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Day care supervisor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a day care supervisor. Day care supervisors usually study psychology, business, or general studies. 48% of day care supervisors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,029 real day care supervisor resumes to see exactly what day care supervisor education sections show.

The most common colleges for day care supervisors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online day care supervisor courses to help get the education required to be a day care supervisor.

What education do you need to become a day care supervisor?

What degree do you need to be a day care supervisor?

The most common degree for day care supervisors is bachelor's degree, with 48% of day care supervisors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 17%.
  • Bachelor's, 48%
  • Associate, 20%
  • High School Diploma, 17%
  • Master's, 8%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a day care supervisor?

You should major in psychology to become a day care supervisor. 14% of day care supervisors major in psychology. Other common majors for a day care supervisor include business and general studies.

Most common colleges for day care supervisors

Day care supervisors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Long Island University, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for day care supervisors in the US based on their resumes.
Day care supervisor common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix10.29%
Long Island University8.82%
New York University8.82%
Michigan State University8.82%
Monroe College5.88%

Best majors for day care supervisors

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology14.3%
2Business12.2%
3General Studies8.6%
4Nursing8.6%
5Social Work7.4%

Best colleges for day care supervisors

The best colleges for day care supervisors are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and University of Southern California.

A day care supervisor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for day care supervisors. 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 day care supervisors.

1. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for day care supervisors

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1. Emergency Care: Pregnancy, Infants, and Children

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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...

2. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

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5. Palliative Care Always

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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...

6. Trauma Emergencies and Care

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Welcome to Trauma Emergencies and Care. In this course, you will learn about some of the mechanics and physics of trauma on the human body, and how this can cause injury. You will continue to expand your new vocabulary with medical terminology, and learn how to describe the different injuries you may see. You will also learn about the trauma system itself- and when it is important to transport patients to a trauma center. Then we will dive into specific injuries based on what part of the body...

7. Mastering Planning Vol 1: Hourly and Daily Planning

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Learn the system for planning on an hourly and daily scale and the PAMe La (Plan, Act, Measure, Learn) Planning System...

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Create a single successful event or event-series with effective event promotion, planning, management, and monetization...

9. Caring for Others

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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...

10. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

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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...

11. Providing Trauma-Informed Care

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Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors...

12. Self-Care Life Coach Certification (Boundary Setting)

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Empower Your Life Coach Your Clients to Develop Self-Care, Self-Love, Boundary Setting and How to Say No...

13. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care

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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...

14. Newborn Baby Care

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A newborn baby is an amazing beautiful life filled with hope. Unfortunately, many babies die or experience preventable harm even in 21st century. It is imperative that babies who are born healthy get off to a healthy start in the first month of life. There are some easy tenets of care to implement that help ensure that babies and families get off to a healthy start no matter where they are in the world. In this specialization learners will acquire the skills necessary for newborn baby care to...

15. The Operations Management Training Program

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16. The Business of Health Care

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This Specialization was designed to help you keep pace with the rapidly changing world of health and health care. Through partnership with Wharton and Penn Medicine, you’ll learn from experts in business acumen, health care management, and health care policy to develop the skills you’ll need to successfully navigate the quickly evolving landscape of this fast-growing field.* By the end of this specialization, you will have a strong foundational understanding of the American health care system,...

17. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

18. Medical Emergencies: CPR, Toxicology, and Wilderness

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19. Thinking About Care

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20. Child Care as a Business

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Top 10 most affordable universities for day care supervisors

The most affordable schools for day care supervisors are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - long beach, and university of florida.

If the best universities for day care supervisors 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 day care supervisors.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for day care supervisors

The hardest universities for day care supervisors to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for day care supervisors 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 day care supervisors 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

9. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for day care supervisors

The easiest schools for day care supervisors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, holy names university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a day care supervisor 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 day care supervisors.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

5. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

6. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

7. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

8. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton

Dunmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,056

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

Average day care supervisor salary by education level

Day care supervisors with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $38,770 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, day care supervisors earn a median annual income of $36,553 compared to $35,120 for day care supervisors with an Associate degree.
Day care supervisor education levelDay care supervisor salary
Master's Degree$38,770
High School Diploma or Less$33,840
Bachelor's Degree$36,553
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,120

Day care supervisor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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