Childcare Worker Career Assessment
Caring for and teaching young children
Welcome
Childcare workers care for babies, toddlers, and young children while their parents work.
North Dakota badly needs childcare workers. The pay is low and that is the honest truth. You will explore whether this work fits you.
This takes about 15 minutes.
What is a Childcare Worker?
A childcare worker feeds, changes, plays with, and teaches young children. They keep children safe, help them learn words, colors, and sharing, and tell parents how the day went. Some work in centers, some in a home-based program, and some run their own licensed childcare.
The Reality: The pay is low. Half of ND childcare workers earn under $14.56 an hour. The work is loud, busy, and physical, and you are responsible for children's safety every minute. But jobs are everywhere, and many programs will train you and help pay for a credential.
Your Responsibilities:
- Feed, change, and comfort young children
- Keep children safe and supervised at all times
- Lead play, songs, stories, and simple lessons
- Help children learn to share and handle feelings
- Set up and clean the room and toys
- Serve meals and snacks safely
- Talk with parents at drop-off and pickup
- Write short notes about each child's day
You give children a safe start and let parents go to work.
A Day in the Life
7:00 AM — Open the room. Greet the first families at drop-off.
8:00 AM — Breakfast and hand washing.
9:00 AM — Circle time: songs, a story, and the weather.
10:00 AM — Outside play — coats, hats, and mittens on everyone first.
11:30 AM — Lunch, then diapers and bathroom help.
12:30 PM — Nap time. Clean the room and write parent notes.
3:00 PM — Snack and free play. Help two children work out a toy argument.
5:30 PM — Pickup. Tell each parent about their child's day.
Busy, noisy, and full of small moments that matter.
Training in North Dakota
No degree is required to start, but training is. North Dakota requires basic training when you start and more each year. Most of it is free. You can begin working while you learn.
Training Pathways:
- Start now and train as you go: Get hired, finish the free 15-hour Getting Started course within 3 months, and earn CPR and first aid within 90 days.
- Earn a CDA (about a year, part time): The Child Development Associate credential takes 120 hours of training and 480 hours of work with children. Scholarships are available.
- College degree (2–4 years): An early childhood degree leads to lead teacher, preschool teacher, or director jobs that pay more.
Where to Train in North Dakota:
- Child Care Aware of North Dakota — training catalog, CDA credentialing support, and scholarships that cover CDA application fees (ndchildcare.org/training)
- ND HHS Early Childhood Services — free online New Provider Orientation and the free 15-hour Getting Started basic child care course (hhs.nd.gov/cfs/early-childhood-services/training-requirements)
- ND Early Childhood Workforce Registry (formerly Growing Futures) — free account to track your training and verify your education (ndgrowingfutures.org)
- Bright & Early ND — the state's quality rating program for early childhood programs; working at a rated program can mean more training and support (hhs.nd.gov/cfs/early-childhood-services/brightnd)
- ND community colleges and universities — Early Childhood Education certificates and degrees
Before You Start: No degree required to start. You must pass a background check before you can be alone with children. Patience, warmth, and energy matter more than schooling here.
Tip: Start with financial aid, scholarships, and any help an employer offers — that is where the money starts. After that, ask a career counselor or Job Service North Dakota whether WIOA or other programs can help with what is left over, like training, tools, work boots, or exam fees. What can be paid for depends on the program and on your own situation, so ask before you sign up rather than after. Registered apprenticeships let you earn a paycheck while you learn — see jobsnd.com/job-seeker/apprenticeships for ND programs.
Certification & Licensing
Background check first, then training. ND HHS licenses childcare programs and sets the training every worker must complete.
