EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK

Child Development Project Officer (ICDS)

Oversees anganwadi centres and government nutrition, health and early learning programmes for children and mothers in a block.

Any stream; Home Science, Psychology, Sociology help After a degree Government job

Facts checked 29/10/2026

Is this for me?

People in this work enjoy

Seeing a village's children and mothers get better food and care because of your work
Mixing field visits with planning, budgets and teamwork
A stable government job with real responsibility for a whole block

It may not suit you if you dislike

Posts are few and come irregularly, so waiting and repeat attempts are common
Postings and transfers can take you far from home, with a lot of travel to remote centres
Much of the job is paperwork, reports and answering to seniors, not hands-on work with children

Class 11–12 subjects: No fixed Class 11–12 stream. Any stream works. Arts or humanities subjects such as Psychology, Sociology or Home Science (if your school offers them) give a head start. The real rule is set at degree level, and it differs by state.
First degree: A 3-year bachelor's degree is the minimum in some states. Useful subjects are Home Science, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work or child development. Other states ask for a master's (2 more years) in these subjects.
Entrance exams: A state Public Service Commission exam, held only when the state advertises posts. Bihar's 2026 advertisement is reported to use prelims, mains and an interview. Kerala PSC's 2026 notice is for a master's-level post. There is no all-India CDPO exam.
Licence or registration: None needed to start working.

Open to every streamAny stream; Home Science, Psychology, Sociology help.Check your subjects against every career

What the work is like

Running the ICDS project of a block: visiting anganwadi centres, guiding supervisors and anganwadi workers, tracking nutrition and immunisation, handling budgets and records, and working with the health, education and panchayat offices.

A day in the work
You reach the block project office in the morning and go through attendance reports, nutrition stock records and bills. Then you travel to two or three anganwadi centres. You check the growth charts, see whether the food is cooked and served properly, and talk to mothers and the anganwadi worker. Back at the office, you meet supervisors, write reports for the district officer, and plan a health camp with the local health centre. Some days a complaint or a malnutrition case needs an urgent visit.

The path, step by step

Step 1 · Class 11–12Choose any stream. If you can, take Psychology, Sociology or Home Science. Build the habit of reading about children, health and village life. Keep your marks steady, because you will need a degree to apply.
Step 2 · 3 to 5 years after Class 12Do a degree in Home Science, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work or child development. Check the target state's rules early. Kerala PSC's 2026 notice asks for a master's in Home Science, Social Work, Sociology or Psychology, with a PG Diploma in Social Work preferred. Bihar's 2026 advertisement is reported to accept any graduate who picks one of four optional subjects for the mains (Home Science, Psychology, Sociology, or Labour and Social Welfare). (reported — check with the official body)
Step 3 · After the degreeWatch the state PSC's website for the CDPO notice. Posts are few and come at irregular intervals. Kerala's 2026 notice lists vacancies only as 'anticipated'. Check the age limit and gender rule before you apply. The Kerala post is women-only, for ages 25 to 45.
Step 4 · Prelims or screening testBihar's 2026 combined exam is reported to start with an objective prelims, which has negative marking. Other states may run one objective test instead. Prepare general studies, plus child development, nutrition and social welfare topics. (reported — check with the official body)
Step 5 · Mains and interviewWhere a state holds mains, it is written and descriptive. It can include your optional subject, such as Psychology, Sociology or Home Science. The interview then tests your understanding of women and child welfare schemes and of administration. (reported — check with the official body)
Step 6 · Document check and trainingCertificates and eligibility are verified. Kerala's notice says new direct-recruit CDPOs get 3 months of training under the Women and Child Development Director, and this counts for all service benefits.
Step 7 · ProbationIn Kerala, probation is 2 years on duty within a continuous 3 years. You must also pass the Account Test (Lower) and the Manual of Office Procedure Test if you have not already. Other states have their own rules.

Ways in

Any graduate, then an optional subject (Bihar-style)Some states take graduates from any subject. You then pick a related optional subject for the exam. Bihar's 2026 advertisement is reported to work this way.
Master's in a related subject (Kerala-style)Some states ask for a master's in Home Science, Social Work, Sociology or Psychology. Kerala PSC's 2026 notice does. Mizoram's 2025–26 advertisement is reported to ask for Social Work, Human Development, Child Development, Nutrition or Home Science.

