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Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare

Also called: Child Care Director, Childcare Director, Education Coordinator, Education Director

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

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Median pay BLS, 2025$59,300
Openings a year BLS, 2025–355,200
Typical education to start BLSBachelor's degree
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 High
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 -3.1%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 13 of its 17 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 3.1% by 2035. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • In 2024, 1.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Education and childcare administrators”
  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 86% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 47% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$42k$97knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$41,780$34,900 to $58,370940
Alaska$75,540$66,610 to $93,35060
Arizona$48,160$43,260 to $60,7301,210
Arkansas$44,990$35,910 to $57,6701,090
California$67,100$54,020 to $80,6409,810
Colorado$64,620$56,030 to $77,2101,150
Connecticut$59,760$48,010 to $78,0401,290
Delaware$58,230$46,320 to $69,790420
District of Columbia$77,850$56,020 to $104,390410
Florida$56,750$45,790 to $63,9305,980
Georgia$60,300$41,200 to $69,4701,550
Guam$33,030$27,260 to $43,09040
Hawaii$65,080$58,240 to $76,420260
Idaho$48,530$40,040 to $61,990200
Illinois$58,550$45,720 to $71,6503,090
Indiana$58,740$48,000 to $64,370750
Iowa$47,480$40,140 to $59,6301,020
Kansas$56,970$46,600 to $62,210600
Kentucky$44,530$37,290 to $58,0301,000
Louisiana$46,030$36,950 to $61,990690
Maine$60,090$51,710 to $64,960240
Maryland$62,520$52,030 to $75,7501,270
Massachusetts$70,320$57,090 to $79,4902,260
Michigan$56,870$46,990 to $65,6001,890
Minnesota$62,020$49,650 to $72,6201,010
Mississippi$49,740$33,700 to $59,380580
Missouri$47,940$38,880 to $59,6001,060
Montana$48,140$41,600 to $57,960180
Nebraska$56,160$46,660 to $74,500550
Nevada$60,120$48,200 to $80,940not published
New Hampshire$55,120$47,680 to $63,990410
New Jersey$78,770$59,800 to $104,5702,900
New York$96,810$73,190 to $103,5703,950
North Carolina$57,200$46,110 to $69,9502,410
North Dakota$51,390$39,530 to $62,340290
Ohio$49,580$45,030 to $61,4103,030
Oklahoma$46,690$38,220 to $62,400830
Oregon$60,250$47,270 to $75,3701,230
Pennsylvania$56,380$46,500 to $61,7904,100
Puerto Rico$45,990$41,250 to $55,940220
Rhode Island$55,290$50,830 to $59,580390
South Carolina$51,200$43,780 to $65,710700
South Dakota$63,240$52,520 to $66,000150
Tennessee$49,200$45,900 to $60,270710
Texas$50,840$42,200 to $61,0405,480
Utah$60,980$45,030 to $92,280400
Vermont$63,220$58,020 to $79,490190
Virginia$53,320$46,410 to $62,7001,590
Washington$70,470$54,530 to $87,5601,560
West Virginia$45,660$37,900 to $60,790290
Wisconsin$59,930$45,540 to $69,2201,320
Wyoming$56,170$44,530 to $74,960160

Nationally: $59,300. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on 13 of its 17 tasks

