A childcare CV is like the storybook of your professional journey. When written well, it’s an engaging tool to show and tell the hiring manager why you are the best person to chaperone little ones and stimulate their learning.
Childcare is a broad term that includes a variety of professions. What any role under this umbrella shares is the need for enthusiasm, patience, and the ability to stay calm and think on your feet. The childcare sector is strictly regulated, but it is also extremely rewarding as you’ll help shape young minds and support families.
While we may not be in the trenches with you as you soothe tantrums and shape young minds, at Resume.io we do know a thing or two about writing a CV that will get you hired. We offer a library of resources for job seekers from a variety of professions, including job-specific CV examples that have helped millions of users.
So, today it’s our turn to take care of you. This CV guide, along with the corresponding CV example will cover the following topics:
- What does a childcare professional do?
- How to write a childcare CV (tips and tricks)
- The best format for a childcare professional's CV
- Advice on each section of your CV (summary, work history, education, skills)
- Professional CV layout and design hints.
What does a childcare professional do?
Working in childcare means you could adopt a variety of roles. From creche assistants to trained special educational needs professionals or even early years teachers, everyone in the childcare sector has a role to play. One career choice that many childcare professionals opt for is working in a nursery setting.
You are usually expected to work around 37 to 40 hours a week and need to pass enhanced background checks to work in a childcare facility. However, whether you are caring for children in a nursery, as a childminder with your own private business, or any other environment — you have an incredible amount of responsibility. This could include planning and supervising activities like arts and crafts or music and cooking, or looking after the wellbeing of the children by feeding and changing them.
Last year the total number of apprentices employed by school-based and group-based providers increased by 32%, according to the childcare and early years provider survey. This could be an interesting avenue that career starters wanting to pursue childcare could explore.
How to write a childcare CV
When taking the first steps with your child care CV, make sure you understand what sections to include. Your CV should contain the following elements:
- The CV header
- The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
- The employment history section
- The CV skills section
- The education section
Optimise for the ATS
In many job applications, before your CV is seen by a real person it will need to impress an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). The ATS is an algorithm which filters only the most relevant applications for the hiring manager to see. Make sure yours is one of them by including keywords that are important Çin the advertised job description.
Choosing the best CV format for childcare
For most job seekers, the best CV format in a childcare role will be reverse chronological. This will let you highlight your previous experience in related childcare settings and with similar responsibilities. However, if you are new to the workforce then the functional CV format could work for you. It will allow you to prioritise your skills and any qualifications you’ve earned.
CV header
Your CV header matters. Make your CV stand out by including your name and contact details at the very top of the document. This will differentiate your CV from others — just like when you would put your name at the top of your work at school. Plus, it’s functional, allowing the hiring manager to find your details quickly and easily.
CV summary example
These three to four sentences that make up your childcare CV’s summary are the key to making the hiring manager read on. To impress them, include compelling reasons that you respond to what they’ve asked for in the job description. Remember to mirror the language they’ve used, too.
If you are struggling to think of what to include, consider how you have demonstrated the skills the job description requires in your previous roles. If certain qualifications are important for the role, mention that you have them in the section. You can also include other things that make you stand out so long as they are still in line with what will be interesting to the hiring manager for this particular role.
For instance, you can mention that after joining your previous daycare, the satisfaction of the parents whose children you looked after rose by 25%. You may not need to mention that you have an infant CPR qualification if you’re applying for a job in a primary school.
Background checks
If you have any background checks that are currently valid, don’t forget to mention them in your CV! Most childcare professionals will need one at some point, and it can add a layer of added assurance to hiring managers that you’re likely to pass another one and won’t be wasting their time.
The possibilities of ways to approach your summary are endless. The key is tailoring it to the job at hand and making sure it accurately depicts your personal profile. To get your ideas flowing, you can use our CV sample content below to help you.
Plus, we have dozens of other CV sample content for other professions. You might find it useful to browse them and see other ways of approaching that all-important CV summary to grab the hiring manager’s attention. For instance, feel free to check out our:
Committed and caring child care worker with over 10 years of experience in providing a nurturing and educational environment for children ranging from newborns to age five. Skilled in creating age-appropriate activities to encourage socialisation and help children reach developmental milestones.
