Career Opportunities and Work Life

Skills You'll Need

Salary Ranges

The Classroom Experience

Certificate & Degree Options

A typical day for early childhood educators can include:

• Organizing educational activities
• Introducing new concepts
• Encouraging cooperative playtime
• Serving healthy meals and snacks
• Supervising rest time
• Adapting to needs of individual children

In most preschool settings, childcare workers are responsible for meeting children at the door, making them feel comfortable in their surroundings and introducing them to the daily activity.

A well-balanced program is a deciding factor for most parents when searching out a childcare facility. To ensure this, childcare workers must prepare daily and long-term schedules and goals. Every day must have the appropriate balance of individual and group play, and quite and activity time.

Work Environment
Locally, the majority of childcare workers are employed at Head Start, nursery schools, Michigan School Readiness, as teacher's assistants and other preschool programs.

Working hours vary. Childcare centers are usually open all year, including evenings and weekends. These centers usually work in shifts to accommodate parents that work outside the traditional 8 to 5 time frame. Preschool programs operate during the school year, usually working Monday through Friday during school hours. Many of these childcare positions can be full- or part-time.

Employment Outlook
Nationally, new job opportunities for childcare providers are expected to grow by 36 percent by 2012. Within Michigan, jobs are expected to increase 9 percent by 2010.
There is also a high employee turnover in the industry, leading to additional job openings.

Child Development Associate (CDA)
Students can decide to earn their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential and open a home daycare facility, teach at Head Start or open a childcare center. Others can use the classes to improve their classroom aid education or comply with the Michigan State Law requiring YOUNG 4 classroom aides to complete 120 hours of education in early childhood. These are just a few avenues open to students completing the Early Childhood Education program at LMC.