Noun

(en noun)

(uncountable) The state of being a child.

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=September-October, author= Terrie Moffitt] [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/richie-poulton et] [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/avshalom-caspi al.

, magazine=(American Scientist), title= Lifelong Impact of Early Self-Control , passage=To our own surprise, our 40-year study of 1,000 children revealed that childhood self-control strongly predicts adult success, in people of high or low intelligence, in rich or poor, and does so throughout the entire population, with a step change in health, wealth, and social success at every level of self-control.}}

The time during which one is a child, from between infancy and puberty.

* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)

, chapter=Foreword citation , passage=He stood transfixed before the unaccustomed view of London at night time, a vast panorama which reminded him […] of some wood engravings far off and magical, in a printshop in his childhood .}}

(by extension) The early stages of development of something.

* Shakespeare

the childhood of our joy

Noun

(-)

The act, practice, or occupation of supervising and taking care of young children.

* 1993 Amitai Etzioni - The parenting deficit

Today most childcare centres are woefully understaffed with poorly paid and underqualified personnel. Child care workers in both the USA and UK are in the lowest tenth of all wage earners.