How to Become a Director of a Daycare

Aerial view of a daycare center

Do you enjoy working with children? Do you possess strong leadership skills and a head for business? Can you manage multiple tasks at one time? Do you work well with others? If you answered yes to these questions, then a job as a daycare director might be just the job for you. If you're willing to fulfill the requirements for education, experience and qualifications, you could be ready for this challenging career.

Instructions

1. Become a certain age required by the state. Daycare directors have to be in charge of a large number of people, including the children in the daycare and the teachers employed there. In order to do this, you have to be of a certain age. Age requirements vary by state---the age is 21 in Louisiana, for example.

2. Work your way up. A daycare director works at the top of a daycare center. If you want to get there some day, you need to start closer to the bottom. Begin your career by working as a daycare teacher or assistant. Seek opportunities to advance your career from within. The more experience you have working in a child care setting, the more appealing you will be to prospective employers looking to hire a director.

3. 

   Educate yourself. Ten years ago, you might have been able to walk into a child care center off the street and start working right away. Now, you need to have background knowledge of child development and care in order to work in a daycare. The best way to get this is to obtain formal education in the field.

4. Complete courses. You can take licensing courses as you work as a preschool teacher. Or you can go to college and obtain a degree in child development or early childhood education. Either way, you will get the educational background that you need to pursue a career as a daycare director.

5. Use your business sense. Being a daycare teacher requires knowledge of young children and how to teach them. Being a daycare director also requires an ability to run a business. Seek business or professional training in these areas, as a large portion of the duties of a daycare director are administrative in nature.

Tips & Warnings

• Use your resources. If you want to work in a child care setting, positive references go a long way in the job application process. If you have experience in this area, make sure you collect a list of references for yourself that you can carry with you to future jobs. Keep your eyes open. If you start at the bottom, make sure you stay on top of opportunities for advancement as they present themselves. Let your supervisor know about your career goals in case something becomes available in-house. Check your classified advertisements for opportunities with other centers.

• Don't walk in off the street and expect to get a job as a daycare director. Be prepared to do the work to get your experience and education first. Watch your record. Working in child care requires background checks and a clean record, so make sure you don't have anything on yours that will damage your chances of getting the job you want.

References

• Daycare Director Qualifications (LSU)
• Daycare Director Job Profile