HOT JOBS : Opportunities for Work in Child Care Growing Fast

Mary Hornbuckle’s role as a preschool director may seem a striking contrast to her position as a City Council member and former mayor of Costa Mesa.

But Hornbuckle sees similarities. “Both involve people and caring about the community,” she said. “And knowing how to handle 3-year-olds comes in handy when settling city-government disputes sometimes.”

Hornbuckle, 51, was involved in early childhood education long before she was in city government. She became director of Community Pre-School six years ago.

The field is one she has always loved, she said. “You have to like children. Even more importantly, you have to understand them.”

Despite the job satisfaction of nurturing children and watching them grow, and the fact that her field is expanding, Hornbuckle concedes that the pay is low.

That makes it difficult to attract and keep well-qualified teachers such as Kathie Fisher, who has worked at Hornbuckle’s center for three years. Fisher, 49, attended USC but left school to marry and raise a family. Years later, she enrolled in a university-level child development program and eventually transferred to Orange Coast College’s two-year early childhood education program.

“I knew I wanted to teach preschool,” Fisher said. “I would like to encourage more people to go that route. Preschoolers need lots of encouragement. . . . You (have) to be creative in finding ways to allow them to explore and develop individually, and to set standards for each child, not for the entire class.”

CERTIFIED CHILD-CARE WORKER

* Name: Mary Hornbuckle

* Company: Community Pre-School

* What’s involved: Certified child-care workers take care of infants, toddlers and preschool children. Some may also provide after-school care for older children. The job may include feeding and diapering infants, supervising play periods and helping children develop initial math, reading and art skills.

* Qualifications: Licensed preschool teachers are required by state law to have completed at least 12 units of early childhood education courses. A preschool aide must have completed six units. Pediatric CPR and emergency medical training are required by most centers.

* Prospects: Among the fast-growing job fields in Orange County.

* Outlook: The number of child-care jobs is expected to increase 13% by 1998, according to Orange County projections by the state Employment Development Department. In 1992, there were 1,690 such positions in the county. That number is expected to reach 1,910 by 1998--a net gain of 220 positions. (Figures do not include uncertified care givers or licensed family day care providers.)

* Salary range: $4.25 to $7.75 an hour for aides; $8 to $11 an hour for staff teachers; $20,000 to $40,000 a year for center directors.

* Pros: Opportunities to nurture youngsters and help them develop basic skills.

* Cons: Low pay compared to other care-giving fields, and high responsibility. Child care requires great empathy and patience, and the job can be emotionally taxing.

* Advancement: An experienced child-care aide may advance to staff teacher after completing additional course work. Aides and teachers may specialize in caring for either infants and toddlers or older children. After several years’ experience, staff teachers may become assistant directors and then directors, or open their own centers.

* Quote: “The rewards are not monetary, but they are many. The work is very important to the community and essential for improving children’s lives.”

Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times