider should be patient and remain calm and handle the situation with respect and comfort.

• Physical endurance.

Children are physically exhausting. Every child care provider must be able to work hard. Being able to keep on top of children of all ages could be physically demanding. Furthermore, the child care provider could be required to transport games or toys from room to place or transport toddlers and babies. A few child care providers may also be involved with their students’ leisure or outdoor activities. 

 

• Observation skills

It’s not just about caring for children, but you must examine how they’re progressing in the planned activities, particularly if they’re having difficulty talking to other kids, if they seem excited about the activities or if they’re having problems with the activity and need help.

• Interpersonal abilities

A strong interpersonal skill can help. Being aware of, sensitive, and understanding can assist child care providers to communicate with children under their care. Child care providers play a significant influence on children’s lives. Sometimes, they interact with them for five or six hours every day. Skills in interpersonal communication can be beneficial when dealing with parents or other employees.

• Teaching skills

Even if child care providers don’t have a specific job as teachers, they usually assume the role of an educator. They teach children important tasks, like how to express their wants and needs as well as how to tie and put on their shoes or how to manage conflict.

 

How to Become a Child Care Provider

• Education

The requirements for the education of child care providers are different. Some states require these workers to possess a high school diploma or equivalent. However, other states do not have qualifications for entry-level jobs. Employers typically prefer hiring employees with at least the equivalent of a high school diploma. However, people who have postsecondary education or an early childhood education certification might be eligible for higher-level job titles. Child care providers who work in Head Start and Early Head Start programs must satisfy specific educational and certification requirements that vary based on the working environment and job title. States do not regulate educational requirements for nannies. However, some employers might prefer hiring employees with at least some formal training in the field of childhood education or a related field, especially when they are hired as full-time Nannies. A bachelor’s degree in psychology can also be obtained too.

• Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

A majority of states require child care facilities as well as those located in private homes licensed. To be eligible for licensure, the staff usually has to undergo a background screening and must have a comprehensive list of vaccinations, and have a minimum amount of training. Certain states require that staff possess certifications in cardiopulmonary rescue (CPR) as well as first-aid. Certain states and employers require childcare employees to possess an accredited credential recognized nationally. In most cases, state laws require that child care providers have to be certified with the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, which is offered through the Council for Professional Recognition. To obtain the CDA credential is a requirement for completing coursework as well as working experience in the field as well as a period in which the candidate is observed in the field while being with children. The CDA credential has to be renewed every three years. Other organizations, like The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), could also provide accreditation options.

• Training

A lot of state and employer requirements require child care providers to attend a certain amount of training before starting work. In addition, numerous states require staff working in childcare facilities to complete an agreed-upon number of training hours each year. Training could include information on things like safe sleeping methods for babies, e.t.c.

• Work Experience

Before you apply for a child care provider, an experience with children can provide you with real-world experience and boost your chances in your job hunt. You could offer to babysit for your family or friends at an hourly fee or no cost. The experience will allow you to be able to work with children of various ages and assist you in deciding which child you’re the most at ease working with. Additionally, you could participate in summer camps or after-school programs, non-profits, or even local churches. This will allow you to assist groups of children and to observe the work of professionals working in this field.

 

Where to Work as Child Care Provider

• Government-owned
• Privately-owned facilities.
• Nurseries.
• Hospital
• Childcare centers.
• Kindergartens
• Residential houses.
• Women’s shelters.
• Pre-Schools
• Public schools.
• Private residences.
• Personal house

 

Child Care Provider Salary Scale

The average salary for a child care provider in Nigeria is 66,000 NGN a month.

The total salary of a child care provider is $54,040 annually in the United States area, with an average of $29,704 annually.

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