What Can I Do With a Child Development Degree
Child Evolution Careers
by Staff Writers
Published on August 19, 2021 · Updated on Nov 16, 2021
Ready to starting time your journey?
Careers in child development give professionals the opportunity to work with children from nascence through boyhood and empathize how they emotionally, mentally, and physically develop over fourth dimension. Myriad jobs can be institute in this growing field, including in clinical care, education, and research settings. Keep reading to acquire about different caste levels, bachelor jobs, and opportunities for continued professional growth.
Why Pursue a Career in Child Evolution?
Child development careers feature many different opportunities to fit varied skills and interests. Inquisitive, analytical individuals often thrive in these positions, as they let for continued learning and opportunities to run into children grow over time.
Professionals who work in direct care or teaching settings should enjoy spending fourth dimension with infants, children, and teenagers. They should too have an appreciation for psychology and the social sciences, as many kid development methodologies and frameworks are rooted in these disciplines.
Child Development Career Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment of preschool teachers will grow by 2% betwixt 2019-2029, adding thirteen,500 new jobs in the field. Positions for preschool and childcare centre directors are projected to grow ane% during that time frame. Available careers for a child development major vary depending on an private's feel and level of teaching.
Students should consider which child development careers about interest them earlier enrolling in a program. While a preschool teacher, for instance, may only need an associate or available's degree, a child psychologist must possess a doctorate and license to practice in clinical settings. The following table takes a await at median annual salaries for a few child evolution positions that crave an associate or bachelor'due south degree.
| Chore Championship | Entry-Level (0-12 months) | Early Career (1-4 Years) | Midcareer (five-ix Years) | Experienced (10-19 Years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Childcare Worker | $26,860 | $25,960 | $29,150 | $32,160 |
| Child Life Specialist | $40,750 | $44,180 | $45,660 | Due north/A |
| Preschool Instructor | $xxx,700 | $31,640 | $32,200 | $33,080 |
| Childcare Director | $31,100 | $38,370 | $39,130 | $40,960 |
Source: PayScale
Skills Gained With a Child Evolution Degree
Child development programs equip students with the skills and cognition needed for careers in education, psychology, criminal justice, social service administration, and a diverseness of other disciplines. Undergraduate and graduate programs in child development frequently rely on a combination of classroom instruction and field-based learning experiences.
Communication plays a primal part in child development work. Teachers must be able to conspicuously convey concepts to students, and child researchers need to know how to interview children in order to collect data. Child evolution programs instruct participants about best practices for communication and provide them with opportunities to interact with children in supervised environments.
In addition to knowing how to best collaborate with immature children, child development professionals must also build and maintain relationships with their colleagues and with the parents/guardians of immature children. Special teaching teachers, for case, must collaborate with educators, administrators, families, and social workers when developing individualized instruction programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities.
Children often struggle to limited themselves while their language skills are still developing. Educators and researchers must be able to observe children'due south behavior to improve sympathize their thought processes and place possible bug. Many child development programs partner with schools or day care centers and so students can hone these disquisitional observational skills.
Teaching preschool, kindergarten, and simple-age children requires a unique instructional skill set up. As compared to middle and high school teachers, early on kid educators rely more on experiential learning. They may also do good from developing skills related to learning through play, cross-curriculum education, and differentiated instruction.
Teachers and scholars need strong research and analysis skills to continuously improve their practise, develop a more than thorough understanding of child development, and create interventions to accost challenges. About child development programs — particularly those at the graduate level — feature all-encompassing coursework in areas such every bit qualitative methods, data direction, and report design.
Kid Development Career Paths
Individuals with a career in child development can find positions in many dissimilar industries. Some may gravitate more than toward counseling and family support services, while others may find that working in the classroom best suits their interests. The list below describes a few concentrations that aid prepare students for specific roles in the field.
Upon graduation, students who concentrate in early development and learning typically piece of work with children from birth to age five. Graduates may serve every bit childcare providers, preschool teachers, or early childhood curriculum designers. Coursework in this area explores subjects such as early language learning and supervision in early on babyhood settings.
