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Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare
Plan, direct, or coordinate academic or nonacademic activities of preschools or childcare centers and programs, including before- and after-school care.
Other titles employers use
Childcare Director · Early Head Start Director · Education Coordinator · Education Director · Education Site Manager · Preschool Director · Preschool Program Director · Principal
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to helping, persuading and organizing work.
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Coordination
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Psychology
Useful strengths
- Written Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Deductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 4.0 | Arm’s length or closer, most of the day |
| On your feet | 2.5 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.9 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 2.7 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a bachelor's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A two-year degree 32%
- A certificate or some college 26%
- High school or less 26%
- A four-year degree 10%
- A master's degree 6%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Accounting software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Desktop communications software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 10,600
- Job openings each year
- 800
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 16.5%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 10,600 | 800 | 16.5% |
| Florida | 5,690 | 390 | 4.8% |
| Texas | 5,620 | 410 | 13.8% |
| New York | 5,600 | 110 | 23.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 3,050 | 190 | −4.1% |
| Ohio | 2,850 | 180 | −1.4% |
| Illinois | 2,840 | 190 | 3.6% |
| North Carolina | 2,430 | 160 | — |
| Washington | 2,050 | 190 | 17.1% |
| New Jersey | 1,940 | 120 | −4.4% |
| Maryland | 1,750 | 120 | 4.2% |
| Michigan | 1,560 | 100 | — |
| Virginia | 1,550 | 110 | 10.7% |
| Oregon | 1,460 | 110 | 15.9% |
| Arizona | 1,450 | 100 | 5.8% |
| Connecticut | 1,430 | 110 | 12.6% |
| Georgia | 1,380 | 100 | 7.8% |
| Minnesota | 1,310 | 90 | 4.0% |
| Colorado | 1,220 | 80 | 2.5% |
| Arkansas | 1,190 | 90 | 17.8% |
| Iowa | 1,190 | 80 | 6.3% |
| Missouri | 1,120 | 80 | 1.8% |
| Utah | 1,020 | 90 | 43.7% |
| Wisconsin | 1,000 | 60 | −5.7% |
| Oklahoma | 930 | 60 | — |
| Indiana | 810 | 50 | −2.4% |
| Massachusetts | 740 | 40 | −9.8% |
| Alabama | 660 | 50 | 6.5% |
| South Carolina | 650 | 50 | 10.2% |
| Mississippi | 630 | 40 | 6.8% |
| Nebraska | 610 | 40 | −1.6% |
| Kansas | 560 | 40 | −3.4% |
| New Hampshire | 550 | 40 | 1.9% |
| Kentucky | 520 | 30 | −1.9% |
| Tennessee | 490 | 30 | 4.3% |
| Delaware | 410 | 30 | 2.5% |
| Vermont | 410 | 30 | — |
| Louisiana | 340 | 20 | −2.9% |
| Nevada | 340 | 20 | — |
| New Mexico | 320 | 20 | — |
| Rhode Island | 280 | 20 | −3.4% |
| West Virginia | 270 | 20 | −6.9% |
| Maine | 230 | 10 | −8.0% |
| District of Columbia | 210 | 10 | — |
| Puerto Rico | 190 | 10 | 5.6% |
| Wyoming | 180 | 10 | — |
| Alaska | 170 | 10 | 6.3% |
| Montana | 170 | 10 | 6.3% |
| South Dakota | 170 | 10 | 6.3% |
| Idaho | 160 | 10 | 6.7% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Ohio State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 85
- Admit rate
- 51%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Degrees each year
- 42
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
University of Delaware
- Degrees each year
- 20
- Admit rate
- 65%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Midwestern State University
- Degrees each year
- 20
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Cleveland State University
- Degrees each year
- 19
- Admit rate
- 95%
- Annual cost after aid
- $15,000
Georgia Gwinnett College
- Degrees each year
- 11
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Claflin University
- Degrees each year
- 7
- Admit rate
- 73%
- Annual cost after aid
- —
Saint Joseph's University
- Degrees each year
- 5
- Admit rate
- 86%
- Annual cost after aid
- $24,000
Compare every college offering educational administration and supervision