Employment

Childcare workers held about 1.3 million jobs nationally in 2008. About 33 percent of childcare workers were self-employed; most of these were family childcare providers. Child daycare services employed about 19 percent of all childcare workers, and about 19 percent worked for private households. The remainder worked primarily in educational services; nursing and residential care facilities; amusement and recreation industries; civic and social organizations; and individual and family services. Some childcare programs are for-profit centers, which may be affiliated with a local or national company. A very small percentage of private-industry establishments operate on-site childcare centers for the children of their employees. Employment of childcare workers is projected to increase by 11 percent between 2008 and 2018. An increasing emphasis on early childhood education programs will increase demand for these workers.