Exploring Careers Working with Children: Job Opportunities, Qualities, and Required Training

1. Careers Working with Children Chapter 26

2. I could be ……………….. • List as many jobs as you can that relate to meeting children’s needs

3. Qualities needed…. • Enjoy children • Respect children as people • Are you sympathetic • Are you patient, tolerant, calm • Are you creative • Are you enthusiastic and willing to join kids in play

4. To earn extra money during the summer, Hannah accepted a job taking care of five year old Troy, her neighbor’s child. After a couple of weeks, Hannah notices that she was starting to ‘tune Troy out.’ He asked questions constantly and Hannah got tired of answering them. • She had been thinking of being a preschool teacher. Should she???

5. Career Examples • Entry Level Jobs • Child care workers • Take care of children while parents work • Babysitting experiences • FACS classes

6. Be skilled with children, training not always required • Be licensed by state to provide child care in home • Nanny – private household child care worker • Cafeteria workers – provide food for children • References – written reports about their work from previous employers

7. Jobs That Require Training • Teacher’s aide • 2 year degree for associates degree • May earn bachelors degree with additional work • Team coach- experience in sports plus college credits

8. Children’s book authors --no single way of becoming a writer, usually has a degree • Child’s performer • Training in acting, singing, or playing musical instrument

9. Higher Education • Children’s librarian • College degree and often master’s degree in library science • Pediatrician • Physicians who care for children • College and medical degree • Extensive training in specialty

10. Pediatric Nurse • Licensed practical nurse –2 year study • *registered nurse –college degree, even masters degree • Dietician • Professional who is educated in food and nutrition and their relationship to health and fitness

11. Preparing for a Career • Demand for careers dealing with children increasing 65% • Number of jobs for preschool/kindergarten teachers projected to increase by 54% and for special education teachers by 74%

12. Some states require or allow nonprofit agencies to make background checks on volunteers who will spend time alone with children. Applicants are fingerprinted. Then police check their record for a past criminal activity, especially child or sexual abuse. An American Bar Association study indicated that only 2.4% of volunteer so investigated are rejected, leading some to believe these checks do little good and only discourage good people from volunteering. • What do you think????????

13. Activities • Students demonstrate the quality indicated in each of these situations • A child cries that a big, scary dog is in the yard, You look to see the neighbor’s friendly puppy, (respect)

14. A child, watching the rain fall outside, complains of being bored. (creativity) • A child begs you to read the same story for the third time in one sitting. (enthusiasm) • A child accidentally spills milk, and later a dish of applesauce. (patience)

15. Aptitude test • Students are to develop a checklist or quiz that would help identify and rate a person’s talents and skills for working well with children.

16. Spell It Out • Ask groups to create acrostics from the word children, using each letter of the word to begin a sentence of phrase describing a trait or skill needed for people who work with children. Groups might put their acrostics on poster board or a bulletin board for display.

17. Job Application • Have students write a job description, and have others apply for the job and who they would hire.