Many kid development students hope to work as family counselors or social service providers. They may study topics such as the folklore of booze and drug employ, psychological perspectives on death and dying, and theories of personality. They typically complete an internship or practicum, besides.
A concentration in juvenile delinquency positions learners for roles such equally probation officer, correctional treatment specialist, or youth victim advocate. Through classes in criminal justice and youth subcultures, students learn to blueprint interventions and programs that reduce criminal behavior among adolescents. They also learn to connect youth offenders with resources that tin can assistance them avert recidivism.
Some child development majors plan to pb nonprofit organizations or government agencies that provide services to youth and their families. Students who choose this concentration complete coursework in areas like human resource management, plan evaluation, and the foundations of public administration.
Some programs offering enquiry-intensive tracks to prepare students for graduate study. Courses in this concentration include advanced statistics, methodology and design, and assessment. Students may besides need to conduct original research and write a thesis.
How to Start Your Career in Child Evolution
A variety of careers are available for child development majors. For example, graduates can work every bit a preschool or unproblematic teacher at a public or private schoolhouse. They may instead choose to work in the nonprofit sector, serving every bit the managing director of a childcare center or the head of an organization that runs an later-school enrichment program. Some child development graduates also find employment at local and state regime agencies, analogous the delivery of public services like Medicaid, food stamps, and housing help.
Your professional opportunities will largely exist shaped by the type of degree you earn. For instance, you typically need to earn a main'due south to qualify for clinical positions in family counseling or school psychology. The kid development career tables below indicate which jobs yous can pursue with an associate, bachelor'southward, principal's, or doctoral caste in child development.
Acquaintance Degree in Kid Development
Associate programs in child development generally consist of most 60 credits and require two years of full-fourth dimension study. In addition to completing general education coursework in subjects like English and mathematics, students in these programs examine topics such as curriculum evolution, early childhood literacy, and the employ of technology in the classroom.
While y'all can qualify for some entry-level roles, such every bit didactics assistant, with just an associate degree in child development, you must have a bachelor's caste to teach at a K-12 public school.
What Can You lot Exercise With an Associate in Child Development?
Childcare workers help feed, breast-stroke, and dress young children. They as well oversee play and may provide basic instruction in areas like reading or music. While many work at childcare centers, others may operate as independent childcare providers for one or more than families. Requirements vary, simply many employers adopt to rent childcare workers with at least some postsecondary pedagogy.
Salary: $24,230
Preschool teachers educate children earlier they enter kindergarten. They generally focus on the development of motor, language, and social skills through play and experiential learning. Preschool teachers typically need an associate degree, though about half of federal Head Kickoff early education centers now crave teachers to hold a bachelor'southward.
Bacon: $30,520
Source: BLS
Bachelor's Degree in Child Development
Earning a bachelor'south degree in child development may qualify yous to utilise for country licensure as a public school teacher. It likewise prepares y'all for sure careers in nonprofit and public administration.
Kid development majors explore subjects such every bit the cognitive development of infants and immature children, beliefs and family dynamics, and exceptional learning and inclusion. Near programs also require or strongly encourage their students to participate in an internship or other field-based learning experience. If you plan to become a teacher, you may also need to complete a student teaching program to see your state's licensure requirements.
What Can Y'all Do With a Available'southward in Kid Development?
Kid life specialists typically work in hospitals or community health centers. They assess child patients, interact with doctors and other medical professionals on the provision of care, and provide support to families. They may also serve as a bespeak of contact for ongoing handling plans. Most of these specialists have at to the lowest degree a bachelor's degree.
Salary: $43,850
Preschool and childcare eye directors oversee all aspects of an organization'due south operations. They rent and railroad train childcare staff, design and evaluate curricula, and create budgets. They also found policies, communicate with parents and guardians, and raise supplementary funds. Well-nigh states require childcare directors to hold a bachelor's, and some require additional certification.
