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Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare

Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare: Career Profile

Plan, direct, or coordinate academic or nonacademic activities of preschools or childcare centers and programs, including before- and after-school care.

The Daily Work of Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare Do?

Typical responsibilities of education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare span:

  • Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities and policies and students' behavioral or learning problems.
  • Monitor students' progress and provide students and teachers with assistance in resolving any problems.
  • Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff and recommend personnel actions for programs and services.
  • Teach classes or courses or provide direct care to children.
  • Set educational standards and goals and help establish policies, procedures, and programs to carry them out.
  • Determine the scope of educational program offerings and prepare drafts of program schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.
  • Determine allocations of funds for staff, supplies, materials, and equipment and authorize purchases.
  • Direct and coordinate activities of teachers or administrators at daycare centers, schools, public agencies, or institutions.

What Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare Need to Know

Successful education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The abilities that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Speaking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Coordination  4.0 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  4.0 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Monitoring  4.0 / 5
0
5
Reading Comprehension  4.0 / 5
0
5

Core Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service  4.5 / 5
0
5
Education and Training  4.3 / 5
0
5
Administration and Management  4.1 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.9 / 5
0
5
Psychology  3.5 / 5
0
5
Public Safety and Security  3.5 / 5
0
5

People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:

  • After School Site Director
  • Art Coordinator
  • Assessment Coordinator
  • Before and After School Program Director
  • Before and After School Site Director
  • Center Administrator
  • Center Manager
  • Child Care Center Administrator

Job Outlook

There are roughly 102,953 education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +2.6% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare

Salary for Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare

Statistic Value
Annual median $178,795
Hourly median $85.96
10th percentile $109,923
25th percentile $144,359
75th percentile $213,231
90th percentile $247,667

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare

Pay by State

State Annual median salary
New York $79,660
District of Columbia $76,270
Massachusetts $68,660
New Mexico $67,780
New Jersey $66,360
California $65,420
Washington $64,360
Delaware $63,950
Hawaii $63,220
Nebraska $61,590
Colorado $61,150
Connecticut $60,300
Nevada $60,200
Minnesota $59,850
Virginia $59,420
Utah $59,400
Vermont $58,260
Wisconsin $57,790
South Dakota $55,270
Michigan $55,100
Oregon $54,510
Montana $52,300
Kansas $51,670
Maine $50,620
Pennsylvania $50,540
North Carolina $50,270
Indiana $50,250
Rhode Island $50,130
New Hampshire $50,000
Florida $49,990
Arizona $49,220
Illinois $48,580
Texas $48,510
Wyoming $47,230
Ohio $47,140
South Carolina $46,650
Iowa $46,550
North Dakota $46,300
Tennessee $45,620
Georgia $44,510
West Virginia $44,240
Oklahoma $44,110
Arkansas $42,430
Alabama $41,150
Mississippi $40,630
Louisiana $40,220
Puerto Rico $39,370
Missouri $39,370
Kentucky $38,860

Where Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare Earn the Most

Compensation for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Middle Atlantic $66,377 17.3% 1.16
Far Western US $63,475 18.6% 1.04
New England $61,846 7.5% 1.38
Rocky Mountains $58,994 3.4% 0.85
Plains States $53,851 5.7% 1.07
Great Lakes $50,546 16.2% 1.05
Southwest $49,060 14.6% 1.00
Southeast $46,819 16.4% 0.93

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ NY $79,000 4,740
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA WA $77,390 950
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA CA $77,120 680
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA CA $76,580 1,490
Salinas, CA CA $74,690 70
Modesto, CA CA $73,660 90
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT CT $71,280 360
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MA $71,240 1,730

Top Industries Employing Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare

The largest employers of education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Health Care and Social Assistance 61,760 $54,670
Educational Services 5,610 $72,720
Other Services (except Public Administration) 2,530 $59,740
Management of Companies and Enterprises 770 $80,050
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 240 $56,500
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 40 $50,010
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare sectors

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare industries

Software Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare Use

  • Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
  • Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

What the Workplace Is Like

Daily working conditions for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare reflects the following characteristics:

  • Contact With Others
  • Telephone Conversations
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
  • E-Mail
  • Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers

How to Become Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare

Typical education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare positions require an associate’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

Degree Programs

Aspiring education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare often complete programs in:

Education

5 programs across 1 majors

References

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 11-9031.00 (Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare).

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