According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Maintain a safe play environment. | 93% |
| Observe and monitor children's play activities. | 89% |
| Communicate with children's parents or guardians about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues. | 88% |
| Support children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and positive self-concepts. | 86% |
| Care for children in institutional setting, such as group homes, nursery schools, private businesses, or schools for the handicapped. | 86% |
| Sanitize toys and play equipment. | 86% |
| Dress children and change diapers. | 86% |
| Keep records on individual children, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered. | 85% |
| Identify signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and bring them to parents' or guardians' attention. | 84% |
| Instruct children in health and personal habits, such as eating, resting, and toilet habits. | 83% |
| Organize and store toys and materials to ensure order in activity areas. | 83% |
| Sterilize bottles and prepare formulas. | 83% |
| Help children with homework and school work. | 83% |
| Perform general administrative tasks, such as taking attendance, editing internal paperwork, and making phone calls. | 83% |
| Provide care for mentally disturbed, delinquent, or handicapped children. | 83% |
| Operate in-house day-care centers within businesses. | 82% |
| Create developmentally appropriate lesson plans. | 81% |
| Perform housekeeping duties, such as laundry, cleaning, dish washing, and changing of linens. | 81% |
| Read to children and teach them simple painting, drawing, handicrafts, and songs. | 80% |
| Assist in preparing food and serving meals and refreshments to children. | 80% |
| Discipline children and recommend or initiate other measures to control behavior, such as caring for own clothing and picking up toys and books. | 79% |
| Perform general personnel functions, such as supervision, training, and scheduling. | 76% |
| Regulate children's rest periods. | 76% |
| Organize and participate in recreational activities and outings, such as games and field trips. | 76% |
| Accompany children to and from school, on outings, and to medical appointments. | 69% |