Salary: $48,210
Sources: BLS and PayScale
Master'southward Degree in Child Development
With a main's degree in child evolution, yous can have on more specialized and supervisory roles. For example, you lot may serve as a wedlock and family therapist, helping children cope with life changes such as their parents' divorce or the death of a loved one. Yous may besides find piece of work every bit a school advisor, supporting the academic and social development of students.
Master's programs in child development feature coursework in areas like human prenatal development, adolescent psychology, and quantitative design and analysis. Depending on their career path, graduate students may too cull to complete a research-based thesis or a field-based capstone project.
What Tin can You Practise With a Master'due south in Child Development?
Special education teachers work with students dealing with various mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. In addition, they ofttimes create and implement IEPs to ensure that learners receive appropriate accommodations and support — both within and exterior the classroom. Some schools may prefer to rent special education teachers who concur a master's degree.
Salary: $61,030
Kindergarten and elementary school teachers provide educational activity in foundational subjects like reading and math. They aid students develop the study habits and critical thinking skills needed to succeed in middle school and beyond. While not required for almost positions in this field, a master's degree in kid development typically improves graduates' job prospects and qualifies them for a salary increase.
Salary: $59,420
Source: BLS
Doctoral Degree in Kid Evolution
To teach or comport child development enquiry at a higher or academy, you lot typically must first earn a doctoral degree. You must too hold a doctorate to authorize for licensure as a clinical psychologist.
Doctoral programs typically brainstorm with 2-3 years of classroom pedagogy in subjects such as developmental neurobiology, social and emotional processes, and clinical intervention with children. After completing this coursework, students may need to take a comprehensive test. Learners then spend several months or years working on their dissertation.
The dissertation process involves conducting original enquiry and then summarizing your methodology and findings in a written document — normally 100-200 pages in length. Once finished, you must successfully defend your dissertation before a kinesthesia commission to formally earn your doctorate.
What Can You Do With a Doctorate in Kid Development?
Professors and other postsecondary teachers instruct students at colleges, universities, and merchandise schools. Many also bear and publish research within their expanse of expertise. Others may perform additional administrative duties, such as chairing a department in child development. Near postsecondary faculty jobs — particularly those leading to tenure — crave a doctoral caste.
Salary: $88,130
Many postsecondary education administration positions, including provost and dean, require a doctorate. These professionals assistance decide academic policies, develop budgets, and coordinate activities for a department or school. These administrators often brainstorm their careers as postsecondary teachers.
Bacon: $95,410
Sources: BLS and PayScale
How to Advance Your Career in Kid Development
Careers in childhood development span the educational spectrum, allowing motivated professionals to continue advancing into new roles over the years as they gain experience. While some of these workers may decide to become back to school to earn a total advanced caste, others may decide that a certification best suits their needs.
Continuing education plays a critical function in child development, and professionals are expected to stay up to engagement on contemporary challenges, issues, and emerging research in the field. The following sections take a look at how individuals in this field tin can progress over the course of their careers.
Certifications and/or Licensure
Licensure and certification requirements vary based on individual careers in child evolution. In some states, for instance, preschool teachers working in public schools may exist expected to earn certification from the Council for Professional Recognition. Other states require childcare workers to pass background checks and receive CPR/offset assistance certification.
To work as a K-12 instructor in a public school, professionals must hold a state-issued license. Those employed past private schools may bypass this step, but they should speak with private schools to larn more.
Those who aspire to work every bit child psychologists must seek state licensure in the surface area where they want to practice, while school counselors may need to hold certification from the American School Counselor Association.
Continuing Education
Standing education can accept on many different forms, depending on the type of learning a professional wants to appoint in. While many people think going back to school for an advanced degree is the only option in continuing education, several other paths exist.
Certificate programs offer the opportunity to gain niche cognition in less time than a traditional degree. Many of these programs are also offered online, making it easier for working professionals to further their pedagogy. Free online courses, such as massive open up online courses (MOOCs), as well offer the opportunity to engage in self-paced learning without committing to a full semester of study.
