Includes bibliographical references (p. 217-229) and index.
Contents:
1. Child care careers, an introduction -- So many choices exist today for careers associated with children -- Finding the right child care career -- The current and future outlook for jobs -- Learning more about child care careers -- 2. Learning all about children -- Checklist of expected listening skills -- Checklist of expected thinking skills -- Checklist of expected fine motor skills -- Checklist of expected social skills -- Checklist of expected self-help skills -- Checklist of expected self-esteem skills -- Checklist of expected speaking skills -- Checklist of expected prereading skills -- Checklist of expected math skills -- Checklist of expected gross motor skills -- How caregivers learn about children and their development -- 3. Working in child care centers -- Child care workers are needed -- Many choices for working with children -- History of child care centers -- Ownership of child care centers -- Required skills for child care center workers -- Training in the United States -- Training in Canada -- Positions for child care workers -- Looking at child care center workers in the United States and Canada -- Salary and fringe benefits -- Employment outlook -- 4. Caring for children in your home -- Required skills for at-home child caregivers -- Where to find help in setting up a family child care home -- Basic steps involved in starting a family child care home -- Sound business practices need to be followed -- Turning a home into a family child care home -- Family child care programs need to be educationally sound -- Marketing the family child care business -- Foster care home programs -- Another career possibility : group home care -- The rewards of caring for children in a home setting -- 5. Working as a nanny -- Need for nannies skyrockets -- Nannies are not babysitters -- Prerequisites for being a nanny -- A nanny's duties -- On the job with a nanny -- Profile of a nanny -- Nanny code of conduct -- Nanny support groups -- Salary and fringe benefits -- What it takes to become a nanny -- Applying to a nanny school -- Finding employment as a nanny -- Three nannies tell about their backgrounds and first jobs -- The au pair experience -- The rewards of being a nanny -- 6. Working as a babysitter -- Learning babysitting skills -- Babysitters need to be aware of how children develop -- The babysitter's responsibilities -- The business side of babysitting -- Helpful hints from a young babysitter -- Babysitters are important caregivers -- 7. Educating children -- What it takes to be a teacher -- Children's first teachers -- Kindergarten teachers -- Elementary school teachers -- Middle school teachers -- Subject teachers in elementary school -- Salary and fringe benefits -- Unique benefits of being a teacher -- Employment outlook -- Getting a head start on becoming a teacher -- More jobs in education -- Applying for a job as a teacher -- The challenge of teaching -- 8. Working with children in sports and recreation careers -- Helping children gain sports skills -- Where sports jobs are found -- How to become a sports instructor or coach -- What it takes to be a sports instructor or coach -- The life of a sports instructor -- More jobs for sports instructors -- Employment outlook and earnings -- Helping children gain recreation skills -- What it takes to be a recreation worker -- How to become a recreation worker -- Where the jobs in recreation are -- Employment outlook -- The benefits of a career in sports and recreation -- 9. Keeping children healthy -- The story of pediatric medicine -- Education is a prerequisite for health care careers -- Employment outlook -- Pediatricians and pediatric nurses -- Children's dentistry -- Professionals who counsel children -- Speech-language pathologists -- The children's hospital as a workplace -- Child life specialists -- Health care professionals are held in high esteem -- 10. Ensuring the welfare of children -- Social worker as a career -- Police officers in youth services -- Careers within the juvenile justice system -- the satisfaction of safeguarding children's welfare -- 11. Introducing children to the world of arts and entertainment -- Careers with children and the arts -- Careers entertaining children -- Arts and entertainment careers are rewarding -- 12. Additional careers working with children -- A new career area -- What being a children's librarian is like -- What being a children's photographer is like -- What being an employee in a children's museum is like -- What being a youth minister is like -- What being a salesperson in a children's retail store is like -- What being a creator of children's products is like -- What working with children and computers is like -- Still more jobs exist -- 13. Searching for a job working with children -- The best areas to find jobs -- The best way to search for a job -- Creating the résumé that will attract attention -- Creating outstanding cover letters -- Doing one's best at an interview -- The actual interview -- Focusing on the future -- Appendix. Sources of additional information.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.