# Childcare Workers

US SOC code 39-9011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/39-9011

Also called: Daycare worker, Daycare teacher, Child care worker, Child care provider, Child care aide.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **518,910** US childcare workers, with median pay of **$34,980** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the highest was **520,180**, in May 2024, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/child-welfarechild-labor/nursery-schools-history/) of **80,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for childcare workers: Child care management software + center administration tools, 1992 to 2013.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 2% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-9011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **33%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.084** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.084. BLS counted **597,900** of these jobs in May 2013 and **518,910** in May 2025. The count moved sharply in one step, May 2020 to May 2021, when BLS changed how it estimates these counts, so no change is derived here.

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Childcare Workers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1854
- Latest US employment: 518,910 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Latest US median pay: $34,980 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [14]
- Outlook: -2% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [29]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **United Kingdom** (UK SOC 6111)
  - Employment, 2025: 83,000. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [10]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14): employee jobs in SOC 6111 Early education and childcare assistants, United Kingdom, 2025 (ASHE "number of jobs", thousands x1000; excludes self-employment). Open Government Licence v3.0.
  - Median pay, 2025: £19,165. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [17]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14.7a): median gross annual pay for all employee jobs in SOC 6111 Early education and childcare assistants, United Kingdom, 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- **Australia** (ANZSCO 4211)
  - Employment, 2025: 175,300. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey [11]. ABS Labour Force Survey (Detailed), table EQ08: employed persons in ANZSCO 4211 Child Carers, national (summed across sex and state/territory), annual average of 4 quarterly estimates.
  - Median pay, 2025: A$69,732. Source: ABS Employee Earnings May 2025 [18]. Annualised (x52) from A$1,341 median weekly earnings. ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025: median pay for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax. Surfaced via the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile.

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 80,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Social Welfare History Project (VCU) [1] |
| 1935 | 125,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Living New Deal [2] |
| 1944 | 180,000 (estimate) | $1,200 (estimate) | Est., WWII Memorial Friends [3] |
| 1970 | 350,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Head Start (program) [4] |
| 2000 | 398,090 | $16,900 (estimate) | BLS OEWS 2000 (employment) [5]; Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (pay) [13] |
| 2003 | 469,150 | $16,430 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [6] |
| 2004 | 513,110 | $16,760 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [6] |
| 2005 | 557,680 | $17,050 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [6] |
| 2006 | 572,950 | $17,630 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2007 | 576,680 | $18,350 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [6] |
| 2008 | 581,670 | $18,970 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [6] |
| 2009 | 595,650 | $19,240 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [6] |
| 2010 | 611,280 | $19,300 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [6] |
| 2011 | 631,240 | $19,430 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [6] |
| 2012 | 624,520 | $19,510 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [6] |
| 2013 | 597,900 | $19,600 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [6] |
| 2014 | 582,970 | $19,730 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 573,440 | $20,320 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [6] |
| 2016 | 569,370 | $21,170 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [6] |
| 2017 | 562,420 | $22,290 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [6] |
| 2018 | 564,630 | $23,240 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [6] |
| 2019 | 561,520 | $24,230 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [6] |
| 2020 | 494,360 | $25,460 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [6] |
| 2021 | 438,520 | $27,490 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [6] |
| 2022 | 459,460 | $28,520 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [6] |
| 2023 | 497,450 | $30,370 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [6] |
| 2024 | 520,180 | $32,050 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [6] |
| 2025 | 518,910 | $34,980 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [6] |

## Sources (111)

### Employment series

1. [Social Welfare History Project (VCU) — "Nursery Schools: History (1844-1919)" (day nursery count 1892-1912; matron/assistant staffing model)](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/child-welfarechild-labor/nursery-schools-history/), Social Welfare History Project / Virginia Commonwealth University
2. [Living New Deal — "WPA Nursery Schools: A Wonderful New Deal for Families" (1,900 schools, 76,000 children, 6,600+ workers employed by end of 1935)](https://livingnewdeal.org/wpa-nursery-schools-a-wonderful-new-deal-for-families/), Living New Deal / UC Berkeley
3. [WWII Memorial Friends — "The Lanham Act and Universal Childcare During World War II" (3,102 centers, 130,000 children enrolled at July 1944 peak; $52M federal investment Aug 1943-Feb 1946)](https://www.wwiimemorialfriends.org/blog/the-lanham-act-and-universal-childcare-during-world-war-ii), WWII Memorial Friends
4. [Head Start (program) — Wikipedia, citing founding context: 500,000 children enrolled summer 1965; year-round program authorized 1966. Employment figures extrapolated from enrollment data and documented staff ratios.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_%28program%29), Wikipedia / Head Start program documentation
5. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (number of employee jobs), 4-digit SOC 6121 + 6123, United Kingdom, (sum of the cited cells). Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2002](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2002/2002-table-14.zip), [2006](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2006consistentw_007methodology/2006-table-14.zip), [2010](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2010revised/2010-revised-table-14.zip)
8. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6121, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2011](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), [2015](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2015/table142015revised.zip), [2020](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip)
9. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6111, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
10. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6111, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
11. [ABS: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, table EQ08 (Employed persons by Occupation unit group, ANZSCO 2013), latest release](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release), Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Wage series

