In a word — YES!!  Society is relying more and more not just on childcare, but parents are demanding quality childcare. This means trained professional providers with knowledge of developmentally, age-appropriate practices, and quality standards.

The following information was taken from the 2008-09 Edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Child Care Workers Job Outlook

Child care workers are expected to experience job growth that is faster than the average for all occupations.  Job prospects will be excellent because of the many workers who leave and need to be replaced.

Employment change.  Employment of child care workers is projected to increase by 18 percent between 2006 and 2016, which is faster than the average for all occupations.  Child care workers will have a very large number of new jobs arise, almost 248,000 over the projections decade.

Job prospects.  High replacement needs should create good job opportunities for child care workers.  Qualified people interested in this work should have little trouble finding and keeping a job.  Many childcare workers must be replaced yearly as they leave the occupation to fulfill family responsibilities, study, or other reasons.  Others leave because they are interested in pursuing other occupations.

Teacher Aides and Assistants Job Outlook

Many job openings are expected for teacher aides and assistants due to turnover employment growth in this large occupation, resulting in favorable job prospects.

Employment change.  Employment of teacher aides and assistants are expected to grow by 10 percent between 2006 and 2016 per the projections data from the National Employment Matrix.

Job prospects.  Favorable job prospects are expected.  Opportunities for teacher aides and assistant jobs should be best for those with at least 2 years of formal postsecondary education, those with experience in helping special education students, or those who can speak a foreign language.  Demand is expected to vary by region of the country.  Regions in which the population and school enrollments are expected to grow faster, such as many communities in the South and West, should have rapid growth in the demand for teacher aides and assistants.

Teachers – Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle and Secondary Job Outlook

Employment of preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers is projected to grow about as fast as average.  Job prospects are expected to be favorable, with particularly good prospects for teachers in high-demand fields like math, science, and bilingual education, or in less desirable urban or rural school districts.

Employment change.  Employment of school teachers is expected to grow by 12 percent between 2006 and 2016.

Job prospects.  Job opportunities for teachers over the next 10 years will vary from good to excellent, depending on the locality, grade level, and subject taught.  Most job openings will result from the need to replace the large number of teachers who are expected to retire over the 2006-2016 period.  Also, many beginning teachers decide to leave teaching for other careers after a year or two.