The path for every private will expect different. Consider your professional goals and then decide which options marshal best with your needs.
Side by side Steps
Aside from pursuing additional degrees, certificates, certification, and/or licensure, child development professionals can notice other outlets for deepening their cognition. For example, earning continuing education units may be a adept option for shorter, more focused learning.
Additionally, networking helps students and professionals meet other professionals in the field, learn about their work, and potentially observe a job. By joining professional person organizations and associations, members can attend almanac conferences, participate in a local or regional chapter, and subscribe to newsletters and publications in the field. These organizations may also offering in-person and online training, professional mentoring, and jobs boards.
How to Switch Your Career to Kid Evolution
Individuals who already have a career but desire to move into child development can do so through several ways, depending on their level of pedagogy and/or experience.
Switching into some child evolution positions may require returning to school and enrolling in a formal caste plan; this is especially true for individuals who practise not yet possess a bachelor's or higher. Those with a bachelor's in another field may be able to transfer into certain positions afterward completing a certificate or preparation plan.
Depending on their desired career, individuals may be able to outset work in an entry-level position and consummate on-the-job training. This may exist possible for positions such as preschool instructor or childcare worker. Candidates may and so move up in the field over fourth dimension.
Where Can You lot Work as a Child Evolution Professional?
Child development careers span several industries and locations, making it relatively like shooting fish in a barrel for professionals to discover a setting that matches their interests and skills. Many child development professionals piece of work in elementary and secondary schools or child day care services. The section below describes common industries and settings for these professionals.
Industries
The industries that employ child development professionals are varied, offering many dissimilar options for individuals considering this field. Career options tin be found across public, private, and nonprofit settings.
The section beneath describes popular industries for kindergarten teachers, providing a few examples of common work settings for child development professionals.
Private and public elementary/secondary schools hire a diverseness of professionals, including educators, schoolhouse counselors, instructional coordinators, and administrators. Public schools often pay more than similar employers in private and nonprofit settings.
Average Salary: $threescore,750
Many jobs are available at solar day care centers for teachers and administrators. In addition to traditional twenty-four hours care settings, workers may also find positions with large companies that offer childcare services for employees.
Average Salary: $xl,210
Many religious organizations offering 24-hour interval care and early didactics services to parishioners and customs members. These jobs allow workers to get to know local families and participate in a larger religious community.
Average Salary: $54,460
These organizations provide social services related to child well-beingness, including public welfare, adoption services, counseling, and customs shelters. These services may be provided by government agencies or nonprofits. These roles may require professionals to offer counseling or provide referrals.
Average Bacon: $54,420
Other schools and instruction positions tin can exist establish outside of traditional education settings, including in schools located on military bases or in youth detention centers. These roles generally be within the government, simply candidates may too notice jobs at nonprofits.
Average Bacon: $48,980
Source: BLS
Locations
Careers in child development can be plant in all fifty states and all U.South. territories, making it relatively piece of cake for these professionals to locate work no matter where they live.
In terms of employment levels, heavily populated states such as California, New York, and Texas utilise the nigh child evolution specialists. Individuals interested in earning the highest salaries should consider seeking work in states such equally New York, Oregon, or Connecticut. Massachusetts and California also offer higher up-average wages in this field.
As mentioned earlier, membership in a professional organization can assist individuals scope out available roles in their region and observe a position that meets their professional and personal needs.
Interview With a Professional in Kid Evolution
Michelle Person has almost 20 years of experience in education. After graduating from Skidmore College, she joined the Teach For America program and began her career in New Jersey. She worked in diverse urban schools, raising exam scores, developing curricula, and edifice relationships. After earning an MA in educational leadership, she became a school building leader.
In college, I was talking with a friend and he shared how he hadn't been able to read until the fifth grade. I was dumbfounded. By 5th form, I was knee deep in the "Sugariness Valley Twins" and the "Infant-Sitters Order" books. How did he manage to go that far and not know how to read?