12. [WWII Memorial Friends — "The Lanham Act and Universal Childcare During World War II" (Lanham Act funded centers at federally subsidized rates; worker wages estimated from reported $52M total program cost over 31 months at 3,102 centers employing ~15,000 workers)](https://www.wwiimemorialfriends.org/blog/the-lanham-act-and-universal-childcare-during-world-war-ii), WWII Memorial Friends
13. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Childcare Workers (historical wage context circa 2000; median annual wage estimated from OOH historical references)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
14. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
15. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6121, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2002](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2002/2002-table-14.zip), [2006](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2006consistentw_007methodology/2006-table-14.zip), [2010](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2010revised/2010-revised-table-14.zip), [2011](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), [2015](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2015/table142015revised.zip), [2020](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip)
16. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6111, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
17. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6111, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
18. [Jobs and Skills Australia: Child Carers (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025)](https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/4211-child-carers), Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Tool eras

19. [Social Welfare History Project (VCU) — "Nursery Schools: History (1844-1919)" (pre-institutional childcare context, emergence of day nursery movement)](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/child-welfarechild-labor/nursery-schools-history/), Social Welfare History Project / Virginia Commonwealth University
20. [New York Nursery and Child's Hospital — Wikipedia (founding 1854, St. Mark's Place; first US day care offering)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Nursery_and_Child%27s_Hospital), Wikipedia
21. [Immigrant Entrepreneurship — "German Social Entrepreneurs and the First Kindergartens in Nineteenth Century America" (Margarethe Schurz 1856, Elizabeth Peabody 1860)](https://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entries/german-social-entrepreneurs-and-the-first-kindergartens-in-nineteenth-century-america/), Immigrant Entrepreneurship
22. [Living New Deal — "WPA Nursery Schools: A Wonderful New Deal for Families" (1,900 schools, 76,000 children, 6,600+ workers by end of 1935; health inspection and daily routine details)](https://livingnewdeal.org/wpa-nursery-schools-a-wonderful-new-deal-for-families/), Living New Deal / UC Berkeley
23. [WWII Memorial Friends — "The Lanham Act and Universal Childcare During World War II" (3,102 centers at July 1944 peak, 130,000 children, $52M federal; dismantled February 1946)](https://www.wwiimemorialfriends.org/blog/the-lanham-act-and-universal-childcare-during-world-war-ii), WWII Memorial Friends
24. [Pampers — Wikipedia (Procter & Gamble first disposable diaper, founded 1961; P&G researcher Victor Mills initiated development; national product introduction)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pampers), Wikipedia / Procter & Gamble
25. [Head Start (program) — Wikipedia (1965 founding, 500,000 children summer 1965, comprehensive services model, performance standards)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_%28program%29), Wikipedia / Head Start program documentation
26. [Procare Solutions — "About Procare" (most recommended child care management software, serving childcare centers since 1992; trusted by over 40,000 centers)](https://www.procaresoftware.com/), Procare Solutions
27. [Brightwheel — "Brightwheel: The Best Childcare Management Software" (founded 2014, launched 2015 by Dave Vasen; childcare management platform for communication, billing, attendance)](https://mybrightwheel.com/), Brightwheel
28. [American Academy of Pediatrics — "Media and Young Minds" (2016 Council on Communications and Media policy statement: no screen media for under 18-24 months except video chat)](https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/138/5/e20162591/60321/Media-and-Young-Minds), American Academy of Pediatrics

### Forecasts and exposure studies

29. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 39-9011 Childcare workers (2025: 1,010.3 thousand; 2035: 990.4 thousand; -2.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-9011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
30. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 39-9011 Childcare Workers: probability 0.084, rank 163 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
31. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 39-9011.00, human-rated β 0.33)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

32. [New York Nursery and Child's Hospital — Wikipedia (Nursery for the Children of Poor Women, 1854, St. Mark's Place, NYC; first US day care offering)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Nursery_and_Child%27s_Hospital), Wikipedia
33. [Social Welfare History Project (VCU) — "Nursery Schools: History (1844-1919)" (National Federation of Day Nurseries organized 1898 by Mrs. Arthur Murray Dodge; 175 nurseries by 1897)](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/child-welfarechild-labor/nursery-schools-history/), Social Welfare History Project / Virginia Commonwealth University
34. [Living New Deal — "WPA Nursery Schools: A Wonderful New Deal for Families" (1,900 schools by end of 1935, 76,000 children, 6,600+ workers; daily routine description)](https://livingnewdeal.org/wpa-nursery-schools-a-wonderful-new-deal-for-families/), Living New Deal / UC Berkeley
35. [WWII Memorial Friends — "The Lanham Act and Universal Childcare During World War II" (3,102 centers July 1944; 550-600k children total served; $52M federal + $26M community; dismantled February 1946)](https://www.wwiimemorialfriends.org/blog/the-lanham-act-and-universal-childcare-during-world-war-ii), WWII Memorial Friends
36. [Head Start (program) — Wikipedia (1965 founding, 500,000 children summer pilot, year-round 1966, community employment design, Mississippi community impact)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_%28program%29), Wikipedia
37. [Time — "Child Care's Controversial Political History: Nixon to Today" (CCDA veto December 10, 1971; Mondale-Brademas bill; veto message; long-term policy impact)](https://time.com/6125667/universal-childcare-history-nixon-veto/), Time
38. [Child Care Aware of America — "16,000 childcare providers shut down in the pandemic" (Dec 2019-Mar 2021 permanent closures); BLS CES series: 370,000+ job loss Feb-Apr 2020](https://info.childcareaware.org/media/16000-childcare-providers-shut-down-in-the-pandemic.-its-a-really-big-deal), Child Care Aware of America
39. [BLS National Employment Matrix 39-9011 (2024-34 projections); CSCCE Workforce Index 2024 (poverty rates, safety net participation); US Treasury "Economics of Childcare Supply" (OECD ranking, per-child investment comparisons)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-9011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics / CSCCE / US Treasury

