UPDATE
Introducing: Penn Foster’s Child Care Professional Career Diploma Program
While Ashworth College is no longer accepting enrollments in our Child Care Provider Program, we’re excited to introduce you to our partner school, Penn Foster.
Prepare for a career working with kids by enrolling in our Child Care Professional Career Diploma Program. You’ll build the skills and knowledge you’ll need to work with children in a variety of settings while fulfilling the education requirements needed to earn your Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential.
LEARN MORETake the Next Steps Towards a Career You Want
Penn Foster’s online Child Care Professional Career Diploma Program can help you prepare to take the first steps toward the job you want. With flexible, online courses, you can learn skills and knowledge on your schedule, from home.
Why Penn Foster?
Penn Foster has been on a mission to help people like you launch, accelerate, and thrive in their careers for more than 130 years. We provide students with a quality education that fits their busy lifestyle and budget, offering over 100 self-paced, career-relevant programs across our College, Career School, and High School. The program you choose is structured to fit your learning needs so you can achieve your goals, and is designed to work with your schedule, anytime, anywhere you want to study. With a focus on relevant skills and career preparation for the job you’re after, Penn Foster can help you graduate with confidence and help provide a pathway towards your career goals.
ACCREDITED
COURSES
You have goals. We have standards. Let’s do great things together.
Be an integral part of the day-to-day development of young children, ensuring each child gets the attention he or she deserves.
Elevate your career to a new level with online child care training courses that fit into your schedule, no matter how hectic.
What You'll Learn in Penn Foster’s Child Care Provider Career Diploma
- How to supervise and monitor the health and safety of children in your care.
- How to organize developmentally appropriate activities and implement curricula that support healthy social and emotional development, along with healthy growth and development in areas including math, science, social studies, art, music, literacy, and language.
- How to recognize signs of social, emotional, physical or developmental delay in children, including the range of development disabilities among young children. Students will understand how to plan for children with special needs and communicate those issues to the proper authorities, including teachers and parents.
- How to keep records of children’s progress, routines, and interests, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered.
Penn Foster’s Online Child Care Program Curriculum
Our Child Care Program curriculum will help you build the fundamental skills and knowledge necessary to work in an entry-level child care role. This includes classes in child development; curriculum and lesson planning; and health, safety, and nutrition.
The program also offers two specializations for you to choose from — family home-based child care or center-based child care. The choice of specialization courses allows you to receive concentrated training for the area of employment you want to pursue in the early childhood care industry. Your online courses include:
- Child Growth and Development
- Observation and Assessment
- Curriculum, Activities, and Lesson Planning
- Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child
Online Childcare Classes FAQs
Child care professionals work in a variety of settings under numerous job titles. Some of the most popular places where child care professionals work include child care centers, elementary schools, and private households. Many child care providers are self-employed. Some potential positions that you could pursue after completing your online child care coursework include child care aide, child caregiver, teacher aide, nursery school aide/helper, and au pair.
The salary or hourly pay for a child care professional can vary based on work experience, education, the facility you work for, and more. According to national averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for entry-level child care workers in 2023 was $30,370 per year or $14.60 per hour.† Child care workers can potentially increase how much they can earn by gaining their CDA Credential.
A child care or early childhood professional plays a vital role in helping children in their care learn and reach developmental goals. Child care professionals provide care for children in a child care center, preschool, or home-based setting, and on a daily basis might perform tasks like organizing educational activities, developing routines for children in their care, and ensuring children meet developmental goals.
State requirements
A career in this field may require you to meet certain licensing, training, and other requirements that can vary by vocation and state. You should check with your state, local government, and/or licensing board to find out which requirements may be applicable in your state. Click here for contact information on state licensing/regulatory boards and certain professional licensing information.