What came side by side was a story that sounded more like a Lifetime channel "movie of the week" than actual reality: overcrowded classrooms, outdated textbooks, and teachers that didn't care. I decided right then that I wanted to work with children to make sure as many every bit possible had the same opportunities and experiences that I was fortunate enough to have.
A degree in this field is valuable considering it is an area where there is a demand. Society will always need educators, so job security is generally non an event. Additionally, every bit nosotros redefine what child development looks like and how nosotros can best back up students as they grow and develop, nosotros are also redefining what the field looks like and what types of jobs are available. Information technology'due south an heady time.
I ended up in my electric current position quite by accident. I am an alum of Teach For America, an ambitious plan that encourages young people to spend ii years working in underserved and hard-to-staff schools. Initially, I planned to do my 2 years and move on — to what, I was non entirely sure. But afterward my first year, I knew I had to stay. The problems were besides large and the stakes too high to walk away after two years.
I spent several years bouncing from schoolhouse to school pedagogy different grade levels, at schools with different resource and different educational philosophies, observing how children learn and make sense out of their worlds at unlike developmental stages. The billowy was challenging, just it gave me perspective. I saw some really great things, but I also saw some not-great things.
It was important to me to be able to support equally many children as possible, and so I made the transition from the classroom to the principal'south part — all of that bouncing effectually gave me phenomenal insight on how to best see the needs of all students.
Working in this field tin oftentimes exist a thankless job. Nosotros work long hours and are not always paid our worth. And we often do not become to see the fruits of our labor, since nosotros normally see children for only one phase of their development.
Simply the longer yous do the work, the more you realize you are planting seeds, and if you hang effectually long enough, you will get to see them blossom. Children practice not forget. They will ofttimes seek you out years later on to give thanks y'all for the small thing you lot did that had a profound issue on their life. Those moments are why nosotros exercise what we do.
There is no style you can exercise this work without a strong piece of work ethic, thick skin, and flexibility. We work with children. Believe it or not, they do not ever reply the mode nosotros want them to. The power to stay flexible is central.
Often our piece of work is viewed as piece of cake, simplistic, and requiring no real skill. I mean ... we are working with children, and virtually adults have children. It tin can't be that hard, right? It is then important to have a thick peel to block out those who would discount the value of our work, and then nosotros can always stay focused on what is most important: the children.
This job is not for the faint of centre. Children do non understand the concept of business organization hours. There will be long days and even longer nights. Be prepared.
Y'all volition be the happiest when you know exactly in what capacity you want to work with children. Exercise you lot desire to teach? If and then, what age group? Do you desire to run an enrichment center where you lot have more than liberty to be creative with the children? Do yous want to piece of work with children in crisis and provide them with support? Once y'all have figured that out, everything else will fall into identify.
Resource for Kid Development Majors
Educational and professional resource abound for child evolution careers. Professional associations offer many opportunities for networking, continuing teaching, and career support. Open up courseware and publications allow individuals to learn nigh cut-edge research and new findings in the bailiwick.
National Association for the Education of Young Children: NAEYC works to improve early childhood education by integrating exercise, policy, and inquiry. In addition to accrediting early learning centers, the association hosts an almanac briefing and regular policy forums, maintains a directory of early childhood degree programs, and shares professional development resources on topics such every bit cess and working with exceptional learners.
American School Advisor Association: ASCA specifically represents school counselors and counseling administrators. The clan helps establish upstanding standards and professional competencies for the field, disseminates enquiry and policy updates, and publishes a scholarly journal and a practitioner-oriented monthly magazine.
Social club for Enquiry in Kid Development: SRCD coordinates enquiry and encourages collaboration within the field of child development. The society organizes a biennial research conference and special meetings on subjects such as learning through play and preventing child abuse and neglect. SRCD also publishes multiple academic journals, offers grants to support innovative inquiry, and posts job opportunities.
