Children - curious, malleable and remarkably receptive to new experiences - begin to form judgments and tastes during this crucial early life stage. However, those with careers in child care find that their sector not only benefits kids, but exposes parents to a wealth of educational opportunities and resources.

In 2004, Mario Small, a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, surveyed more than 300 children in childcare centers and scrutinized parent interviews conducted in a Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, according to the Chicago Tribune.

He found that parents of children in childcare, especially low-income parents, were able to access more information regarding their child's career and financial success than mothers and fathers who did not use daycare.

The study further concluded that women with children in day care had more friends and fewer occurrences of depression than their peers with children at home.

"We expected to educate parents about their kids ... but what we didn't realize was how much of the parents' own mental health and sense of well-being would be affected," Celena Roldan, director of the Erie Neighborhood House in Chicago, told the news source.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of child care workers will increase by 18 percent until 2016.