Child care jobs come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Licensed day cares are frequently found in the basement of the homeowner’s home. The daycare owner is assisted trained assistants in caring for the children. Other types of child care jobs are less formal and do not require formal training or licensing, though prior child-care experience is required. Live-in nanny situations, family day care, and casual babysitting are examples of less formal child care positions.
Babysitters typically lack formal child care training or education, but they must have prior child-care experience. Babysitters are frequently hired to look after children in the evenings when their parents are out to dinner. They must know what to do in an emergency and ensure that the children are safe and well-cared for at all times.
Parents who use a child care agency may hire live-in nannies. Alternatively, a parent could place an ad in a local publication and interview nannies who have worked with children before. A temporary live-in nanny could be an exchange student or a traveler from another country. The majority of live-in nanny child care jobs provide a bedroom, meals, and some monthly pay.
In a family day care situation, a parent looks after a few children in her home in addition to her own children. Unlicensed child care is usually less expensive than licensed group child care. In a family day care setting, the provider may be responsible for transporting her school-aged children as well as those in her care to and from school each day.
Family day cares are licensed day cares that are located in the basements of private homes. However, because the day care is usually equipped with tables and chairs as well as play areas for a group of children, these are more formal situations. Licensed day cares are allowed to care for a large number of children at once; the ages of the children are usually mixed and range from 0 to 12. Assistants with early childhood education and formal training are employed in licensed day cares.
In licensed situations, the homeowner owns and manages the day care. She hires qualified assistants to assist her in running the business. Some areas specify the number of caregivers required for each age group of children. Part-time or full-time assistant child care jobs are available in licensed day cares.
Child care providers who are trained and licensed must supervise their assistants and ensure that all government licensing requirements are met. Children playing outside in a licensed day care’s yard, for example, must be supervised a qualified provider who is also outside in many areas. Every day, licensed day cares offer a variety of activities for the children, such as sports games and art projects.