Explore center-based child care careers!

If you love working with children and want to make a powerful impact on their growth and development, then child care might be a great career for you.

Explore center-based child care careers!

If you love working with children and want to make a powerful impact on their growth and development, then child care might be a great career for you.

What Is Center-Based Child Care?

Early childhood educator Alex Miller plays outdoors in a sandbox with his students

Center-based child care professionals provide support and care for children in child care centers and classrooms. Because the first five years of a child’s life inform much of their foundational brain development, child care professionals have an essential role to play in supporting healthy growth and learning.

There are many different kinds of child care programs and child care professionals may care for a variety of different age groups, from infants to toddlers to older children in after-school programs.

Early childhood educator Rebecca Reyes holds an infant in a child care center.

Featured Professional: Rebecca

“Tiny sponges is what they are. They are so small but they soak up everything they see and hear and touch.”

When Rebecca Reyes was looking for a job after high school, she already had one valuable job skill: experience caring for young children. Growing up, she had cared for children within her family and at her church, and had even volunteered at Children’s House, the child care center where she now works as an infant room teacher.

Read Rebecca’s Story

Center-Based Child Care Career Pathways

Assistant Teachers

Assistant work with lead teachers in child care centers and classrooms to plan lessons, guide activities, and care for young children. To start your career in center-based child care, you’ll need a high school diploma. For programs and centers that participate in FOCUS On Young Children’s Learning, New Mexico’s Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System, there will be different education requirements based on each program’s STAR rating level. As a child care professional, you’ll also be expected to participate in annual professional development through free online courses and trainings. Working towards your child development certification is a great place to start!

Lead Teachers

As a lead teacher in a child care center, you’ll spend the day working and playing with young children in a variety of activities and settings. From reading out loud during story time to practicing early math and reasoning skills, you’ll stay busy and engaged with little ones throughout the workday.

There are lots of opportunities in a child care center to work with children of different ages. So whether you like the youngest babies or providing after-school care for older children, there’s something for everyone.

As a lead teacher, you may collaborate with assistant teachers or perform some supervisory duties. In general, supervisory roles may require more education, such as an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, and a few years of experience.

Center Directors

Completing your bachelor’s or master’s degree in early childhood education (or a related field) will open up additional opportunities in child care centers, including supervisory and managerial roles. Directors manage individual child care centers and take on even more responsibilities in centers that offer both traditional child care and PreK programs. Directors are responsible for managing a program’s funding and ensuring compliance with state guidelines and standards. Depending on the size of the program, directors may also work directly with children.

How Do I Know Center-Based Child Care Is Right for Me?

If you love working with children and want to build an impactful career with room for growth and advancement, center-based child care might be a great career for you. However, here are a few things to keep in mind as you consider this career.

Working with young children every day can be a very physically active job. You’ll spend most of your working hours day on your feet and will be expected to keep up with groups of small children or infants. If you would prefer a career with less physical activity but still want to work in early childhood, there are coordinator positions in child care and PreK programs that might be a good fit.

While child care professionals spend much of their time with children, they also need strong communication skills and a passion for serving whole families in order to work together with parents and caregivers to meet each child’s individual needs.

Apply For Center-Based Child Care Positions In Your Community

Career Stories

Discover stories of real New Mexico professionals in center-based child care.

Alex Miller

Early Childhood Educator
Albuquerque

Read Alex’s Story

Maria Melendez

Child Care Center Owner
Roswell

Read Maria’s Story

Kristie Foreman

Early Childhood Educator
Albuquerque

Read Kristie’s Story

Professional Supports

In New Mexico, higher education scholarships are available for early childhood professionals who work 20 hours a week or more in one of the following settings:

State-funded PreK or early PreK program in a community-based or public school setting;
Head Start or Early Head Start;
State-funded Home Visiting Program; or
Family Infant Toddler (FIT) program

Scholarships cover 100% of tuition and book fees for the following educational pathways:

An associate’s degree (AA) in early childhood education or a New Mexico Child Development Certificate (CDC)
Home Visitors and FIT (Early Intervention) providers pursuing an AA in early childhood education, social work, counseling, or related field
Family/home child care professionals seeking The Child Development Certificate, or an associate’s or bachelor's degree in early childhood education
Child care and PreK professionals pursuing a bachelor’s degree (BA) in early childhood education, including PreK–12 Special Education licensure for PreK educators in public school settings
Home Visitors/FIT providers pursuing a BA in early childhood education, social work, counseling, or related field

Additional eligibility requirements for early childhood scholarships include:

Maintaining a minimum of six credit hours per school year
Maintaining a C grade or higher in all classes

For more information about early childhood scholarships in New Mexico, download the program brochure. You can also find instructional content related to these scholarships in the following videos:

To find eligible early childhood education programs near you, refer to ECECD’s Professional Development Pathway brochure (listings for educator preparation programs begins on page 7 of the document).

The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) provides education-based supplemental wages to early childhood educators who make less than $16 per hour while working a minimum of 20 hours a week in child care settings (licensed or registered), state-funded NM PreK or Early PreK, and Head Start/Early Head Start programs. Applicants must work as a teacher, teacher’s assistant, or home child care provider.

Eligible applicants must have 5 credit hours of completed early childhood education coursework from a higher education institution. The wage supplement program is education-based and includes ten incremental levels; the more education one attains, the more supplement one can receive.

To learn more about early childhood wage supplements in New Mexico, download the program brochure.

Early childhood educators in New Mexico may be eligible to receive a one-time incentive payment of $1,500 if they are certified bilingual.

Educators need to provide one of the following forms of documentation to apply for bilingual incentive pay:

Passed PRAXIS-TESOL
Passed La Prueba
Bilingual seal on High School Diploma
Tribal/Pueblo/Nation Certification for indigenous languages
Other document showing proficiency

For more information about bilingual incentive pay, download the program brochure, or apply online.

Early Childhood Monthly Community Calls 
Join ECECD Secretary Groginsky and special guests on the first Tuesday of the month from 8 to 9 a.m. to discuss important issues pertaining to the New Mexico early childhood community. Watch the community call via ECECD's Facebook page.
ECECD Weekly Newsletter 
This community newsletter includes announcements, events, health and safety requirements, and professional development opportunities.
Early Childhood Mentor Network 
The Early Childhood Mentor Network (ECMN), under the guidance of CNM Ingenuity, is a collaborative group of experienced early childhood teachers serving as mentors to practicum students and to those new in their careers.

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PreK educator Arlissa Francisco plays reads to her students during story time.

PreK & Head Start

If you want to work directly with young children and set them up for future success, then PreK education might be the right career for you. PreK and Head Start are both educational programs that help prepare young children for elementary school. 

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Home Child Care

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If you like working with parents and caregivers to support their little ones and want a career that makes a big impact on children’s lives, then early intervention might be right for you. Early intervention professionals provide support for families of infants and toddlers who have or are at risk for developmental delays.

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