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Child Care Provider

Types of Degrees Child Care Provider Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Child Care Provider have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2,878
Associate’s Degree	5,331
Bachelor’s Degree	90
Master’s Degree	13,806

What Child Care Provider Majors Need to Know

Studies in Child Care Provider develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Child Care Provider graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Child Care Provider emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 2.4 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Child Care Provider program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Monitoring — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Child Care Provider careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Child Care Provider graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7
Getting Information	3.7 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	3.6 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.5 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	3.5 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	3.4 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Child Care Provider professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Educational software	Computer based training software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Nearpod	Multi-media educational software	—
Google Classroom	Project management software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Schoology	Computer based training software	—
Seesaw	Multi-media educational software	—
Tadpoles	Desktop communications software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Child Care Provider graduates include:

• Baby Sitter
• Child Care Professional
• Child Care Aide
• Child Caregiver
• Nursery Day Care Worker
• Nursery Attendant
• Day Care Home Provider
• Care Provider
• Home Child Care Provider
• Daycare Provider
• Toddler Caregiver
• Child Care Sitter
• Nursemaid
• Infant Room Teacher
• Day Care Assistant

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Child Care Provider graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	47.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	16.8%
Some college courses	12.5%
Less than a high school diploma	10.1%
Bachelor’s degree	6.8%
Postsecondary certificate	6.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Child Care Provider?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 96.3% of Child Care Provider degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	21,698	96.3%
Men	835	3.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Child Care Provider graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6,584	29.2%
Asian	1,477	6.6%
Hispanic or Latino	9,526	42.3%
Black or African American	3,391	15.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	175	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	34	0.2%
Two or More Races	660	2.9%
Race Unknown	490	2.2%
International Students	196	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Child Care Provider Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Child Care Provider graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$33,243
4 years	$38,875
5 years	$44,531

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,531 — roughly 34% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Child Care Provider Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Child Care Provider. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	32	21
Bachelor’s	1	1
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Child Care Provider Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Child Care Provider graduates earn a median of $38,875 four years after completion — roughly 2% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	19.07
Adult Development and Aging	19.0702
Child Care and Support Services Management	19.0708
Child Development	19.0706
Developmental Services Worker	19.0710
Early Childhood and Family Studies	19.0711
Family and Community Services	19.0707
Family Systems	19.0704
Human Development and Family Studies, General	19.0701
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services, Other	19.0799
Parent Education Services	19.0712

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.