How to hire a child care center director

How to hire a child care center director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step child care center director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a child care center director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new child care center director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a child care center director, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect child care center director also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of child care center directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Child Care Center Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Child Care Center Director	Preschool and childcare center directors supervise and lead staffs, oversee daily activities, design curriculums, and prepare budgets. They are responsible for all aspects of their center’s program.	$15-64
   Director	Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life... Show more	$31-92
   Parent Educator	A parent educator is a professional who specializes in tutoring parents on skills to help them raise children who are healthy and well-rounded. You will help parents learn the skills they may need to raise children who are healthy emotionally, psychologically, and physically... Show more	$13-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patient Care
   • Professional Development
   • Child Development
   • CPR
   • Payroll
   • Educational Programs
   • Background Checks
   • Rehabilitation
   • Regulatory Agencies
   • Curriculum Development
   • Staff Development
   • Program Development
   • Child Care Facility
   • Federal Laws

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage curriculum along with school budget, accounts receivable and payables.
   • Budget preparation/administration, record maintenance, purchasing, payroll, supervision of staff, development and administration of policies and procedures.
   • Establish and facilitate implementation of facility CQI program.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your child care center director job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A child care center director can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, child care center directors' average salary in montana is 52% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level child care center directors 76% less than senior-level child care center directors.
   • Certifications. A child care center director with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a child care center director's salary.

   Average child care center director salary

   $66,949yearly

   $32.19 hourly rate

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   Entry-level child care center director salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

4. Writing a child care center director job description

   A good child care center director job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a child care center director job description:

   Child care center director job description example

   Griffin Hospital is seeking a Nursing Director for our Child Birth Center that will be responsible for working collaboratively with the Nursing leadership team and the Chief of Obstetrics to ensure the provision of quality maternal and infant nursing support within budgetary guidelines and in compliance with clinical nursing standards of Federal and State regulatory agencies and policies / procedures of Griffin Hospital.
   Primary Functions:
   
   + Administrative, clinical, and financial 24/7 responsibility for a 5 bed LDR, 2 OR/ PACU labor and delivery unit, and a 13 bed postpartum unit / well baby nursery.
   
   + Oversee 26.5 FTEs. Responsible for hiring, evaluations, staff clinical competency, counseling, disciplines, staff recruitment and retention.
   
   + Develop, revise, and implement policies and guidelines that meet AORN, ACOG, and AWHONN best practice standards for OB patients and newborns.
   
   + Collaborate with I.T. Team to continually update / revise EMR to meet all AWHONN, ACOG, AORN, and regulatory guidelines for documentation and data management.
   
   + Develop and revise evidenced based maternal child, perinatal, AORN and PACU practice standards and policies in collaboration with the OB Chairman and the Perinatal Safety Nurse.
   
   + Responsible for financial stability of direct and in-direct expenses for 3 cost centers, purchasing of supplies and equipment.
   
   + Responsible for maintaining all regulatory and DPH guidelines for acute care OB practice.
   
   + Systems administrator for PeriCALM Fetal Monitoring System and the Maven state reporting newborn screening system.
   
   + Responsible for perinatal safety including shift change safety / handoff huddles, debriefing and case reviews of any critical OB events, conducting mock maternal and newborn codes, maintaining safe OR and delivery standards, assuring that appropriate up-to-date equipment is available on the unit at all times.
   
   + Responsible for all quality data indicators and meeting the Joint Commission perinatal core measures requirements for perinatal practice.
   
   + Member of the Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality team; review cases, evaluate new best practices, provide education to all Childbirth Center staff members.
   
   + Collaborate with the inpatient nursing leadership team to achieve institutional goals as set through the Executive team and Board of Directors.
   
   + Work closely with Quality Team and Risk Management to meet all safety and Joint Commission requirements for Perinatal Units.
   
   + Responsible for the day to day activity of the MCH units including; staff schedules, patient flow, emergencies, event debriefings, patient issues, staff conflicts, clinical resource.
   
   Qualifications and Experience:
   
   BSN(Bachelor of Science in Nursing) and MSN (Master Degree in Nursing) required. Must have unrestricted Connecticut Registered Nurse license. Minimum of five (5) years of maternal child health experience. Minimum of two (2) years supervisory nursing experience, preferably at the Assistant or Associate Director of Nursing level. Proficient computer skills and experience utilizing Electronic Medical Record systems. Certification & Licensure Requirements Licensed Registered Nurse- State of Connecticut.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
   
   The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find child care center directors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your child care center director job on Zippia to find and attract quality child care center director candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit child care center directors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new child care center director

   Once you've decided on a perfect child care center director candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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