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Child Care Teacher Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a child care teacher. Child care teachers usually study early childhood education, psychology, or business. 40% of child care teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 7,298 real child care teacher resumes to see exactly what child care teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for child care teachers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online child care teacher courses to help get the education required to be a child care teacher.
There are certain child care teacher certifications that you should consider. These child care teacher certifications include Child Development Associate (CDA) and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.
What education do you need to become a child care teacher?
What degree do you need to be a child care teacher?
- Bachelor's, 40%
- High School Diploma, 26%
- Associate, 20%
- Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 9%
What should I major in to become a child care teacher?
- Psychology, 11%
- Business, 9%
- Other Majors, 58%
Most common colleges for child care teachers
| Child Care Teacher Common College | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.15% |
| University of Wisconsin Colleges | 8.08% |
| Ashford University | 6.54% |
| University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | 5.00% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 5.00% |
Best majors for child care teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Early Childhood Education | 12.7% |
| 2 | Psychology | 11.3% |
| 3 | Business | 9.2% |
| 4 | Human Development | 9.0% |
| 5 | Elementary Education | 7.0% |
Best colleges for child care teachers
The best colleges for child care teachers are University of Rochester, University of Tulsa, and Vanderbilt University.
A child care teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for child care teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become child care teachers.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-State Tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
5. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
6. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
7. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-State Tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. Chamberlain College of Nursing - Arlington
Arlington, VA • Private
In-State Tuition
$19,375
Enrollment
506
20 best online courses for child care teachers
Advertising Disclosure
1. Child Care as a Business
This course is targeted toward individuals wishing to run a home-based child care center. It covers topics such as the fundamentals of an in-home childcare setting as a business; the importance of financial management of a child care center; the creation of a child care contract; and an exploration of how to set tuition rates. Since a Family Policy Handbook is essential for anyone operating a family day care center, this course includes the development of one of three imperative sections of the...
2. Home-Based Child Care
This series of courses is intended to provide learners with the tools to develop and operate a home-based childcare center. Stages of child development, best practices to stimulate learning, important safety measures, and business fundamentals are introduced...
3. Fully Accredited Professional Child Psychology Diploma
Learn or Specialise Your Therapy in Child Psychology with this Fully Accredited Diploma Course...
4. Introduction to Child Psychology - ACCREDITED CERTIFICATE
Learn about child behaviour, parenting styles, relationships and socialising, cognitive development, counselling & more!...
5. Caring for Others
Caring for Others examines how society cares for its at-risk members and the experiences of its caregivers. This specialization addresses questions such as: How much suffering is in the world today? Does digital media sensitize/desensitize us to the anguish of distant others? What are the different types of paid care work? How do care workers manage their emotions? And much more. This specialization is relevant to individuals interested in becoming a helping professional as well as anyone...
6. Pain Management: Easing Pain in Palliative Care
In this course, you will be able to develop a systems view for assessing and managing pain in the palliative care setting. By the end of the course, you will be able to: 1) Describe the pain problem in the palliative care setting; 2) Assess a person’s pain, 3) Explain the benefits of integrative therapies and pharmacologic strategies to manage pain...
7. Providing Trauma-Informed Care
Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...
8. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
9. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course
The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...
10. Palliative Care Always
Palliative Care Always is a specialization for health care practitioners, patients and caregivers. We’ve designed this specialization to demonstrate how palliative medicine integrates with patient care, and to help you develop primary palliative care skills. Over the next five courses, you will develop skills in symptom management, goals of care and effective communication to improve the quality of life for patients and families suffering with serious illness. Our hope is that you feel...
11. The Key to Happiness: Self Care
Discover Self Care as a tool for creating positive change in your mental health, behaviours, and well-being...
12. Art Therapy: Personal Development and Self Healing with Art
Arts Therapy heals ! Improve your Mental Health with 30 Art Therapy Exercises ...
13. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher
Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases, there is no allowance made for the education of Deaf children at all. This 4-week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language-rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically,...
14. Thinking About Care
Although all humans require care to develop and thrive, it is rarely the focus of academic studies. This course enriches learner’s understanding of this critical yet underappreciated facet of their lives by addressing such questions as: What is care? Who has traditionally provided it? How valued is care work? Does money take the care out of care work? In addition to advancing learner’s knowledge of the place of care in modern society and controversies surrounding it, Thinking About Care will...
15. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
16. Self-Care Life Coach Certification (Boundary Setting)
Empower Your Life Coach Your Clients to Develop Self-Care, Self-Love, Boundary Setting and How to Say No...
17. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children
Welcome to the final course of lectures in your quest to master EMT basics. In this course, we will cover some of the highest-stress patient populations: pregnant patients and kids, also known as pediatrics. To wrap up your EMT knowledge we will end this course with information about hazmat situations, extricating patients from tight spots and finally how you write a note about your patient care. You will learn to ensure it communicates what your assessment of the patient was, what...
18. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
19. Coping Skills and Self-Care for Mental Health
Essential skills to manage intense emotions and develop a self-care practice to promote mental health...
20. Safeguarding Children Level One
Safeguarding, Spotting Abuse, Sharing Concerns and Child Protection...
Top 10 most affordable universities for child care teachers
The most affordable schools for child care teachers are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for child care teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for child care teachers.
1. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Cost of Attendance
16,091
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,182
Cost of Attendance
13,998
4. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,419
Cost of Attendance
17,697
5. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,992
Cost of Attendance
22,430
6. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,064
Cost of Attendance
15,576
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,556
Cost of Attendance
19,434
8. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-State Tuition
$4,094
Cost of Attendance
14,302
9. SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Utica, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,238
Cost of Attendance
21,567
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,656
Cost of Attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for child care teachers
The hardest universities for child care teachers to get into are University of Rochester, University of Tulsa, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for child care teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for child care teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
29%
SAT Average
1,422
2. University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK • Private
Admissions Rate
41%
SAT Average
1,321
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions Rate
10%
SAT Average
1,514
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
40%
SAT Average
1,376
5. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
Admissions Rate
47%
SAT Average
1,337
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions Rate
11%
SAT Average
1,513
7. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
28%
SAT Average
1,429
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
Admissions Rate
58%
SAT Average
1,309
9. Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions Rate
58%
SAT Average
1,304
10. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
42%
SAT Average
1,326
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for child care teachers
The easiest schools for child care teachers to get into are AdventHealth University, nyack college, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a child care teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for child care teachers.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions Rate
87%
SAT Average
1,016
2. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
98%
SAT Average
999
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
100%
SAT Average
1,072
4. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
99%
SAT Average
1,008
5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions Rate
84%
SAT Average
1,069
6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions Rate
68%
SAT Average
964
7. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
92%
SAT Average
1,031
8. Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Canton, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
75%
SAT Average
1,085
9. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions Rate
96%
SAT Average
1,111
10. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
84%
SAT Average
1,031
Average child care teacher salary by education level
| Child Care Teacher education level | Child Care Teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $35,669 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $28,776 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $30,910 |
| Doctorate Degree | $37,084 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $29,429 |
Child Care Teacher Education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025