Management Occupations·SOC 11-9031

Best degree programs for Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare, ranked by enrollment

Q: What degree do you need to become an Education?

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Educational Leadership and Administration, General, which awarded 31,615 degrees in 2024-25, 90.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming an Education?

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Educational Administration and Supervision. Together they graduate about 34,830 people a year.

Q: How much do education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare earn?

The median is $59,300 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $38,580 at the 10th percentile to $98,240 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Q: Is demand for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare growing?

BLS projects a -2.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 5,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

744 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

Q: What other job titles do education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare work under?

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Principal, Site Coordinator, Education Director, Preschool Director among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9031.

5 college programs and 744 schools train Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $59,300 median wage, 73,660 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

5 college programs at 744 schools train education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare, graduating 34,830 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Educational Leadership and Administration, General. The job pays a median of $59,300 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

34,830

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$59,300

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

-2.5%

Decline

Openings / yr

5,500

new plus replacement

Schools

744

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About 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.

Also calledPrincipalSite CoordinatorEducation DirectorPreschool DirectorSite DirectorCenter ManagerVice PrincipalArt CoordinatorDaycare ManagerSchool DirectorDaycare DirectorTesting Director

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

Education

CIP 13.04

Educational Administration and Supervision

34,830graduates / yr

708 schools · 5 specializations · 100.1% of pipeline

Grad earnings $37,480

5 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Educational Leadership and Administration, General CIP 13.0401	31,615	90.8%	708	$37,480	$23,000
2	Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision CIP 13.0404	1,918	5.5%	78	$37,480	$23,000
3	Superintendency and Educational System Administration CIP 13.0411	1,176	3.4%	83	$37,480	$23,000
4	Early Childhood Program Administration CIP 13.0414	99	0.3%	8	$37,480	$23,000
5	International School Administration/Leadership CIP 13.0412	22	0.1%	4	$37,480	$23,000

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	American College of Education Indianapolis, IN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	1,889	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	—	—	—
2	Lamar University Beaumont, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	1,642	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	37%	—	86%
3	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	1,375	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	43%	$21,535	79%
4	Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	775	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	46%	$11,580	—
5	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	660	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	65%	$28,911	99%
6	University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA Public · 1 feeder programs	532	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	43%	—	52%
7	Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO Public · 2 feeder programs	497	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	54%	—	86%
8	Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant, OK Public · 1 feeder programs	324	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	32%	—	76%
9	Bank Street College of Education New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	269	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	—	—	—
10	Concordia University - Chicago River Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	262	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	36%	$17,620	93%
11	Molloy University Rockville Centre, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	252	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	70%	$25,812	82%
12	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	249	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	92%	$26,873	10%
13	Louisiana State University - Shreveport Shreveport, LA Public · 1 feeder programs	240	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	38%	—	51%
14	University of West Alabama Livingston, AL Public · 1 feeder programs	226	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	35%	—	43%
15	William Carey University Hattiesburg, MS Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	220	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	60%	$17,205	60%
16	William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs	216	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	44%	—	90%
17	Concordia University - Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	209	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	46%	$17,328	79%
18	Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs	205	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	40%	—	96%
19	University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs	201	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	21%	$15,478	—
20	University of Oregon Eugene, OR Public · 1 feeder programs	197	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	72%	—	88%
21	Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	195	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	59%	$23,704	97%
22	Carson - Newman University Jefferson City, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	189	Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision	53%	$19,537	90%
23	Montclair State University Montclair, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs	177	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	65%	—	88%
24	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY Public · 2 feeder programs	175	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	76%	—	49%
25	Wilmington University New Castle, DE Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	170	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	20%	$16,588	—
26	Gardner - Webb University Boiling Springs, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	152	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	55%	$22,863	77%
27	William Woods University Fulton, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	146	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	47%	$22,203	71%
28	Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	145	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	50%	$18,981	63%
29	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	143	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	54%	—	80%
30	National Louis University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	142	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	30%	$18,904	95%
31	McDaniel College Westminster, MD Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	139	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	63%	$18,988	78%
32	Emporia State University Emporia, KS Public · 1 feeder programs	136	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	56%	—	98%
33	Capella University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs	133	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	20%	$19,369	—
34	Southern Nazarene University Bethany, OK Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	133	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	51%	$19,619	—
35	Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA Public · 1 feeder programs	124	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	43%	—	91%
36	Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	123	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	66%	$22,419	80%
37	Drake University Des Moines, IA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	122	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	74%	$28,855	64%
38	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	122	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	63%	—	66%
39	National University San Diego, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	122	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	43%	$31,817	—
40	Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT Public · 2 feeder programs	121	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	48%	—	73%
41	CUNY Hunter College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	121	Superintendency and Educational System Administration	57%	—	54%
42	Felician University Lodi, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	120	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	47%	$41,497	—
43	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ Public · 3 feeder programs	119	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	61%	—	90%
44	Creighton University Omaha, NE Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	118	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	83%	$27,353	80%
45	Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	118	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	57%	—	63%
46	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	116	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	97%	$22,055	5%
47	Teachers College at Columbia University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	115	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	—	—	—
48	Viterbo University La Crosse, WI Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	114	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	68%	$20,655	72%
49	Saint Leo University Saint Leo, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	113	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	45%	$18,986	78%
50	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	113	Educational Leadership and Administration, General	78%	—	40%