Employment history sample
You will usually find that the employment history section is the most important one of a childcare CV. If you are new to the industry, there are creative ways to highlight the relevant skills needed for the role from your past experience . Remember to include the following information for each previous job:
- Your job title
- Your dates of employment
- The name of the organisation that employed you
- Location of employment
List your most recent experience at the top of the section and work your way backwards. Underneath the corresponding subheading that includes the above details, include several bullet points with the most important skills and accomplishments from your time at each role. How else will the hiring manager know exactly why your previous experience is relevant? This is an important step whether you are new to this area of childcare or not.
Stuck for ideas? Consider regular responsibilities and tasks that have overlap with what would be asked for you in this role. Or do you have any awards or accomplishments that illustrate your abilities with one of the requested skills for this role? Perhaps you even have some impressive results from a project in a previous role that shows your skills and experience in a relevant area.
Our sample CV content below will show some ways that you can put these writing tips into practice. Don’t forget, we have other CV examples that can show you other approaches to write the various sections of your childcare CV, too.
Childcare Assistant at Little Stars Nursery, Manchester, UK
2015 - Present
- Collaborated with lead teachers in planning and executing daily activities.
- Managed nap and snack times for groups of 15+ children between the ages of two and four years.
- Communicated daily with parents about their child's day, including any potential issues or special moments.
Childcare Apprentice at Happy Kids Day Care, Manchester, UK
2010 - 2015
- Worked under close supervision of senior staff to learn professional childcare best practices and standards.
- Assisted with preparation of meals and snacks in accordance with dietary requirements.
- Organized games and other entertaining activities to keep children engaged.
CV skills example
No childcare CV is complete without doubling down on the skills you bring to the table. Parents entrust childcare professionals with a huge amount of responsibility, so don’t overlook the need to explicitly list your hard and soft skills. This is another section where you could mention relevant training, too.
Soft skills vs hard skills
You will need a balance to be a great childcare professional! So don’t forget to mention both on your childcare CV.
While your soft skills like empathy and communication skills are important for dealing with both parents and young children, your understanding of childhood development and other technical skills are learned abilities that are invaluable for any kind of childcare role.
Your CV skills list should be a mix of skills you’ve already demonstrated in your other CV sections and ones you haven’t managed to include yet. Just remember to mirror the language in the job description so you can impress the ATS as well as the hiring manager.
- Child Safety and First Aid Certified
- Early Child Development
- Communication Skills
- Child Safety
- Group Activities
- Organizational Abilities
- Special Needs Experience
- Multilingual
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
Childcare CV education example
Training and education is usually important for a childcare role. Exactly which qualifications you need will depend on the role you’re applying for. But make sure you include a subheading for each formal qualification and work back in reverse chronological order.
Each subheading should include the name of the qualification, the dates of attendance, the institution you studied at, and its location. If you have some less formal training qualifications, you can choose whether to include them here or in another dedicated section. For instance, your skills section or a dedicated “Training & Certifications” section may be more appropriate for certain certifications.
BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
July 2010 - October 2013
A-Levels in English (B), Mathematics (B), and Biology (C), Smith Secondary School, Manchester, UK
January 2005 - October 2010
CV layout and design
Maybe you’re not looking your best by the end of your workday taking care of young children — but that doesn’t mean you don’t like to put your best foot forward when it comes to your visual presentation. It’s the same for your childcare CV. The way it looks will be the first impression that the hiring manager has of you — so make sure it counts!
You can do this by choosing a basic colour scheme and a simple and professional font. No Comic Sans, please! Remember to make sure your sections are well-spaced and ideally your final childcare CV document won’t run over two pages in length.
If that sounds overwhelming, just remember that CV templates are available to help you. Ours are professionally-designed and free to use.
Key takeaways for a childcare CV
- Remember to prioritise using keywords from the childcare job description throughout your CV content.
- Carefully choose the examples in your employment history section: this will be the longest section and focal point of most childcare CVs.
- Include a balance of hard and soft skills.
- If design is not your forte, create a childcare CV that looks the part with a professional CV template.