Time and money

Stage	Time	Government college or body	Private college	Help available
Class 11–12 (choose any stream; Psychology, Sociology or Home Science helpful)	2 years	Your school's fees	—	—
Bachelor's degree in Home Science, Psychology, Sociology, Social Work or child development (minimum in some states)	3 years	Govt. P.G. College Bilaspur (HP), BA: ₹3,176/yr for 1st-year boys, ₹2,576/yr for girls (2026–27)	Check the college's fee page	Check the college's fee page
Master's in Home Science, Psychology, Sociology or Social Work (required in some states, e.g. Kerala)	2 years	Check the college's fee page	MA Home Science, MIT University Sikkim: ~₹20,000/yr tuition, ₹1,500 registration (one-time), ~₹2,000/semester exam fee (2026)	Check the college's fee page
State PSC CDPO exam (prelims, mains, interview; held only when advertised)	Irregular; months of preparation	Check the notice	—	Bihar 2026 combined exam application reported at ₹100 for all candidates
Training after selection (3 months in Kerala)	3 months	Paid job training; counts for all service benefits (Kerala)	—	Paid training; pay scale ₹50,200–1,05,300/month (Kerala, 2026)
Probation (2 years on duty within 3 years in Kerala)	2–3 years	Paid post; pay ₹50,200–1,05,300/month plus allowances (Kerala, 2026)	—	Salary; Bihar CDPO reported at Pay Level 9 (reported)

Total timeAbout 5–6 years after Class 12 (degree, possible master's, selection, training and probation)

Total costDepends mostly on the college you choose — compare fee pages.

Good to knowTraining after selection is paid, and CDPO posts are few and irregular, so check your state PSC's notice before planning.

Fees from: Kerala PSC notification, Category No. 25/2026 · Govt. P.G. College Bilaspur (HP) fee structure 2026-27 · MIT University Sikkim MA Home Science admission 2026 (fees section). Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

What people earn

Official pay

Pay depends on the state. Kerala's 2026 notice gives a scale of ₹50,200–1,05,300 a month, plus allowances. Bihar's 2026 combined-exam advertisement is reported to place CDPO at Pay Level 9 (reported). Other states use their own scales.

Source: Kerala PSC notification, Category No. 25/2026 ↗

Pay rises with years of service and promotions, and it differs by state, but it is a steady government salary with allowances and a pension, not a fast-rising private one.

Myth and fact

Myth: ~~A CDPO is just a senior anganwadi worker.~~

Fact: An anganwadi worker runs one centre in a village. A CDPO is an officer who heads the whole block project. Supervisors, each handling about 20 centres, report to the CDPO, and the CDPO is chosen through a state PSC exam.

For girls and students with disabilities

Some states reserve this post for women. Kerala PSC's 2026 notice is open to women only. Bihar's 2026 advertisement is reported to allow women a higher maximum age (40 against 37 for unreserved men), SC/ST candidates up to 42, and to set aside some posts for women. Mizoram's 2025–26 advertisement is reported to reserve one of 5 posts for a deaf or hard-of-hearing candidate. We saw no physical test for CDPO in these notices, but check each state's notice for medical rules.

Try it now

Class 7–9Ask your teacher or parent to take you to a nearby anganwadi centre, with permission. Notice what the children eat, how the growth chart is kept, and what the worker does all day. Write down three things you learn.
Class 10–12If you are 15 or older, register on MY Bharat and look for a local volunteering activity on health, nutrition or children, such as a school health or awareness drive.Open link ↗
College or afterTake a free SWAYAM course in psychology, sociology or child development. Then read the CDPO duties in the Ministry's Poshan 2.0 guidelines and match them to what you studied.Open link ↗

Good to know

This is a state government post. The rules, age limits, pay and exam pattern change from state to state and from year to year. Always read the latest notice on the state PSC's own website.
Vacancies are small. Bihar's 2026 combined exam is reported to include only about 20 CDPO posts out of more than 1,200 posts in total.
A CDPO usually works at block level and can be transferred between blocks and districts.
Experienced CDPOs can later move up to district-level posts in the Women and Child Development department. The exact ladder depends on the state.

Sources: Kerala PSC notification, Category No. 25/2026, Child Development Project Officer · Ministry of Women and Child Development, Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 scheme guidelines · ICDS District Manual (MWCD), on the WHO platform · Odisha RTI manual, Child Development Project Office, Attabira