What North Dakota Requires:
- Background check — FBI fingerprint check, national sex offender registry, ND criminal history, ND sex offender registry, and ND child abuse and neglect records; out-of-state checks too if you have lived elsewhere
- New Provider Orientation — free online course; directors and supervisors have 30 days
- Getting Started basic child care course — 15 hours, free, within 3 months of starting
- Pediatric CPR/AED and First Aid — within 90 days of hire and before you are alone with children
- Safe Sleep — 1 hour before caring for infants, then every year
- Mandated Reporter — every year
- Yearly training hours — for example, about 13 hours a year for full-time center staff, fewer for part-time
- CDA credential — optional; 120 training hours plus 480 hours of work experience
The Exams: The CDA requires an exam and an observation by a CDA reviewer. State training courses are not exam-based.
Cost: The state Getting Started course and New Provider Orientation are free. CDA fees can be covered by Child Care Aware of ND scholarships. CPR and first aid classes cost a small fee.
Keeping It Current: Training hours renew every year. Mandated Reporter and Safe Sleep are yearly. CPR and first aid must be kept current. The CDA renews every 3 years.
Salary & Job Outlook
North Dakota Childcare Worker Pay (May 2025):
- Starting out (bottom 10–25%): $11.21–$14.02/hour ($23,310–$29,150/year)
- Middle (median — half earn more, half earn less): $14.56/hour ($30,290/year)
- Experienced (top 25–10%): $17.31–$17.82/hour ($36,000–$37,070/year)
What that means: This is the honest part: ND childcare pay is low, and lower than the national median. Half of ND childcare workers earn under $14.56 an hour, and even the top 10% earn about $17.82. A CDA credential, a degree, or moving up to lead teacher or director raises your pay. Some programs pay bonuses or help with training costs to keep staff.
Jobs in North Dakota: About 4,860 people do this work in ND today. By 2034, that should be about 5,110 (about 5% growth). Expect about 860 job openings every year in ND from growth and people retiring or changing jobs. Across the U.S., the change is about 3% fewer jobs.
Outlook: Excellent for finding a job. About 860 openings a year in ND — one of the largest numbers of any career on this list. ND is growing while the country is shrinking in this field. Programs across the state are short-staffed and hiring.
Who Hires in ND: Licensed childcare centers, preschools, Head Start programs, school-age and after-school programs, tribal early childhood programs, in-home group childcare, and families hiring directly.
Work Setting: Childcare centers, preschools, church basements, and licensed homes. Indoor play rooms and outdoor playgrounds in all weather. Early morning and late afternoon shifts are common.
Physical Demands: Moderate to high. You lift children, sit on the floor, bend and kneel all day, and are on your feet constantly. The noise level is high.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (SOC 39-9011); North Dakota and U.S. long-term employment projections 2024–2034, via O*NET OnLine. Numbers are rounded.
Where This Leads
Path 1: Assistant Teacher — The usual starting job.
Path 2: Lead Teacher — Run your own classroom.
Path 3: CDA Credential Holder — More pay and more responsibility.
Path 4: Preschool Teacher — With a degree.
Path 5: Center Director — Run a program.
Path 6: Licensed In-Home Provider — Run childcare from your own home.
The Real Talk
What's Great:
- Jobs available almost everywhere in ND
- You can start with no degree
- Free state training to get going
- Children's progress is real and visible
- Scholarships for the CDA credential
- You make it possible for parents to work
What's Hard:
- Low pay — this is the biggest drawback
- Loud and busy all day
- Physically tiring: lifting, bending, floor time
- Illness spreads fast among staff and children
- Constant responsibility for children's safety
- Some criminal records permanently bar you
- Hard conversations with parents
Be Honest: Two honest things. First, the pay. ND childcare pay is low and it has stayed low, so plan for a CDA, a degree, or a director track if you need to earn more. Second, the background check. North Dakota permanently bars people convicted of certain offenses — including child abuse or neglect, human trafficking, murder, sexual abuse, and kidnapping — from working in a licensed childcare program. A second group of lesser offenses, such as simple assault, harassment, criminal coercion, and reckless endangerment, bars you for 5 years after you finish your sentence, and after that the department can find you rehabilitated. The check includes FBI fingerprints and ND child abuse and neglect records. If you have a record, call ND HHS Early Childhood Services at 701-328-2115 and ask about your own situation before you start training.