SOC 11-9031.00

    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.

    Median pay
    $59,300
    Growth
    -3.1%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    5,200
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $38,580
    Median
    $59,300
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $98,240
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    73,660 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Preschool and daycare administrators manage the daily operations and academic programs of early childhood centers. They earn a median annual salary of $59,300, with pay typically ranging from under $38,580 to over $98,240.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

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

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    What the work is like

    These administrators direct the daily academic and nonacademic activities of childcare facilities, preschools, and before- and after-school programs. Their primary responsibilities revolve around leadership, personnel management, and communication. On any given day, they build and guide staff teams, resolve conflicts, make organizational decisions, and hire employees. They also train, coach, and teach staff members while ensuring children receive proper care and assistance.

    Success in this role requires a strong social orientation and a desire to help others. Administrators must possess excellent skills in active listening, speaking, reading comprehension, and social perceptiveness to interact effectively with staff, parents, and children. They rely on knowledge of education and training, personnel resources, administration, and customer service. Essential work styles include dependability, cooperation, empathy, self-control, and high stress tolerance.

    How to get there

    Entering this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, often in majors like educational administration and supervision. Because this career is classified as requiring considerable preparation, candidates generally need several years of experience in a related role, such as working as a preschool teacher, in addition to their college degree.

    Depending on where you plan to work, you may need to meet specific state regulations. Some states list a license for this occupation, so candidates should check the guidelines in their local area.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual wage for preschool and daycare administrators is $59,300. Earnings vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10 percent of workers earning less than $38,580 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $98,240.

    There are 73,660 people employed in this field. Between the years 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to decline by -3.1%. Despite this projected decrease in total jobs, the field is still expected to have 5,200 openings each year to replace workers who leave the occupation.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    3 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    32 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    30 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    91 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    64 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    59 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SEC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    90
    Developing and Building Teams
    89
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    88
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    87
    Coaching and Developing Others
    87
    Training and Teaching Others
    87
    Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
    85
    Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates
    85
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    85
    Staffing Organizational Units
    85
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Active Learning
    • Coordination
    • Instructing
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Learning Strategies

    Knowledge

    • Education and Training
    • Administration and Management
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Administrative
    • English Language
    • Psychology
    • Economics and Accounting
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Sales and Marketing

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Information Ordering

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Integrity
    • Leadership Orientation
    • Empathy
    • Optimism
    • Social Orientation
    • Self-Control
    • Sincerity
    • Stress Tolerance

    Also called

    After School Site Director · Before and After School Program Director · Before and After School Site Director · Center Administrator · Center Manager · Child Care Center Administrator (Child Care Center Admin) · Child Care Center Director · Child Care Director · Childcare Center Administrator · Childcare Center Director

    Career pathway

    From your interests to education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare$59,300 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1University of Delaware logo
      University of Delaware

      Newark, DE · Educational Administration and Supervision · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $58,895
      4 yrs after
      $72,710
      Median debt
      $25,000
    2. 2University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee logo
      University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

      Milwaukee, WI · Educational Administration and Supervision · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $42,610
      4 yrs after
      $46,822
      Median debt
      $25,175
    3. 3
      Rasmussen College-Florida

      Ocala, FL · Educational Administration and Supervision · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $45,145
      4 yrs after
      $46,541
      Median debt
      $38,881
    4. 4
      Rasmussen College-Minnesota

      St. Cloud, MN · Educational Administration and Supervision · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $45,145
      4 yrs after
      $46,541
      Median debt
      $38,881
    5. 5Ohio State University-Lima Campus logo
      Ohio State University-Lima Campus

      Lima, OH · Educational Administration and Supervision · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $37,536
      4 yrs after
      $42,187
      Median debt
      $19,500
    6. 6Ohio State University-Mansfield Campus logo
      Ohio State University-Mansfield Campus

      Mansfield, OH · Educational Administration and Supervision · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $37,536
      4 yrs after
      $42,187
      Median debt
      $19,500
    7. 7Ohio State University-Marion Campus logo
      Ohio State University-Marion Campus

      Marion, OH · Educational Administration and Supervision · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $37,536
      4 yrs after
      $42,187
      Median debt
      $19,500
    8. 8Ohio State University-Newark Campus logo
      Ohio State University-Newark Campus

      Newark, OH · Educational Administration and Supervision · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $37,536
      4 yrs after
      $42,187
      Median debt
      $19,500

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Early Childhood Program Administration
    • Educational Leadership and Administration, General
    • Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision
    • International School Administration/Leadership
    • Superintendency and Educational System Administration

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    19 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some common alternative job titles for this career?

    People in this profession are often called child care center directors, center managers, childcare center administrators, or after school site directors. They may also go by titles like before and after school program directors.

    What college majors are most relevant for this career path?

    Students preparing for this career typically major in educational administration and supervision. This coursework provides the foundation in management and education needed to run a childcare facility.

    Is a license required to work as a preschool and daycare administrator?

    Licensing requirements vary by location, as some states list a license for this work. Prospective administrators should research the specific rules and regulations established by their state's licensing board.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.