### Predecessors & successors

40. [Social Welfare History Project (VCU) — "Nursery Schools: History (1844-1919)" (day nursery matrons drawn from domestic service tradition)](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/child-welfarechild-labor/nursery-schools-history/), Social Welfare History Project / Virginia Commonwealth University
41. [Living New Deal — "WPA Nursery Schools: A Wonderful New Deal for Families" (6,600+ workers employed in WPA nursery schools by end of 1935)](https://livingnewdeal.org/wpa-nursery-schools-a-wonderful-new-deal-for-families/), Living New Deal / UC Berkeley
42. [Head Start (program) — Wikipedia (employing low-income parents as teachers, aides, cooks; community employment as program design feature from 1965)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_%28program%29), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Childcare Workers (39-9011.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, knowledge domains, wage and employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/39-9011.00), accessed 2026-05-30
- [BLS OES May 2024 — Childcare Workers (39-9011): 991,600 employed; median hourly $15.41; median annual $32,050](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes399011.htm), accessed 2026-05-30
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Childcare Workers: projected -3% employment change 2024-2034; 160,200 annual openings; median hourly $15.41 (2024-25 edition)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework; childcare workers near-zero β-exposure because core tasks are embodied physical care, not text-synthesis tasks](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Frey & Osborne (2013) — The Future of Employment: childcare workers scored 0.084 probability of computerization, among the lowest of 702 occupations; physical-care, social-perceptiveness, and negotiation bottlenecks cited](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), accessed 2026-05-30
- [CSCCE UC Berkeley — "Five Years After COVID-19, A Struggling Child Care Workforce Faces New Threats" (March 2025): national median hourly wage $13.07; 43% of early educator families on public support; 1.1M workers employed](https://cscce.berkeley.edu/publications/press-release/five-years-after-covid-19-a-struggling-child-care-workforce-faces-new-threats/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [NAEYC — Technology and Young Children: Infants and Toddlers (2025): children under 18 months should have no screen media other than video-chatting; serve-and-return interaction for under-3s requires physically present adults](https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/technology-and-media/infants-and-toddlers), accessed 2026-05-30
- [NAEYC — Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) Position Statement (2022, updated 2025): physical co-presence and contingent adult response are the irreducible mechanisms of care for birth-to-5](https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Brightwheel — Product overview (2025-2026): 100K+ programs; saves up to 20 hours/month on administrative tasks; daily activity reports, automated billing, CCDF subsidy documentation; 2/3 of teachers prefer programs that use it](https://mybrightwheel.com/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Procare Solutions — Staff-to-child ratio monitoring, RoomRunner AI enrollment planning, real-time ratio compliance alerts, staff scheduling and management (2025)](https://www.procaresoftware.com/capabilities/child-care-staff-management/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Lillio (HiMama) — Real-time activity logging, daily report generation, parent push notifications, Lillio Academy professional development hub (2025)](https://www.lillio.com/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Teaching Strategies GOLD — Observational assessment system used by 90%+ of Head Start programs; AI-Coach documentation nudges; Smart Suggestions for objective coverage during checkpoint documentation (2025)](https://teachingstrategies.com/product/gold/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [CDA Council — Child Development Associate credential: 120-hour training + 480-hour field experience; required by Head Start; four setting tracks (Preschool, Infant/Toddler, Family Child Care, Home Visitor); fee $525 as of August 2025](https://www.cdacouncil.org/en/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [SmbAI — "AI Tools for Daycare & Childcare Centers (2026)": ChatGPT/Claude lesson plans 80-90% usable as-is; KidKare USDA meal compliance 250+ automated edit checks; XShift ratio-aware scheduling; Famly multilingual parent communication](https://smbai.guide/guides/daycare-center), accessed 2026-05-30
- [CCDF 2024 final rule — HHS tightened attendance documentation requirements for CCDF-funded providers; Brightwheel digital attendance logs satisfy CCDBG documentation requirements automatically](https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/ccdf-it-resources-clearinghouse), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Kangarootime — Subsidy-split invoicing and enrollment management; digital child records and licensing compliance documentation; multi-location management (2025)](https://kangarootime.com.au/), accessed 2026-05-30

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.