What education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage

$59,300

Mean annual

$64,800

Median hourly

$28.51/hr

People employed

73,660

What the range looks like

10th pct$38,580Median$59,30090th pct$98,240

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

$98,470median

5,020 jobs

Merced, CA

$68,440median

40 jobs

Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA

$83,600median

40 jobs

Trenton-Princeton, NJ

$76,390median

160 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$78,770median

1,920 jobs

Visalia, CA

$73,100median

60 jobs

Modesto, CA

$70,180median

70 jobs

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

$70,470median

950 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

-2.5%

Decline

Openings per year

5,500

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

-2,300

90,200 → 87,900

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
Texas	$50,840	5,480	0.82×	52	3,821
Indiana	$58,740	750	0.50×	16	2,423
New York	$96,810	3,950	0.86×	44	2,038
Arizona	$48,160	1,210	0.79×	10	2,016
California	$67,100	9,810	1.14×	52	1,811
Florida	$56,750	5,980	1.27×	30	1,318
Virginia	$53,320	1,590	0.82×	18	1,297
Pennsylvania	$56,380	4,100	1.43×	44	1,234
Missouri	$47,940	1,060	0.77×	21	1,204
Georgia	$60,300	1,550	0.67×	17	1,177
Illinois	$58,550	3,090	1.07×	25	1,166
Tennessee	$49,200	710	0.46×	21	1,041
Utah	$60,980	400	0.49×	7	993
Minnesota	$62,020	1,010	0.73×	16	926
North Carolina	$57,200	2,410	1.03×	34	918
New Jersey	$78,770	2,900	1.43×	18	851
Oklahoma	$46,690	830	1.03×	13	740
Massachusetts	$70,320	2,260	1.31×	19	648
Ohio	$49,580	3,030	1.15×	21	595
Alabama	$41,780	940	0.94×	13	587
Wisconsin	$59,930	1,320	0.95×	15	574
Maryland	$62,520	1,270	0.97×	14	559
Mississippi	$49,740	580	1.06×	8	523
Michigan	$56,870	1,890	0.91×	19	506
Louisiana	$46,030	690	0.75×	14	486
Kentucky	$44,530	1,000	1.06×	13	458
Kansas	$56,970	600	0.88×	12	417
Nebraska	$56,160	550	1.13×	10	409
South Carolina	$51,200	700	0.64×	14	377
Colorado	$64,620	1,150	0.85×	11	353
Iowa	$47,480	1,020	1.38×	9	343
Connecticut	$59,760	1,290	1.61×	9	338
Washington	$70,470	1,560	0.93×	12	305
Oregon	$60,250	1,230	1.32×	6	297
Arkansas	$44,990	1,090	1.76×	10	252
Delawaremoderate	$58,230	420	1.84×	3	237
West Virginia	$45,660	290	0.87×	8	180
New Hampshire	$55,120	410	1.26×	8	178
District of Columbiamoderate	$77,850	410	1.25×	4	154
Idaho	$48,530	200	0.50×	5	152
Maine	$60,090	240	0.80×	5	135
North Dakotamoderate	$51,390	290	1.41×	4	101
South Dakota	$63,240	150	0.67×	5	86
Montanamoderate	$48,140	180	0.73×	3	85
Hawaiilimited	$65,080	260	0.89×	2	78
Nevadamoderate	$60,120	—	—	3	63
Alaskalimited	$75,540	60	0.39×	2	59
Rhode Islandlimited	$55,290	390	1.65×	2	26
Wyominglimited	$56,170	160	1.19×	1	25
Vermontlimited	$63,220	190	1.29×	2	21

