Child Care Service Owners

You can gain experience in this field by volunteering at a child care center or other preschool facility. Some high schools provide internships with local preschools for students interested in working as teacher's aides. Your school counselor can provide information on these opportunities. Summer day camps or religious schools with preschool classes also hire high school students as counselors or counselors-in-training. You also can take tours of child care centers of various sizes, and talk to the owners about how they started their businesses. Suggested interview questions include: What made you want to enter this career? What are the pros and cons of running a business? How did you train for this field? What advice would you give to young people about preparing for the field and being successful on the job?

Check out the National Association for the Education of Young Children's blog, https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog, for articles about industry trends and best practices.