SMSH

I can only speak for S.E. Virginia, but daycare generally is not well paid (think about $8.00 an hour). Qualifications required in daycare can be as simple as 16 hours of professional development through workshops (you can find some free workshops) or up to a CDA (has to be renewed every 2 years if I recall correctly) or a 2 year early childhood education/development associates degree. More daycares are asking for the CDA/ECE because QRIS, a quality rating system that has been implemented in many states, is requiring more qualified daycare workers.

If you have a Bachelor's degree, you may qualify to work at a public school. As others have suggested, it's a good idea to get your foot in the door by doing subbing work. If you go for permanent teaching jobs in the public school setting, elementary school requires you take the PRAXIS I exam; for middle/high school you take the PRAXIS II subject area exams depending on what subject you want to teach. Public school salaries vary, but in my school district a new teacher in middle/high school would earn about $41-43,000 a year based on a 10-month contract. Some private schools do not always ask for teacher certification, but do require some experience, so this might also be an option, particularly at the preschool/kindergarten age.

Bob

That's depressing. A 12 year old babysitter gets paid more than that down my way

We're over the moon that ours is asking just under $15hr and that's only because her mum's a mate and she didn't want her taking the piss on a regular gig.