Association for Kid and Adolescent Counseling: ACAC is committed to ensuring that all children have access to quality mental health services, regardless of their guardians' power to pay. In support of that mission, the association develops online and in-person communities of youth counselors, shares updates on research and policy, and organizes local and national events.
National Association of Special Instruction Teachers:NASET serves the professional interests of special education teachers and teaching administration. Along with overseeing a national board certification process, the clan hosts best-practise guides and research briefs in areas such as managing special education classrooms, responding to bullying, and creating inclusive learning environments. NASET'southward career middle includes job listings and online professional development resource.
The Best Commencement in Life: Early Childhood Development for Sustainable Development - Harvard University:The Harvard Centre on the Developing Kid offers this MOOC to individuals looking to larn more about physical, social, cognitive, and emotional development; how the surroundings affects child evolution; and what milestones to look for in this field. Professors from New York University and Harvard University lead the class, alongside a senior counselor from UNICEF.
Agreement Child Development: From Synapse to Society - Utrecht University: Offered through the Coursera platform, this MOOC is taught by Dr. Jorg Huijding — an associate professor of clinical kid and family unit studies. The form investigates many topics in the field from a multidisciplinary perspective. A beginner-level form, students tin earn a certificate upon completion. 20-five percent of participants said that taking this course led to a tangible career benefit. It takes approximately 23 hours to complete.
Creating an Constructive Child Welfare System - Academy of Pennsylvania:This free course lasts six weeks and requires 2-three hours per week. Students looking to add together a verified certificate of completion can do so for a nominal fee. This self-paced, introductory class touches on topics such every bit how the child welfare/production system works in the U.S. and factors that support or deter kid welfare systems in America. Dr. Richard Gelles teaches this form through edX.
Child Development:Since 1930, the Order for Inquiry in Child Evolution has published this journal, which is filled with original pieces and inquiry. Released on a bimonthly basis, the journal looks at issues affecting kid development from gestation through adolescence. Articles stretching dorsum to 1930 can be viewed in JStor.
Child: Intendance, Health and Development:The Wiley Online Library provides access to this publication. Interested individuals tin get content alerts on subjects that interest them or browse a free sample issue earlier taking out a membership. The periodical publishes every other month and includes original inquiry and findings from leaders in child development and health.
Child Psychiatry & Human Evolution:Springer offers open-admission options for this quarterly academic journal. Recent articles touch topics such as adolescent posttraumatic growth, school achievement and depressive symptoms in boyhood, and social anxiety condition of left-behind children in rural areas.
Child Development Articles and Primal Findings:The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintain a kid development section online where articles are regularly published and shared. These are free and open to the public with no membership requirement. Users tin can also review scientific articles from other publications.
Journal of Early Childhood Research:A peer-reviewed bookish publication overseen by Sage Journals, this quarterly journal provides an international forum for childhood enquiry beyond multiple disciplines. Users can review special newspaper collections in areas such as literacy and early reading, bilingualism and multilingualism, food and health, and inclusion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Individuals who savor working with children and their families tin benefit from earning a degree in this field. Professionals can notice meaningful work in several unlike settings and industries.
Individuals who desire to work with children can pursue different degrees, including options in teaching, psychology, and child development. Those considering a career that predominantly involves working with children should consider which professional person path all-time aligns with their academic interests and long-term professional goals.
Child development can be a great career for individuals who experience passionate most agreement the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social markers that define normal and abnormal child development. Individuals who practice non savor working with children — especially those with special needs — may exist ameliorate suited for a different field.
The path to a job in child development depends on a worker'southward specific role. Some jobs may require but an associate degree, while others mandate a master's-level qualification. Some require applicants to hold licensure, while others do not. Research the requirements of specific roles to learn more than.
Almanac salaries offered by kid evolution roles also depend on the specific job. According to the BLS, preschool teachers earned a median annual salary of $30,520 in 2019, while preschool and childcare center directors brought habitation $48,210.
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