There is far less occupational diversity in the child daycare services industry than in most other industries. Three occupations-preschool teachers, teacher assistants, and childcare workers-account for 75 percent of all wage and salary jobs.

Preschool teachers make up the largest occupation in the child daycare industry, accounting for about 36 percent of wage and salary jobs. They teach pupils basic physical, intellectual, and social skills needed to enter primary school. Teacher assistants account for 12 percent of employment. They give teachers more time for teaching by assuming a variety of tasks. For example, they may set up and dismantle equipment or prepare instructional materials.

Childcare workers account for about 25 percent of wage and salary jobs. Large proportions of the self-employed who keep children in their homes also are childcare workers. In a home setting, they are known as family childcare providers. Some parents hire private household workers, such as nannies, to care for their children in their own home. Regardless of the setting, these workers feed, diaper, comfort, and play with infants. When dealing with older preschoolers, they attend to the children’s basic needs and organize activities that stimulate physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development.

Education administrators, preschool and child care center/program account for about 4 percent of wage and salary workers. They establish overall objectives and standards for their center and provide day-to-day supervision of their staff. They bear overall responsibility for program development, as well as for marketing, budgeting, staffing, and all other administrative tasks.

In addition to the above occupations, child daycare centers also employ a variety of office and administrative support workers, building cleaning workers, cooks, and busdrivers.