Work Environment
Preschool and childcare center directors held about 60,800 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of preschool and childcare center directors were as follows:
- Child day care services - 64%
- Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations - 11%
- Self-employed workers - 8%
- Elementary and secondary schools; state, local, and private - 7%
Although preschool and childcare center directors work in schools and childcare centers, they spend most of their day in an office. They also visit classrooms to check on students, speak to preschool teachers or childcare workers, and meet with parents.
Preschool and childcare center directors may find working in an early childhood educational environment rewarding, but they also have significant responsibilities. Coordinating and interacting with staff, parents, and children may be fast-paced and stimulating but also stressful.
Work Schedules
Most preschool and childcare center directors work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. They are on the job while the childcare center is open and may work early in the morning and late in the evening, particularly in centers that provide before- and after-school care. In large facilities, the director and assistant directors may stagger their schedules to ensure that someone is always onsite.
Job Outlook
Employment of preschool and childcare center directors is projected to grow 11 percent from 2020 to 2030, faster than the average for all occupations.
About 5,300 openings for preschool and childcare center directors are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Much of the projected employment growth in this occupation is due to recovery from the COVID-19 recession that began in 2020 and is likely to occur early in the decade.
Early childhood education is widely recognized as important for a child’s intellectual and emotional development. Working parents are expected to continue to rely on childcare centers and the services they provide. However, the rising cost of childcare and the increasing number of stay-at-home parents are expected to reduce the demand for these workers over the decade.
Earnings
The median annual wage for preschool and childcare center directors was $47,310 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $31,200, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $78,350.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for preschool and childcare center directors in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Elementary and secondary schools; state, local, and private - $62,320
- Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations - $50,000
- Child day care services - $46,890
Most preschool and childcare center directors work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. They are on the job while the childcare center is open and may work early in the morning and late in the evening, particularly in centers that provide before- and after-school care. In large facilities, the director and assistant directors may stagger their schedules to ensure that someone is always onsite.
