Clare LouiseSo, you’ve taken a child development course and you’re now ready to take on a fulfilling career path based on what you learned over the past months and years. Congratulations! There are numerous career paths to pursue in child development, some requiring degrees while others requiring specific certifications.
Moreover, you must also consider what career you can see yourself feeling passionate about and enjoying in the long run. With that in mind, here are things you can do with a degree in childhood development.
- Preschool or Kindergarten Teacher
Preschool and kindergarten teachers are common child development careers. Teachers will be responsible for the care and education of children, with preschool being the first introduction children have to school.
Preschool teachers would prepare children to enter kindergarten through developing social, motor, and language skills. Kindergarten teachers would transition children from preschool to elementary school by teaching reading and writing skills.
There are also other teaching paths available when pursuing child development careers. Besides a degree, the certification required to become a preschool or kindergarten teacher would vary among states and institutions
- Child Life Specialist
Child Life Specialists (CLS) are experts in child development, helping children cope with disabilities, illnesses, and hospitalization. This is done through education, playtime, preparation, and other activities providing children with ways to express fears and emotions.
Other duties and responsibilities also include supporting family members and educating caregivers about children’s needs. Career options can be found in children’s hospitals, pediatric hospices, and pediatric clinics.
Some hospitals and clinics would require a Certified Child Life Specialist credential administered by the Child Life Council. This would require a supervised 480-hour clinical internship
- Child Care Director
A child care director will be responsible for anything related to the business operations, such as administrative duties, daily operations, budget, facility maintenance, supervising teachers and staff, addressing parents’ concerns, and more.
They would also administer all educational standards and policies. Career opportunities in this field can come from public schools, federally-funded centers, independently-operated centers or schools, franchises, and the like
- Child Psychologist
A psychologist specializing in child development will provide mental, social, and emotional help for children and their families when it comes to dealing with issues or life-altering events like school problems, anxiety, depression, and the like.
This career path can lead to positions with schools, universities, hospitals, mental health clinics, social services, or private practice. Licensed psychologists in this area would need to possess a Ph.D. or PsyD degree and specialty certifications
- Nanny
Nannies would usually perform all the daily duties related to child-rearing and child care. Such positions would usually require a live-in status while others are at a set time, such as until the parent would arrive home from work and take over.
This career would usually require certifications in areas like CPR and first aid, infant care, water safety, and professional nanny certification, among others.
Wrapping It Up
Consider any of these careers after fulfilling your degree in child development. Good luck!
Robert Desauza
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