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities and policies and students' behavioral or learning problems.
Monitor students' progress and provide students and teachers with assistance in resolving any problems.
Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff and recommend personnel actions for programs and services.
Teach classes or courses or provide direct care to children.
Set educational standards and goals and help establish policies, procedures, and programs to carry them out.
Determine the scope of educational program offerings and prepare drafts of program schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.
Determine allocations of funds for staff, supplies, materials, and equipment and authorize purchases.
Direct and coordinate activities of teachers or administrators at daycare centers, schools, public agencies, or institutions.

Skills

Monitoring4.0
Active Listening4.0
Critical Thinking4.0
Speaking4.0
Reading Comprehension4.0
Writing3.8
Learning Strategies3.6
Active Learning3.5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.5
Education and Training4.3
Administration and Management4.1
English Language3.9
Psychology3.5
Public Safety and Security3.5

Abilities

Written Expression4.1
Oral Expression4.0
Oral Comprehension4.0
Deductive Reasoning4.0
Written Comprehension4.0
Problem Sensitivity3.9

Core activities

Training and Teaching Others4.4
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.3
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3
Assisting and Caring for Others4.3
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.2
Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.2

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

Intuit QuickBookshotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft OutlookhotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft WordhotACS Technologies HeadMasterAuburn Software Debit SquareB&I Computer Consultants Childcare SageBloomz

How to get in

How to become a Education

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
Work experience needed: Less than 5 years

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 5 majors mapped to Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

13.0401Educational Leadership and Administration, General
13.0404Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision
13.0411Superintendency and Educational System Administration
13.0412International School Administration/Leadership
13.0414Early Childhood Program Administration

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

11-9032

Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary

$105,870328,330 jobs-1.5%

25-2011

Preschool Teachers

$38,140478,780 jobs+4.1%

11-9151

Social and Community Service Managers

$80,390209,330 jobs+6.4%

25-2058

Special Education Teachers, Secondary School

$74,260163,930 jobs-1.6%

25-2012

Kindergarten Teachers

$62,680108,870 jobs-1.6%

21-1091

Health Education Specialists

$64,07065,690 jobs+4.5%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become an Education?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Educational Leadership and Administration, General, which awarded 31,615 degrees in 2024-25, 90.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Education?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Educational Administration and Supervision. Together they graduate about 34,830 people a year.

How much do education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare earn?+

The median is $59,300 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $38,580 at the 10th percentile to $98,240 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare growing?+

BLS projects a -2.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 5,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

744 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Principal, Site Coordinator, Education Director, Preschool Director among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9031.

↑ Zoom outAll occupations Management Occupations

Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare by stateTexas Indiana New York Arizona California Florida Virginia Pennsylvania Missouri Georgia Illinois Tennessee

Programs that lead hereEducational Administration and Supervision

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025
Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3
Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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