Growing bodies of research demonstrate that the quality of human perceptions, goals, and relationships depend largely on educational programs that prepare mothers and child care workers to foster children's full intellectual physical, and emotional development. A study was conducted to identify knowledge and competency clusters associated with non-professional child care occupations for use in occupational curriculums, or family life educational programs. A total of 255 persons employed in 96 day care centers, nurseries, Head Start projects, and migrant worker day care centers responded to a questionnaire to determine their major tasks. The tasks were analyzed to ascertain the knowledges necessary for their performance, and these were classified into child development, materials and equipment, physical arrangements, and management knowledges. No relationship was found between the worker educational level and the tasks performed. Different work categories involve different levels of knowledge. All childcare workers needed knowledge at the lowest level while fewer would be expected to possess knowledge, at the highest level. Child care worker education could be expedited by the development of a knowledge taxonomy as a basis for a spiral curriculum whereby the various levels of knowledge could be taught at their appropriate place to prepare students for entry level jobs and occupational mobility. Basic child care knowledges probably should be taught and desirable personal characteristics developed in high school. A tentative taxonomy of levels derived from Blooms,"Concept of the Cognitive Domain." A list of personal characteristics required to work effectively with children, references, research data, and the questionnaire are included. (FP)