Tracy Brown Hamilton - Childcare Professionals: A Practical Career Guide

Tracy Brown Hamilton is a writer, editor, and journalist based in the Netherlands. She has written several books on topics ranging from careers to media, economics to pop culture. She lives with her husband and three children.

The following organizations, publications, and websites can help you further investigate and educate yourself on childcare-related topics, all of which will help you as you take the next steps in your career, now and throughout your professional life.

https://www.naeyc.org/

An organization committed to ensuring that the early childhood profession exemplifies excellence and is recognized as performing a vital role in society.

https://ceinternational1892.org/

An international organization working to develop and amplify innovative solutions to significant education challenges worldwide.

https://www.nhsa.org/

A nonprofit organization committed to the belief that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to succeed in life.

https://exceptionalchildren.org/

An international professional organization dedicated to improving the success of children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.

https://nafcc.org/

A nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting high-quality childcare by strengthening the profession of family childcare.

https://nannymag.com/

The premier trade magazine for the in-home childcare industry offering information and advice to professional nannies.

https://www.childcareexchange.com/

Provides childcare professionals with practical ideas and proven strategies for dealing with the day-to-day challenges of administering an early childhood program.

Adetunji, Jo. To Fix Americas Child Care, Lets Look at the Past. The Conversation. August 31, 2016. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://theconversation.com/to-fix-americas-child-care-lets-look-at-the-past-63913.

Antonoff, Steven R. College Personality Quiz. U.S. News and World Report, July 31, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2021. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/right-school/choices/articles/college-personality-quiz.

The Balance Careers. Student Resume Examples, Templates, and Writing Tips. Accessed May 21, 2021. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/student-resume-examples-and-templates-2063555.

BestColleges.com. Best Online Associate in Early Childhood Education Programs. Accessed June 15, 2021. https://www.bestcolleges.com/features/top-online-associate-early-childhood-education-programs/.

Cedar, Jill. Childcare Costs. VeryWellFamily.com. June 22, 2020. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://www.verywellfamily.com/affording-child-care-4157342.

CollegeChoice.net. Best Masters in Child Development Degrees. May 28, 2021. Accessed June 14, 2021. https://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/best-masters-in-child-development-degrees/.

. Top 10 Best Early Childhood Education Degrees. April 8, 2021. Accessed June 14, 2021. https://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/best-early-childhood-education-degrees/.

Early Childhood History. Historical Foundations of Early Childhood Education. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://earlychildhoodhistory.weebly.com/origins-of-childcare-in-the-united-states.html.

FairTest. 1,425+ Accredited, 4-Year Colleges & Universities with ACT/SAT-Optional Testing Policies for Fall, 2022 Admissions. Last updated May 17, 2021. Accessed May 21, 2021. https://fairtest.org/university/optional.

Flavin, Brianna. Early Childhood Education vs. Elementary Education: Which Environment Is Right for You? Rasmussen University. May 23, 2015. Accessed June 3, 2021. https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/early-childhood-education-vs-elementary-education/.

Gailey, Alex. Taking a Gap Year during Coronavirus? Heres How to Make the

Most of It. NextAdvisor. September 29, 2020. Accessed May 21, 2021. https://time.com/nextadvisor/in-the-news/gap-year-coronavirus/.

Hammond, Claudia. Does Reading Fiction Make Us Better People? BBC. com. June 3, 2019. Accessed March 2, 2021. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190523-does-reading-fiction-make-us-better-people.

Kerr, Emma. How Colleges Are Adjusting Their 20212022 Tuition. U.S. News and World Report, January 21, 2021. Accessed May 2, 2021. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/how-colleges-are-adjusting-their-2021-2022-tuition.

LiveCareer.com. Child Care Provider Resume Objective Example. Accessed June 17, 2021. https://www.livecareer.com/resume/objectives/child-care/provider.

Powell, Farran, and Emma Kerr. See the Average College Tuition in 20202021. U.S. News and World Report, September 14, 2020. Accessed May 2, 2021. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/paying-for-college-infographic.

RaiseMe.com. Childcare Workers: Salary, Career Path, Job Outlook, Education and More. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://www.raise.me/careers/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.

Scaccia, Annamarya. How to Be a Good Babysitter: 11 Tips. Healthline. July 12, 2016. Accessed June 2, 2021. https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/how-to-be-a-good-babysitter.

SecurityMagazine.com. 70 Percent of Employers Check Candidates Social Media Profiles. September 23, 2018. Accessed May 21, 2021. https://www.securitymagazine.com/gdpr-policy?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.securitymagazine.com%2Farticles%2F89441-percent-of-employers-check-candidates-social-media-profiles.

Shersher, Jane E. Self Care Tips for Social Workers. SocialWorkLicensure.org. Accessed April 21, 2021. https://socialworklicensure.org/articles/self-care-tips/.

Underwood, Alice A.M. 9 Things to Avoid on Social Media While Looking for a New Job. Glassdoor. January 3, 2018. Accessed October 30, 2020. https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/things-to-avoid-on-social-media-job-search/.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Childcare Workers. Accessed May 28, 2021. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm.

. Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers. Accessed June 3, 2021. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/Education-Training-and-Library/Kindergarten-and-elementary-school-teachers.htm#tab-6.

. Preschool Teachers. Accessed June 3, 2021. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/preschool-teachers.htm#tab-6.

Virginia Head Start Association. First Five Keys to Culturally Sensitive Child Care. Accessed June 3, 2021. https://www.headstartva.org/assets/docs/First-Five-Keys-to-Culturally-Sensitive-Child-Care.pdf.

Waldman, Joshua. Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley and Sons, 2013.

A re you a patient person who does not always require things to go exactly to plan? Are you empathic and able to see and understand where someone else is coming from? Are you exceptionally reliable, able to take on a lot of responsibility, and confident and skilled enough to make important decisions? Are you interested in early child development? These are some key attributes that will help you succeed in and thoroughly enjoy a career as a childcare professional.

And here is probably the most important question when considering whether childcare as a career is for you: Do you have experience being around children and do you genuinely like being in their company?