Create a Child Care Resume
in 5 Simple Steps

  • Step 1: Add Contact Info

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  • Step 2: Include Work Experience Details

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  • Step 3: Provide Education Details

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  • Step 4: Select Your Skills

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  • Step 5: Fill in Your Background

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Get Expert Writing Recommendations for Your Child Care Resume

In the child care field, employers and parents need to trust that candidates have compassion, integrity and the ability to handle almost anything. With our simple-to-use Resume Builder, LiveCareer offers you the necessary tools to create an eye-catching resume. The key is to incorporate plenty of industry-specific phrases to show suitability for the job.

Our certified resume writers have created industry-specific text to help. Here are some examples of child care content our builder might recommend for your resume:

  • Observed children’s play to reinforce positive behaviors and redirect other interactions to improve conduct where appropriate.
  • Worked with special-needs students to provide individual and group tutoring on core subjects.
  • Maintained group discipline through positive reinforcement, behavior modeling and collaboration with parents.
  • Prepared bite-sized snacks and carefully watched children eat to prevent choking.
  • Enhanced children’s self-esteem and promoted social development with group activities and individual emotional support.
  • Instructed children in health and personal habits, including eating, resting and toileting.

8 Do’s and Don’ts for Writing a Child Care Resume

  • Do include relevant educational details. While many child care jobs do not require a college degree, having some university education can be beneficial for your resume. If you took classes at a community college or other postsecondary institution in child psychology, education, nursing or any other field related to working with people, you may stand out as more qualified.
  • Do provide evidence of certifications. These credentials are very important to some day care employers. If you have earned an infant/toddler child care certificate, for example, or any other certificates, be sure to include them. Some employers require specific certifications, such as infant first aid and CPR, as a minimum for qualifying for an interview. Any certifications related to safety and children are relevant.
  • Do show examples of results. The child care field is large and full of wonderful, qualified candidates. Show why you are the best with specific metrics about your success and the results of motivating and helping children. Focus on percentages of improvement in tutoring, the number of children who left your care ready for kindergarten or progress in other measurable areas of development.
  • Do feature soft skills. A caring and nurturing personality is critical in this field. Child care workers should do more than simply state that they possess the qualities. Let your resume show this with a detailed list of your soft skills that are relevant to the job, such as building relationships with children, creating meaningful activities and partnering with parents.
  • Don’t make spelling or grammar mistakes. Double-check your resume for grammar and spelling errors before submitting it. Making a mistake not only shows that you are careless about details but it may also suggest that you are not suitable to be a communications role model for children. Employers and parents want young children to learn from professionals with strong writing and speaking skills.
  • Don’t neglect to mention safety. Safety is one of the most important considerations when working with children. Make sure your resume doesn’t neglect this essential part of a child care worker’s qualifications for the field. Include details about preventing accidents, keeping playthings and areas sanitized and teaching children safety rules. If you have special training, such as CPR, mention it.
  • Don’t list references on your resume. Aspiring child care workers Don’t need to include their references on the resume. Many employers conduct background checks and review references for people working with kids in a separate step of the hiring process.
  • Don’t forget your special skills. Some child care workers have an opportunity to stand out by featuring special skills. If you have experience working with children with special needs, speaking a foreign language or offering step-by-step guidance in sports, employers may view these as enhanced qualifications.

Beat the ATS With These Child Care Resume Skills

In the child care industry, the use of applicant tracking systems (ATS) is common, especially in corporate settings. An ATS help recruiters narrow the applicant pool by eliminating unqualified candidates by scanning resumes for a set list of keywords.

It is vital to include the right keywords and phrases to pass the ATS stage of recruitment.Here are some examples of skills and qualifications our builder might recommend for job seekers in child care:

  • Empathetic and friendly.
  • Patient and calm.
  • Strong verbal communicator.
  • Passion for learning.
  • Holds current CPR and first aid certificates.
  • Knowledgeable of early childhood education standards.
  • Understanding of childhood development and psychology.
  • Ability to create engaging daily lessons and activities.
  • Experience with positive behavior strategies.
  • Earned 90-hour early childhood certificate.
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Child Care Resumes for Every Professional Level

Entry-Level

Playground Supervisor

Entry-level workers in the child care field should focus on skills and qualifications rather than experience. Job seekers, like this candidate, may use transferable skills learned in past positions. He focuses the experience he gleaned from the one playground supervisor position instead of on his work history.

The functional resume format used here separates the candidate’s qualifications into three essential categories for playground supervisors by including Safety, Activity Monitoring and Communication sections. These skills will stand out to an employer looking to fill the playground supervisor role.

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Mid-Career

After-school Counselor

A candidate in mid-career, such as this individual looking for an after-school counselor position, should focus on a combination of experiences and skills to prove their job readiness. This applicant features specific experiences and skills for the job, such as progress reporting, records management and student motivation in the Qualifications section.

The combination resume format here helps showcase duties from her previous jobs, and she focuses even further on specific tasks and accomplishments from past employment. She successfully uses metrics, such as 80 percent improvement in academic achievement, to show her results.

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Executive-Level

Live-in Nanny

Job seekers wanting a higher-level position with more responsibility, such as this live-in nanny candidate, must show even more impressive work history and skills. She features her college history to show her advanced knowledge of child development for this field.

This chronological resume format is perfect for detailing a wide variety of various skills that employers desire fortop child care workers. She shows her success in teaching children, supporting their academic progress, helping them with emotional development, setting a schedule and keeping a family’s home organized and tidy.

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Resume Success Stories

Statistics and Facts About Child Care Jobs

Largest Employers for Child Care Workers

Child day care services26%
Self-employed workers25%
Private households19%
Elementary and secondary schools8%
Religious or nonprofit organizations8%
0 15% 30%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Percentile Wage Estimates for Child Care Workers

  • $17,490

    10th percentile

  • $19,180

    25th percentile

  • $22,290

    50th percentile (median)

  • $26,610

    75th percentile

  • $32,780

    90th percentile

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Highest Paying Industries for Child Care Workers

Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals$39,540
Personal care services$33,190
State government$29,770
Specialty hospitals$29,020
Consulting services$29,020
0 25K 50K

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Median Hourly Wage for Child Care Work by Education Level and Age Group

  • $13.83

    Bachelor’s or graduate degree / infant/toddler

  • $17.86

    Bachelor’s or graduate degree / ages 3 to 5

  • $11.85

    Associate degree / infant/toddler

  • $13.11

    Associate degree / ages 3 to 5

  • $9.68

    No degree / infant/toddler

  • $10.73

    No degree / ages 3 to 5

Source: University of California, Berkeley – Early Childhood Workforce Index 2018

Race and Ethnicity Data for Child Care Workers

White68.4%
Black17.3%
Other6.2%
Asian3.8%
Two or more races3.1%
American Indian0.7%
Other Native0.2%
0% 50% 100%

Source: Data USA – U.S. Census Bureau

States With the Highest Number of Child Care Workers

States With The Highest Number 1

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Child Care Workers Projected Job Growth – 2016–2026

Child Care 1

Source: Data USA – U.S. Census Bureau

Education – Child Care Staff With a Degree and Major Type

Education25%
Business15%
Psychology9%
Health7%
Social Sciences6%
Human Sciences5%
Visual & Performing Arts5%
Communications4%
Public Administration/Social Service3%
English3%
Biology3%
Engineering2%
Liberal Arts & Humanities2%
Protective Services2%
Parks, Recreation, & Leisure2%
History1%
Cultural & Gender Studies1%
Language & Logistics1%
Theology1%
0% 30%

Source: Data USA – U.S. Census Bureau

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