Preschool and Childcare Center Directors

Summary

What Preschool and Childcare Center Directors Do About this section

Preschool and childcare center directors assist staff with caring for and teaching children.

Preschool and childcare center directors supervise and lead staffs, design program plans, oversee daily activities, and prepare budgets. They are responsible for all aspects of their center’s program.

Duties

Preschool and childcare center directors typically do the following:

• Supervise preschool teachers and childcare workers
• Hire and train new staff members
• Provide professional development opportunities for staff
• Establish policies and communicate them to staff and parents
• Develop educational programs and standards
• Ensure instructional excellence
• Assist staff in communicating with parents and children
• Meet with parents and staff to discuss students’ progress
• Prepare budgets and allocate program funds
• Ensure facilities are maintained and cleaned according to state regulations

Some preschools and childcare centers are independently owned and operated. In these facilities, directors must follow the instructions and guidelines of the owner. Sometimes, the directors are the owners, so they decide how to operate them.

Other preschools and childcare centers are part of a national chain or franchise. The director of a chain or franchise also must ensure that the facility meets its parent organization’s standards and regulations.

In addition, some preschools and childcare centers, such as Head Start programs, receive state and federal funding. Directors of these schools and centers must ensure that their programs, staff, and facilities meet state and federal guidelines. For example, they must ensure that the staff and facility adhere to the requirements set by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Work Environment About this section

Most preschool and childcare center directors work in childcare facilities.

Preschool and childcare center directors held about 61,800 jobs in 2016. The largest employers of preschool and childcare center directors were as follows:

Although preschool and childcare center directors work in schools and childcare centers, they spend most of their day in an office. They also visit classrooms to check on students, speak to preschool teachers or childcare workers, and meet with parents.

Many preschool and childcare center directors find working in an early childhood educational environment rewarding, but they also have significant responsibilities. Coordinating and interacting with staff, parents, and children can be fast paced and stimulating, but can be stressful as well.

Work Schedules

Preschool and childcare center directors generally work full time. When childcare centers are open, a director must always be on staff. The directors and assistant directors may stagger their schedules to ensure that someone is always available.

How to Become a Preschool or Childcare Center Director About this section

Preschool and childcare center directors need to be able to interact with children, staff, and parents.

A bachelor’s degree and experience in early childhood education are typically required to become a preschool and childcare center director. However, the educational requirements can vary by state. Some states or employers require them to have a nationally recognized credential, such as the Child Development Associate (CDA).

Education

Most states require preschool and childcare center directors to have at least a bachelor’s degree, but educational requirements can vary by state. Employers may prefer candidates who have a degree, or at least some postsecondary coursework, in early childhood education, which teaches students about child development, provides strategies for teaching young children, and shows how to observe and document children’s progress.

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Most states require preschool and childcare center directors to have several years of experience in early childhood education. The amount of experience required varies by state.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Many states require childcare centers, including those in private homes, to be licensed. To qualify for licensure, staff must pass a background check, have a complete record of immunizations, and meet a minimum training requirement. Some states require staff to have certifications in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid.

Some states and employers require preschool and childcare center directors to have a nationally recognized credential. Some states require the CDA credential offered by the Council for Professional Recognition. Obtaining the CDA credential requires coursework, experience in the field, and being observed while working with children. The credential needs to be renewed every 3 years.

Important Qualities

Business skills. Preschool and childcare center directors manage childcare centers and need to be able to operate the business effectively.

Communication skills. Directors need to inform parents and staff about the progress of the children. They need good writing and speaking skills to convey this information successfully.

Interpersonal skills. Preschool and childcare center directors must be able to develop good relationships with parents, children, and staff.

Leadership skills. Preschool and childcare center directors supervise staff, so they need good leadership skills to inspire staff to work diligently. They also must enforce rules and regulations.

Organizational skills. Directors need to maintain clear records about children and staff. In addition, they must be able to multitask when several people or situations require their attention.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage for preschool and childcare center directors was $47,940 in May 2018. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,900, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $83,730.

In May 2018, the median annual wages for preschool and childcare center directors in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Preschool and childcare center directors generally work full time. Some work more than 40 hours per week. When childcare centers are open, a director must always be on staff. The directors and assistant directors may stagger their schedules to ensure that someone is always available.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of preschool and childcare center directors is projected to grow 11 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations.

The number of children under the age of 5 is expected to increase, although their share of the overall population should remain constant. As a result, a greater number of working parents will need the help of childcare centers. However, the rising cost of childcare and the increasing number of stay-at-home parents may slow the growth rate of the child day care services industry.

The demand for preschools, and consequently the directors who manage them, should remain strong due to the fact that early childhood education is widely recognized as important for a child’s intellectual and emotional development.

Employment projections data for preschool and childcare center directors, 2016-26

Occupational Title	SOC Code	Employment, 2016	Projected Employment, 2026	Change, 2016-26		Employment by Industry
				Percent	Numeric
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program
Education administrators, preschool and childcare center/program	11-9031	61,800	68,500	11	6,700	xlsx

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)

The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OES data maps for employment and wages by state and area.

• Education administrators, preschool and childcare center/program

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.com. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information on childcare centers, visit

Child Care Aware

For information about early childhood education, visit

National Association for the Education of Young Children

For more information about professional credentials, visit

Council for Professional Recognition

National Early Childhood Program Accreditation

CareerOneStop

For a career video on preschool and childcare center directors, visit

Preschool and childcare center directors

O*NET

Education Administrators, Preschool and Childcare Center/Program