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What’s a good career to work with kids?

What’s a good way to grow experience working with children? I’ve always liked kids and would love to have a career working with them it’s my dream job..

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Layne’s Answer

Great question! There are many, many programs out there where you can work with children. Many will have a specialized path to learn skills needed if you would like to do specialized teaching, coaching or the like. I would also encourage you to explore volunteer activities. You can volunteer with a local Boys and Girls Club or after school programs. If you are interested in education, you can also explore working in an after school program prior to getting a teaching credential. I would encourage you to try volunteer and similar activities when you can. This will not only be rewarding and provide great foundational experience, but give you more insight about what a career working with children can be like.

Layne recommends the following next steps:

Consider volunteer programs
Research the long term career paths for education, mentorship, coaching
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Paul’s Answer

Some of my education students have started in daycare's, which is where they gained experience for later working in the classroom. This might be a good option.
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Thomas’s Answer

Hey Sam, to add to what has already been said, there are also many other fields that work with children, such as speech therapy or play therapy. It really depends on what other areas you're passionate about in addition to woking with kids!
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L’s Answer

That's great that you know what you love already! If you are thinking about working with a specific age group - for example like elementary education, then I would try to find opportunities like summer camps or tutoring to get more interaction with that age group to see if that is something you enjoy. It would also be good to find opportunities working with different age groups so you can really define the age group you enjoy working with the most. For infants and younger children, you could even try picking up regular sitter or nanny jobs to get more experience there. With school age children, I would try to find opportunities to work at camps, or at extracurricular activities for kids like dance, gymnastics, soccer, etc. For older kids, maybe there are some tutoring opportunities that would give you some exposure.

Most schools love to hire students in the summers and throughout the year for extra help.
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Dr’s Answer

Here are some ideas. If you like teaching then you can be a tutor in whichever academic area/subject you are stronger in (math, language, art, even cooking classes). Working 1-on-1 or with a small group at a time will get you connected with them, especially if you meet them on regular basis. Obviously, you could be with kids all day long as a full time teacher - you would go to school to get a teaching degree for that.
If teaching is not how you want to spend time with them, then maybe try baby-sitting. I think care.com is one site where you can sign up for that or you can get gigs by word of mouth. Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts is another avenue, as mentioned above.
Good luck!
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