Childcare / Preschool Director
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
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 959 Childcare / Preschool Director job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 22913 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Childcare / Preschool Director industry, which includes the Childcare / Preschool Director career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Childcare / Preschool 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 $43,430.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $39,551.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Childcare / Preschool Director postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $34,071.
Education and Experience
Posted Childcare / Preschool 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 | 27% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 31% |
| Master's Degree | 9% |
| Doctoral Degree | 0% |
| Other | 33% |
Posted Childcare / Preschool 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 | 61% |
| 3 to 5 years | 34% |
| 6 to 8 years | 3% |
| 9+ years | 2% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Childcare / Preschool 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 Skills (35%)
- Planning (30%)
- Organizational Skills (27%)
- Teamwork / Collaboration (18%)
- Physical Abilities (18%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Child Care (58%)
- Teaching (49%)
- Early Childhood Education (46%)
- Child Development (29%)
- Staff Management (29%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Customer Service (14%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Elementary Education (6%)
- Special Education (4%)
- Faculty Training (4%)
- Staff Development (3%)
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 along with the marginal value: the average salary difference between postings that request that skill and those that do not.
- Bus Driving (1%) – marginal value $4,701
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Childcare / Preschool Director skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Pre-School Director
- Child Care Director
- Child Care Center Director
- Director
- Child Care Assistant 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.
- Social / Human Services Manager
- Youth Counselor / Worker
- Elementary and Secondary School Administrator
- Recreation / Activities Worker
- School Principal
- Director of Special Education
- Campus Director
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Childcare / Preschool Director jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Kindercare (2035)
- YMCA (708)
- La Petite Academy (597)
- Learning Care (394)
- Cadence Education (265)
North Carolina
- Kindercare (41)
- La Petite Academy (41)
- Childcare Network Incorporated (40)
- Childcare Network (40)
- Learning Care (30)
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.