Definition: Childcare Worker Or Assistant Job Description

What are the duties of the crèche agent? What training to follow to exercise this profession? What are his outlets and his salary? The answers are provided to you by this job description of crèche agent.

Nursery agent profession

Gateway to early childhood careers, the crèche agent provides supervision and security for a group of children aged 0 to 3. Discover the profession in detail: mission, training, recruitment, retraining.

What is a crèche attendant?

Working in a crèche or in a day-care center, the nursery assistant has the heavy responsibility of looking after children aged from a few months to 3 years old during the day.

To their care, the activities of this professional follow the rhythm of the children and are under the responsibility of the nursery director and the childcare assistant.

The main objective of the crèche worker is to develop the socialization of the child before entering school.

Missions of the nursery assistant

This professional must perform many tasks:

Supervise children and ensure their safety

Whether it is upon their arrival or their departure, the crèche agent ensures that children and their families are welcomed in the best possible conditions. Throughout the day, he will implement the conditions for their well-being, whether it is to satisfy their physical, motor or emotional needs.

He is also responsible for carrying out routine hygiene care for children and monitoring their general condition while ensuring their safety.

Finally, it must allow children to gradually acquire autonomous gestures and behaviors (clothing, food, motor).

Organize and animate adapted activities

Awakening workshops, games, expression workshops are all activities to plan while respecting the educational project of the establishment.

The objective is to develop the capacities of children to integrate into social life, to teach them to live together and to respect.

During the nap, the daycare worker supervises and ensures that the children fall asleep.

Participate in day-to-day tasks in the establishment

This involves the maintenance of living spaces and equipment.

Collaborate with the team on the reception structure project

The nursery assistant participates in the creation and implementation of the educational project of the reception structure by taking part in meetings, bringing his ideas or providing all the necessary answers to parents.

Where does the childcare worker work?

The professional generally begins his career in crèches, day nurseries and certain health establishments. He can then move to other establishments.

While the majority are recruited by a local authority, they can also be recruited by a private structure.

Trends in the profession

The early childhood sector is very important and the reception structures fill up very quickly. The need for qualified personnel increases every year.

Qualifications required to become a Nursery Assistant

Working as a childcare worker requires special skills and qualities.

First of all, like all professions in contact with children, the nursery worker must show patience, calm and self-control. You have to be able to endure the noises and the crying.

Then, this professional shows availability at all times for the children and can react quickly.

In constant contact with the parents, the agent must know how to show diplomacy but also know how to remain smiling and courteous in all circumstances.

Of course, increased concentration is essential because a toddler requires a lot of attention.

Training courses to become a daycare worker

To become a crèche worker, professional training is not compulsory but strongly recommended to hope to progress. Several solutions are available to you, accessible both in the context of initial training and in that of continuing training, allowing easy professional retraining as a nursery assistant

The most common path remains the early childhood CAP but it is also possible to take the BPJEPS (professional certificate for youth in popular education and sport) or the BEP CSS (health and social careers).

Possible evolutions of the nursery assistant

Different development perspectives are possible:

• Become an Early Childhood animator after a few years of experience;
• Become a caregiver by passing competitions;
• After three years of experience, the childcare worker can become a nurse by taking the entrance examination for the IFSI (Institute for Training in Nursing).

Salary of a childcare worker

The average salary is between $ 1,300 and $ 1,800. It should be noted that individual bonuses become an important component of income.