# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/education-and-childcare-administrators-preschool-and-daycare
- SOC code: 11-9031.00
- Career family: Management
- Median annual pay: $59,300 (10th percentile $38,580, 90th percentile $98,240)
- Projected growth: Decline, -3.1%
- Openings a year: 5,200
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SEC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 3 |
| Investigative (I) | 32 |
| Artistic (A) | 30 |
| Social (S) | 91 |
| Enterprising (E) | 64 |
| Conventional (C) | 59 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 90/100)
- Developing and Building Teams (importance 89/100)
- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 88/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 87/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 87/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 87/100)
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (importance 85/100)
- Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates (importance 85/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 85/100)
- Staffing Organizational Units (importance 85/100)

## 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

## 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

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Educational Administration and Supervision](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1304) (CIP 1304, 880 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [University of Delaware](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-delaware-2905) | Educational Administration and Supervision | $58,895 | $72,710 | $25,000 |
| [University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-wisconsin-milwaukee-3085) | Educational Administration and Supervision | $42,610 | $46,822 | $25,175 |
| [Rasmussen College-Florida](https://www.collegesref.com/college/rasmussen-college-florida-2191) | Educational Administration and Supervision | $45,145 | $46,541 | $38,881 |
| [Rasmussen College-Minnesota](https://www.collegesref.com/college/rasmussen-college-minnesota-2194) | Educational Administration and Supervision | $45,145 | $46,541 | $38,881 |
| [Ohio State University-Lima Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ohio-state-university-lima-campus-1999) | Educational Administration and Supervision | $37,536 | $42,187 | $19,500 |
| [Ohio State University-Mansfield Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ohio-state-university-mansfield-campus-2001) | Educational Administration and Supervision | $37,536 | $42,187 | $19,500 |
| [Ohio State University-Marion Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ohio-state-university-marion-campus-2002) | Educational Administration and Supervision | $37,536 | $42,187 | $19,500 |
| [Ohio State University-Newark Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ohio-state-university-newark-campus-2003) | Educational Administration and Supervision | $37,536 | $42,187 | $19,500 |

## Related careers

- [Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/education-administrators-kindergarten-through-secondary): $105,870 median pay
- [Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/preschool-teachers-except-special-education): $38,140 median pay
- [Social and Community Service Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/social-and-community-service-managers): $80,390 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-kindergarten): $65,120 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Secondary School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-secondary-school): $74,260 median pay
- [Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/kindergarten-teachers-except-special-education): $62,680 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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.