17 Jobs Working With Children
Satisfaction is something that we all want from our jobs. Working with children offers the potential to find exactly that, especially if you love kids. And there are plenty of possibilities. When it comes to careers involving children, the variety is wider than ever.
After all, in 2018, America was already home to 73.4 million young people under 18. And by 2050, that number could rise by an additional 4.8 million, according to a 2019 Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics report. Plus, just think of the extra support kids require compared to adults. They are in the earliest stages of their development. So, each child relies on a diverse assortment of adult professionals—either directly or indirectly.
That's why many jobs involving children are in career fields with strong demand and good employment prospects. And many of them allow people to benefit from their day-to-day work with kids in other significant ways. In fact, they often have unique advantages.
So check out this list of careers working with children that offer benefits such as a sense of purpose, exposure to fresh perspectives, high pay, and lots of fun.
4 Huge Benefits That Careers With Children Provide
1. A Deep Sense of Purpose
We've all heard the cliché that children are our future. But have you ever paused and considered just how true that is? Today's kids will inherit the world, and many will become tomorrow's leaders, caretakers, inventors, and artists. That means you have the chance to help shape the future by contributing your talents toward the positive development and growth of young people in your community.
Few things are more fulfilling than knowing that your work means something. When working with children, jobs are frequently infused with real purpose. That's especially true in career sectors such as education, healthcare, counseling, and human services. By helping kids flourish, you can play a crucial role in giving them a great head start on all the possibilities and potential ahead of them.
2. Exposure to Wildly Fresh Perspectives
Do you remember what it was like to see the world through young eyes? As a kid, you were probably curious about everything. And you probably didn't edit your thoughts or ideas like adults do. It meant that you were fascinated by even the most mundane stuff, and felt like a real visionary when you crafted your own theory about something.
As an adult, you can learn a lot from kids. Even a brief interaction with a young person can be powerful enough to break holes in the mental box that clouds or restricts your thinking. It can be a boost to your creativity and help you spark new solutions. At the very least, it can remind you that tapping back into that youthful mindset is always possible.
And that's the bottom line: For anyone who values seeing the world in new ways, being able to interact with creative people is often the key to finding jobs that work. With children around, there is rarely a shortage of fun or unusual ideas. It's something that many people who've studied or worked in the social sciences have learned firsthand.
3. Opportunities to Earn High Pay
It may not be immediately obvious, but following your passion for kids can lead to high-paying jobs. Working with children is something that many top-level professionals get to do daily.
Several professional sectors offer paths to specialization in exactly this area. They include psychology, law, nursing, and many other areas of professional health care. Some people even become experts in business and start companies that provide entertainment or other services to kids.
4. More Play, More Laughter, More Smiles
We've all seen it: Young kids seem to enjoy life a lot more than adults. They often display vibrant and playful energy that many of us lose somewhere along our paths to adulthood. They are much more likely to be dancing, singing, smiling, laughing, or engaging their imaginations at any given time. Is it any wonder that people who work with kids often have more joyful careers? Dealing with children on this level is just plain fun.
The above examples are often wonderful careers for people who enjoy experiencing that kind of youthful and adventurous spirit. With children as a major focus, they include occupations in areas such as entertainment, sports and recreation, and the arts.
High-paying Jobs Working with Children
Needing four years of education or less
1. Pediatric registered nurse
Helping sick or injured kids can be very fulfilling, especially when you see them regain health and vitality thanks to your efforts. Plus, many registered nurses who specialize in pediatrics earn good money. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics*, in 2023, registered nurses made a median annual salary of $86,070.
2. Pediatric dental hygienist
With your warm and assuring personality combined with an education from a dental hygienist school, you could help children overcome their fear of the dental chair. Cleaning young people's teeth and educating them about good oral hygiene can make a big difference in children's health. The median annual pay for dental hygienists was $87,530 in 2023.*
Rewarding Careers with Children
3. Early childhood educator
As a preschool teacher, you could watch young kids develop and gain confidence while providing warm guidance and fun learning projects.
