Nursery workers are responsible for taking care of pre-school age children. Many facilities employ large numbers of workers in part-time nursery jobs that include administrators, care workers, special needs teachers and even nurses. Nurseries often operate for a limited number of hours per day which can mean that part-time jobs are often more common in this field than in some other types of professions.
Among the part-time nursery jobs at many childcare centers are administrators. People employed in these roles normally answer telephone calls, correspond with parents and business partners through emails and take care of other basic administrative tasks. Some handle registration, which typically involves gathering personal and medical information about newly enrolled children. Others may be responsible for working at the reception desk and greeting parents and children as they arrive at the center. People who have gained experience working in these part-time roles may be eventually able to apply for supervisory or managerial administrative positions, although these roles are often full-time rather than part-time jobs.
The people employed in the part-time nursery jobs that have the most interaction with the children are the care workers. These individuals organize age appropriate activities for the children that may include games, reading stories or art sessions. When children misbehave, the care workers are responsible for calming them down and taking appropriate disciplinary action. At many facilities, care workers are also tasked with teaching youngsters how to read, count or identify different colors. Care workers are the individuals who normally liaise with parents about their children's behavior, learning progress, and about upcoming events.
Some young children who suffer from mental or psychological problems require assistance from special needs teachers. These individuals often have completed college courses in psychology as well as teacher certification programs. In many instances, a teacher will visit the facility once or twice a week to work with the children who need the additional help; a trained special needs teacher may simultaneously hold several part-time nursery jobs at different facilities.
People suffering from certain kinds of medical conditions need to be kept under the close supervision of trained medical professionals, and some large childcare facilities employ registered nurses to take care of children who suffer from such ailments. Additionally, these individuals may be tasked with handling other medical emergencies that may arise through the course of the day. Some nurses who have full-time jobs at hospitals or medical facilities supplement their incomes by working at nurseries on a part-time basis.