Will childcare workers be replaced by AI?
Updated
Childcare workers score 29 of 100 for AI exposure. 68% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 9% today and speed up another 23%.
- 9% AI can do it
- 23% AI helps
- 68% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 64% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 24 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 2 of them today, speeds up 6 and leaves 16 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Create developmentally appropriate lesson plans. AI drafts age appropriate lesson plans well, staff review. | 72% AI can do it |
| Keep records on individual children, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered. Daily logs and meal or medication records are routine documentation. | 70% AI can do it |
| Perform general administrative tasks, such as taking attendance, editing internal paperwork, and making phone calls. Attendance and forms automate well, phone calls still human. | 55% AI helps |
| Communicate with children's parents or guardians about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues. AI can draft parent updates, worker still sends and judges. | 50% AI helps |
| Help children with homework and school work. AI can explain homework help, but adult guides the child. | 45% AI helps |
| Perform general personnel functions, such as supervision, training, and scheduling. AI can draft schedules and training material, managers decide. | 40% AI helps |
| Identify signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and bring them to parents' or guardians' attention. AI can flag patterns, but staff judge and talk to parents. | 25% AI helps |
| Organize and participate in recreational activities and outings, such as games and field trips. AI can plan outings and activity ideas, staff lead them. | 25% AI helps |
| Maintain a safe play environment. Physical hazard checks and equipment upkeep need hands on presence. | 12% Needs a person |
| Instruct children in health and personal habits, such as eating, resting, and toilet habits. Teaching hygiene and habits happens live with children. | 10% Needs a person |
Show the other 14 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Read to children and teach them simple painting, drawing, handicrafts, and songs. Reading and hands on art with children is live and physical. | 10% Needs a person |
| Sterilize bottles and prepare formulas. Bottle sterilizing is hands on, only recipe lookup is digital. | 10% Needs a person |
| Observe and monitor children's play activities. Live supervision of children at play needs in person attention. | 8% Needs a person |
| Support children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and positive self-concepts. Emotional support depends on live relationship with each child. | 8% Needs a person |
| Discipline children and recommend or initiate other measures to control behavior, such as caring for own clothing and picking up toys and books. Behavior management requires live judgement and personal presence. | 8% Needs a person |
| Provide care for children with physical, developmental, or mental health disabilities. Disability care is hands on and needs trained physical presence. | 8% Needs a person |
| Regulate children's rest periods. Supervising rest periods requires physical presence with children. | 6% Needs a person |
| Care for children in institutional setting, such as group homes, nursery schools, private businesses, or schools for people with disabilities. Institutional childcare is hands on and in person. | 5% Needs a person |
| Sanitize toys and play equipment. Physically cleaning toys and equipment is manual work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Perform housekeeping duties, such as laundry, cleaning, dish washing, and changing of linens. Laundry, cleaning and dishwashing are physical chores. | 5% Needs a person |
| Assist in preparing food and serving meals and refreshments to children. Preparing and serving food is physical kitchen and table work. | 5% Needs a person |
| Organize and store toys and materials to ensure order in activity areas. Organizing and storing physical toys requires hands on work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Accompany children to and from school, on outings, and to medical appointments. Escorting children to places requires physical presence and supervision. | 3% Needs a person |
| Dress children and change diapers. Dressing children and diaper changes are purely physical care. | 2% Needs a person |
How childcare workers compare
All occupations (923)
Personal care and service (31)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $34,980 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 518,910 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- -2.0% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Dress, feed, and bathe children in person
- Hold a current CPR and first aid certification
- Write daily observation notes in Tadpoles or Seesaw
- Review AI-drafted lesson plans against developmental milestones
- Hold a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential
- Edit parent updates in Microsoft Word before sending
Safer roles nearby
2 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about childcare workers and AI
Will AI replace childcare workers?
Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly drafting lesson plans and keeping daily records on each child. Hands-on care stays with people, since dressing, feeding, bathing, and supervising play need a worker physically present with the child.
Which childcare tasks is AI taking over?
Lesson planning and child record keeping are the most exposed, with exposure scores of 72 and 70. AI drafts age-appropriate lesson plans, and it fills daily logs and meal or medication records from notes. Staff still review each plan and check every record before it is filed.
Which childcare tasks stay human?
Hands-on care makes up 68% of task weight and stays human. Diaper changes, dressing children, and escorting them to school or appointments score 2 or 3 on exposure because they need a body in the room. Sanitizing toys and doing laundry also score 5, since cleaning manually is manual work.
How can childcare workers stay valuable?
Hold CPR and first aid certification, and write observation notes in Tadpoles or Seesaw that parents trust. Review every AI-drafted lesson plan against developmental milestones before class. Adapt plans in Google Classroom or Nearpod to the children in your room. Keep hands-on care routines strong, since that work stays with people.
Related jobs
Next steps for childcare workers
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