How To Become A Center Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is a center director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A center director is an individual who oversees the operations of a specific center or facility. They are responsible for managing staff, developing programs and services, maintaining budgets, and ensuring the overall success of the center. Center directors work in a variety of industries including education, healthcare, and social services. They have strong leadership skills, excellent communication abilities, and strong multitasking abilities. They are responsible for marketing and fundraising efforts to support the center's goals.

ScoreCenter DirectorUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $106,505

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.8

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 4.37%

Black or African American 11.87%

Hispanic or Latino 14.30%

Unknown 4.01%

White 64.76%

Gender

female 71.03%

male 28.97%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

9.8

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a center director?

Pros

Opportunity to positively impact the lives of children and families
Leadership experience and professional development
Competitive salary and benefits package
Ability to build and manage a team
Engaging work that is different every day

Cons

Long hours, including weekends and evenings
High stress and pressure to meet enrollment and financial goals
Responsibility for managing budgets and finances
Dealing with difficult parents or staff members
Constantly changing regulations and licensing requirements

Key steps to become a center director

Explore center director education requirements

Most common center director degrees

Bachelor's

60.5 %

Master's

18.2 %

Associate

14.4 %

Start to develop specific center director skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	12.35%
Oversight	7.66%
Proficiency Testing	6.29%
Center Management	6.21%
State Regulations	6.02%

Complete relevant center director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New center directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a center director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real center director resumes.

Gain additional center director certifications

Center director certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific center director certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for center directors include Child Development Associate (CDA) and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.

More About Certifications

Research center director duties and responsibilities

Manage programs provide by SDE, DMH, DHS.
Design, implement and manage day-to-day operation of the 21st CCLC grant support afterschool program.
Manage daily operations of NAEYC accredit childcare center.
Manage daily operation for a family-own business with responsibility for sales, production, and administrative functions including payroll.

Get center director experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a center director. The most common roles before becoming a center director include teacher, assistant director team lead and lead teacher.

Prepare your center director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your center director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a center director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable center director resume templates

Build a professional center director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your center director resume.