Preschool / Childcare Director
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Preschool or Childcare Director manages and directs programs for very young children. Supervises child care workers and pre-school teachers. Proposes policies, program fees and budgets for approval by a program board or administrative agency or implements policies of a national organization. Meets with parents and staff to discuss the development, learning and behavior of children in the program or center. Orders supplies and monitors maintenance and cleaning at a facility. Ensures that the program or center meets state and federal guidelines.
Job Outlook
There were 613 Preschool / Childcare Director job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 19452 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Preschool / Childcare Director industry, which includes the Preschool / Childcare Director career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Preschool / Childcare Director jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $48,210.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $43,306.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Preschool / Childcare Director postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $36,532.
Education and Experience
Posted Preschool / Childcare Director jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 21.74% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 42.45% |
| Master's Degree | 12.94% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1.44% |
| Other | 20.29% |
Posted Preschool / Childcare Director jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 59.99% |
| 3 to 5 years | 36.51% |
| 6 to 8 years | 1.82% |
| 9+ years | 1.68% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Preschool / Childcare Director positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication (41.38%)
- Leadership (34.23%)
- Management (30.09%)
- Teaching (26.55%)
- Operations (24.82%)
- Planning (19.27%)
- Customer Service (13.09%)
- Writing (11.33%)
- English Language (10.24%)
- Interpersonal Communications (10.19%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Child Development (40.2%)
- Preschool Education (39.64%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Head Start (Education Program) (10.54%)
- Working With Children (13.43%)
- Mental Health (4.43%)
- Curriculum Development (10.11%)
- Social Work (7.95%)
- Early Childhood Education (10.53%)
- Marketing (13.23%)
- Psychology (4.34%)
- Lesson Planning (10.9%)
- Effective Communication (4.9%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Child Development (100%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Preschool / Childcare Director skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Preschool Director
- Childcare Director
- Assistant Director
- Daycare Director
- Before and After School Site Director
- Early Childhood Director
- Childcare Center Director
- Center Director
- Early Childhood Specialist
- Site Director
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Elementary and Secondary School Administrator (General)
- Recreation / Activities Worker
- Program Coordinator
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Preschool / Childcare Director jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- KinderCare Education (1671)
- YMCA (945)
- Right At School (264)
- Learning Care Group (220)
- La Petite Academy (216)
- Learning Experience (174)
- Cadence Education (168)
- Alphabest Education (124)
- The Goddard School (68)
- Guidepost Montessori (68)
North Carolina
- KinderCare Education (32)
- Learning Jungle (24)
- YMCA (12)
- Sunshine House (12)
- The Sunshine House (12)
- La Petite Academy (11)
- Southeastern Community Action Partnership (11)
- Learning Experience (11)
- Childcare Network (10)
- University of North Carolina (7)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
- Elementary Education Master's Degrees
- English – Secondary Education Master's Degrees
- English as a Second Language Add-on Teacher Licensure
- Language Arts – Middle Grades Master's Degrees
- Youth Development and Leadership Graduate Certificates
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.