Childcare Workers
Also called: Child Care Worker, Childcare Provider, Infant Teacher, Toddler TeacherAttend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 24 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 2.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
BLS figures cover the broader occupation “Childcare workers”, which includes this one and others.
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 59% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $22,720 | $21,540 to $28,090 | 4,580 |
| Alaska | $36,200 | $35,100 to $37,190 | 1,340 |
| Arizona | $35,100 | $32,560 to $38,320 | 5,530 |
| Arkansas | $28,450 | $26,750 to $30,470 | 5,400 |
| California | $40,020 | $37,600 to $46,320 | 52,780 |
| Colorado | $40,750 | $36,990 to $46,260 | 13,310 |
| Connecticut | $36,660 | $35,730 to $38,370 | 12,020 |
| Delaware | $33,210 | $31,200 to $35,710 | 1,230 |
| District of Columbia | $47,340 | $40,300 to $56,040 | 1,350 |
| Florida | $34,210 | $30,290 to $37,110 | 21,760 |
| Georgia | $28,020 | $23,940 to $31,200 | 21,040 |
| Guam | $22,020 | $22,020 to $25,710 | not published |
| Hawaii | $37,030 | $32,050 to $42,950 | 1,870 |
| Idaho | $30,160 | $27,330 to $36,180 | 4,430 |
| Illinois | $35,830 | $32,510 to $37,980 | 23,900 |
| Indiana | $30,180 | $28,030 to $34,860 | 8,280 |
| Iowa | $28,420 | $25,790 to $31,730 | 6,020 |
| Kansas | $29,240 | $27,520 to $34,900 | 7,430 |
| Kentucky | $28,920 | $24,500 to $35,060 | 5,820 |
| Louisiana | $22,900 | $21,390 to $28,600 | 8,000 |
| Maine | $36,350 | $34,770 to $37,630 | 4,990 |
| Maryland | $36,030 | $34,250 to $37,970 | 9,750 |
| Massachusetts | $40,900 | $37,330 to $47,920 | 13,140 |
| Michigan | $30,970 | $28,850 to $36,010 | 14,010 |
| Minnesota | $35,520 | $30,340 to $38,490 | 11,570 |
| Mississippi | $22,050 | $19,750 to $26,540 | 5,420 |
| Missouri | $30,790 | $29,000 to $35,670 | 12,430 |
| Montana | $35,120 | $29,020 to $36,310 | 2,190 |
| Nebraska | $30,740 | $29,150 to $35,290 | 9,390 |
| Nevada | $29,740 | $28,800 to $35,360 | 3,740 |
| New Hampshire | $37,080 | $30,950 to $39,580 | 2,820 |
| New Jersey | $36,390 | $34,170 to $38,400 | 25,070 |
| New Mexico | $35,840 | $31,240 to $36,940 | 4,120 |
| New York | $37,590 | $35,420 to $43,730 | 44,020 |
| North Carolina | $29,140 | $24,270 to $35,480 | 12,550 |
| North Dakota | $30,290 | $29,150 to $36,000 | 4,030 |
| Ohio | $29,680 | $27,540 to $36,450 | 11,300 |
| Oklahoma | $27,730 | $23,170 to $34,340 | 7,590 |
| Oregon | $38,650 | $35,620 to $43,620 | 5,240 |
| Pennsylvania | $30,140 | $27,040 to $35,970 | 13,000 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,600 | $22,100 to $23,460 | 1,960 |
| Rhode Island | $36,940 | $31,930 to $38,290 | 1,800 |
| South Carolina | $29,650 | $25,130 to $34,120 | 10,660 |
| South Dakota | $27,940 | $27,270 to $30,010 | 2,370 |
| Tennessee | $29,660 | $26,910 to $35,200 | 13,650 |
| Texas | $28,570 | $23,370 to $31,920 | 34,160 |
| Utah | $31,630 | $29,530 to $35,380 | 4,830 |
| Vermont | $38,030 | $36,420 to $42,330 | not published |
| Virgin Islands | $28,010 | $26,300 to $29,040 | 50 |
| Virginia | $34,330 | $29,540 to $37,200 | 13,930 |
| Washington | $41,680 | $37,460 to $44,770 | 4,340 |
| West Virginia | $27,710 | $23,470 to $28,640 | 1,930 |
| Wisconsin | $32,460 | $29,360 to $36,720 | 5,560 |
| Wyoming | $28,250 | $23,250 to $35,460 | 1,110 |
Nationally: $34,980. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 11 of its 24 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Maintain a safe play environment. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe and monitor children's play activities. | Not published |
| Not much | Sanitize toys and play equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Organize and store toys and materials to ensure order in activity areas. | Not published |
| AI + software | Communicate with children's parents or guardians about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Support children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and positive self-concepts. | under 0.01% |
See all 24 tasks
| AI + software | Identify signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and bring them to parents' or guardians' attention. | Not published |
| AI alone | Read to children and teach them simple painting, drawing, handicrafts, and songs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Discipline children and recommend or initiate other measures to control behavior, such as caring for own clothing and picking up toys and books. | Not published |
| AI alone | Instruct children in health and personal habits, such as eating, resting, and toilet habits. | Not published |
| AI alone | Perform general administrative tasks, such as taking attendance, editing internal paperwork, and making phone calls. | 0.02% |
| Not much | Assist in preparing food and serving meals and refreshments to children. | Not published |
| AI + software | Keep records on individual children, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Create developmentally appropriate lesson plans. | 0.06% |
| Not much | Care for children in institutional setting, such as group homes, nursery schools, private businesses, or schools for people with disabilities. | Not published |
| Not much | Dress children and change diapers. | Not published |
| Not much | Organize and participate in recreational activities and outings, such as games and field trips. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform housekeeping duties, such as laundry, cleaning, dish washing, and changing of linens. | Not published |
| AI + software | Regulate children's rest periods. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform general personnel functions, such as supervision, training, and scheduling. | Not published |
| AI alone | Help children with homework and school work. | Not published |
| Not much | Sterilize bottles and prepare formulas. | Not published |
| AI + software | Provide care for children with physical, developmental, or mental health disabilities. | Not published |
| Not much | Accompany children to and from school, on outings, and to medical appointments. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 5 of the 24 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 24 tasks fall under 20 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #30 Perform administrative or clerical activities
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach life skills | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Assist individuals with special needs | |||
| Advise others on educational or vocational matters | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Prepare foods or beverages | |||
| Arrange displays or decorations | |||
| Monitor individual behavior or performance |
Show all 20 activities
| Counsel others about personal matters | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Coordinate group, community, or public activities | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures | |||
| Perform human resources activities | |||
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Assign work to others | |||
| Set up classrooms, facilities, educational materials, or equipment | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Escort others |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Teaching material42%
- A document or report11%
- A plan or strategy5%
- A presentation or slides4%
- Advice or a recommendation4%
How they worked with Claude
61% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for childcare workers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 229,993 moves out
- 1 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 4 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 4%
- 5 Cashiers High -6.5% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 156,555 moves in
- 1 Cashiers High -6.5% 6%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 4 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 4%
- 5 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 14% less than high school
- 39% high school
- 6% postsecondary certificate
- 10% some college
- 23% associate's
- 9% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 68 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 15% less than high school
- 31% high school
- 26% some college
- 10% associate's
- 15% bachelor's
- 3% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 9,218 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
3 programs: Child Development, Child Care Provider/Assistant and Early Childhood and Family Studies.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
43.2% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 3.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 20.4% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (CHILD CARE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Childcare Workers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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