5 · AI alone could halve the time 8 · AI + software built on it could 4 · Not much
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
Not much Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff and recommend personnel actions for programs and services. Not published
Not much Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities and policies and students' behavioral or learning problems. under 0.01%
AI + software Determine allocations of funds for staff, supplies, materials, and equipment and authorize purchases. Not published
AI + software Monitor students' progress and provide students and teachers with assistance in resolving any problems. Not published
AI + software Direct and coordinate activities of teachers or administrators at daycare centers, schools, public agencies, or institutions. Not published
Not much Teach classes or courses or provide direct care to children. Not published
See all 17 tasks
AI alone Determine the scope of educational program offerings and prepare drafts of program schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements. Not published
AI + software Prepare and maintain attendance, activity, planning, accounting, or personnel reports and records for officials and agencies, or direct preparation and maintenance activities. Not published
AI alone Set educational standards and goals and help establish policies, procedures, and programs to carry them out. Not published
AI alone Review and interpret government codes and develop procedures to meet codes and to ensure facility safety, security, and maintenance. under 0.01%
Not much Plan, direct, and monitor instructional methods and content of educational, vocational, or student activity programs. Not published
AI + software Review and evaluate new and current programs to determine their efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with state, local, and federal regulations and recommend any necessary modifications. Not published
AI alone Prepare and submit budget requests or grant proposals to solicit program funding. under 0.01%
AI + software Organize and direct committees of specialists, volunteers, and staff to provide technical and advisory assistance for programs. Not published
AI + software Collect and analyze survey data, regulatory information, and demographic and employment trends to forecast enrollment patterns and the need for curriculum changes. Not published
AI + software Inform businesses, community groups, and governmental agencies about educational needs, available programs, and program policies. Not published
AI alone Write articles, manuals, and other publications and assist in the distribution of promotional literature about programs and facilities. Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 25 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up13 of 17 tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most1 of 25 activities
  • #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes 2.70#175 1.31#148
Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures 1.85#204 0.36#225
Supervise personnel activities 0.56#266 0.05#283
Provide information or assistance to the public 356#5 1,375#2
Teach academic or vocational subjects 22#54 143#14
Develop marketing or promotional materials 16#64 14#55
Evaluate programs, practices, or processes 15#67 5.67#80
Advise others on educational or vocational matters 14#74 34#36
Show all 25 activities
Advise others on business or operational matters 11#86 34#35
Determine resource needs of projects or operations 6.29#111 2.93#115
Monitor individual behavior or performance 5.87#114 1.22#153
Manage budgets or finances 4.12#143 0.51#203
Prepare legal or regulatory documents 3.40#156 0.50#204
Analyze data to improve operations 3.31#159 1.09#162
Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations 2.97#168 2.18#124
Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets 2.96#169 0.55#196
Maintain operational records 2.92#170 0.49#209
Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standards 2.67#176 4.32#99
Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures 2.52#181 2.47#121
Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance 1.94#201 0.78#175
Train others on operational or work procedures 1.60#211 29#38
Prepare proposals or grant applications 1.47#214 0.60#190
Perform recruiting or hiring activities 0.99#237 0.43#217
Develop safety standards, policies, or procedures 0.94#238 0.93#169
Authorize business activities or transactions 0.21#295 0.02#312
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Supervise personnel activities” holds 2 tasks rated AI + software, yet people asked AI for help with it in 0.56 of every 10,000 conversations, #266 of 332.

How people in this work use Claude

What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations

  • An analysis or summary36%
  • A document or report28%
  • Advice or a recommendation6%
  • Data or a spreadsheet4%
  • An explanation or answer3%

How they worked with Claude

35% handed the task off65% worked on it together

70% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.

How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare: -3.1%Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and DaycareAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare: -3.1%Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 24,199 moves out

  1. 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
  2. 2 Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Moderate +4.5% 4%
  3. 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
  4. 4 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 4%
  5. 5 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary High -0.3% 3%

Where people moved in from

of 22,684 moves in

  1. 1 Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Moderate +4.5% 8%
  2. 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
  3. 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
  4. 4 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
  5. 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

Census survey (American Community Survey)

  • 1% less than high school
  • 6% high school
  • 8% some college
  • 4% associate's
  • 24% bachelor's
  • 43% master's
  • 5% professional degree
  • 10% doctorate

Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Education and childcare administrators” · 11,183 people surveyed.

Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Education and childcare administrators”

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
5 programs, such as Educational Leadership and Administration, General, Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision and Superintendency and Educational System Administration.
See all
  • Educational Leadership and Administration, General
  • Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision
  • Superintendency and Educational System Administration
  • International School Administration/Leadership
  • Early Childhood Program Administration

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

72.3% this occupation

45.3% all occupations

By kindThis occupationAll occupations
a license45.7%19.1%
a certification25.3%5.8%
an educational certificatenot published

Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

  • Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
  • Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
  • License Finder ↗ licenses by state
  • Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (Early Childhood Education Operations Manager). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare” there.

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS

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