Individuals who provide care in their own homes are generally called family childcare providers. To ensure that children receive proper supervision, State regulations require certain ratios of workers to children. The ratio varies with the age of the children. The working hours of preschool teachers and childcare workers vary widely. Childcare centers are generally open year round with long hours so that parents can drop off and pick up their children before and after work.
Some workers are unable to take regular breaks during the day due to limited staffing.
Many preschool teachers may work extra unpaid hours each week on curriculum planning, parent meetings, and occasional fundraising activities. Family daycare providers have flexible hours and daily routines, but may work long or unusual hours to fit parents' work schedules. While working with children, preschool teachers and childcare workers often improve the child's communication, learning, and other personal skills. However, childcare can be physically and emotionally taxing, as workers constantly stand, walk, bend, stoop, and lift to attend to each child's interests and problems. Turnover in this occupation is high.