5 Most Popular Careers in Child Development

The 5 most popular careers in child development involve the social and developmental milestones children are expected to reach and at what ages these milestones should be reached before concern sets in. 

Additionally, child development involves studying techniques to promote healthy growth and development in children. Individuals who choose a career in child development should enjoy working with children.

Child Care Worker

Whether you start your own in-home or private daycare center, or you work for an established daycare center, a degree in child development will help you become a better child care provider. Most parents do not choose a child care provider based on whether or not the provider will fulfill a child’s basic physical needs. 

Instead, parents hope that, in their absence, child care workers will teach their child social and emotional skills and help their children meet developmental milestones. As a child care worker, you do more than change diapers, feed children, and supervise children.

Beginning with infants, you must spend time teaching children basic concepts from colors and numbers to learning manners and how to share with one another.

Elementary School Teacher

Being an elementary school teacher often requires additional education. Along with courses in child development, you must take courses that provide you with ways to best teach children and strategies for managing a classroom. 

An elementary school teacher may be in charge of as many as 30 children at once, and the teacher is responsible for teaching students basic skills related to reading and math. Elementary school teachers work with students who come in at different levels, and he or she must be acutely aware of each child’s developmental levels in order to plan strong lessons and activities.

Child Counselor

A counselor serves many roles when dealing with children. Individuals may work in a school setting as a guidance counselor. He or she deals with issues from behavior problems or social issues to abuse and other problems in a child’s home. School guidance counselors are also often required to test children for learning disabilities and basic skills. 

A child counselor may also join a practice, open a private practice as a family counselor, and see children to help with situations such as divorce, grief counseling, abuse, or other family issues. A counselor may also be employed by a hospital or other medical facility to question children in suspected cases of abuse or neglect.

Social Worker

Social workers typically work in cases of abuse, negligent parenting, or behavior problems. A social worker may work for the department of social services to help investigate cases of child abuse or neglect, and they regularly evaluate children who have been placed in foster care or whose families are being investigated by social services. 

Social workers may also work with child-centered charities to provide for children who lack food and basic supplies.

Children’s Museums

A degree in child development may qualify you to work at a children’s museum and to help create age-appropriate displays, activities, and special programs with other artistic organizations. Working with a museum or artistic organization, you will conduct research and work with teachers and parents to determine the needs children have that the organization can fulfill. 

You may also find yourself leading tours during school field trips or creating publications to help teachers and parents bring the museum’s resources into the classroom and home.

Share :