4. Child and family social worker
According to the Forum, in 2020, just over 16 percent of children in America lived in poverty. And many of them lived in single-parent households, with abusive or neglectful parents, or in foster care. As a social worker, you could make a vital difference in hundreds of kids' lives by helping to protect them and working to give them better home environments.
5. Respiratory therapist
According to Forum data from 2019, about 10.5 percent of children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with asthma. Respiratory therapists help such kids breathe easier and manage their respiratory illnesses, and give them a better shot at growing into healthy and vibrant community members.
6. Elementary school teacher
The early years of school are essential for providing kids with a stable foundation they can build on. Being a teacher at this level of education is often one of the most fun and rewarding ways to contribute to a child's development, again and again.
7. Occupational therapy assistant
Some kids have physical, cognitive, or physical disabilities that make it difficult for them to live normal day-to-day lives. By training as an occupational therapy assistant, you could help kids improve their motor skills and other basic functions, and give them better opportunities to succeed in school, play with other children, and grow into thriving and confident young people.
8. Pediatric nutritionist or dietitian
As an expert on nutrition, you could help parents and schools choose the best foods for their children and students' health and development.
Jobs with Kids That Offer Out-of-the-box Perspectives
9. Nanny/childcare provider
Many parents in America are full-time professionals or business owners who choose to keep working at a high level when they have children. That creates many opportunities for childcare workers who want to look after or help raise the same kids day after day. In a lot of cases, nannies even get to live in the households where they work. As a result, nannies often develop deep bonds with kids and enjoy experiencing their more innocent outlooks on life. Many nannies also receive free or discounted room and board.
10. Barber or hairstylist
Hairdressers and barbers frequently have opportunities to engage kids in interesting discussions. Yearly wages can be significantly higher if you become the owner of a barbershop or salon.
11. Museum educator (self-enrichment teacher)
If you've been to popular museums, you know that kids usually make up a large percentage of the visitors, especially on days with school field trips. So, just imagine all the wide-eyed curiosity and inspired conversations that take place between kids and museum guides.
12. Art therapist
Fostering creative self-expression could help kids discover more about themselves as they learn to talk about or cope with their challenges. Plus, you'll likely see just how diverse children's imaginations and inner lives really are.
13. Radiologic technologist/technician
Children tend to have a lot of energy. So, when they're active, many of them play hard and take risks. As a result, many kids break bones or get other internal injuries that require diagnostic images. That's why being an X-ray technician or MRI technologist can mean interacting with children and helping make their experience less scary and more positive.
14. Librarian
Introducing young people to the magic and power of books and other sources of stories and knowledge can be highly rewarding. As you help them discover new wonders, they often reflect that sense of possibility.
Joyful and Fun Jobs with Kids
15. Recreation worker
Many communities have parks and recreation centers where kids can play, have fun, and engage in organized activities. That means plenty of opportunities are available for people who want to participate in those activities and help kids take advantage of what their communities offer. Your experience could also lead to higher-paying positions like recreation director or camp director.
16. Child portrait photographer
Even though almost everyone now has a phone with a built-in camera, professional photographers are still sought out by people who want extraordinary photos of their special events or loved ones. For pros in this field, taking pictures of kids is often one of the most fun and playful ways to make money. You simply never know what to expect, which makes it exciting.
17. Coach
Few things are more rewarding than helping kids set goals, playing a direct role in their personal development, and watching them achieve what they've set out to do. Coaching is often full of joyful moments. And even when kids come up short of their expectations, coaches can provide encouragement and restore the big smiles that they love so much.
Discover Your Own Path Forward
If these kid-related jobs inspire you, you can easily find an educational program near you or online to help you get started on the right path. Simply start a quick search to check out your options. Working with children may just become a big part of your future.
* Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook. Some careers listed may be part of a combined occupation profile (visited September 16, 2024).
