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Day care teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a day care teacher. Day care teachers usually study elementary education, psychology, or business. 45% of day care teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 3,591 real day care teacher resumes to see exactly what day care teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for day care teachers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online day care teacher courses to help get the education required to be a day care teacher.
There are certain day care teacher certifications that you should consider. These day care teacher certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and Child Development Associate (CDA).
What education do you need to become a day care teacher?
What degree do you need to be a day care teacher?
- Bachelor's, 45%
- High School Diploma, 23%
- Associate, 19%
- Master's, 5%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a day care teacher?
- Elementary Education, 12%
- Psychology, 11%
- Business, 9%
- Education, 9%
- Other Majors, 59%
Most common colleges for day care teachers
| Day care teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 11.81% |
| Ashford University | 7.64% |
| Liberty University | 7.64% |
| University of North Florida | 5.56% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 5.56% |
Best majors for day care teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elementary Education | 12.1% |
| 2 | Psychology | 10.6% |
| 3 | Business | 9.5% |
| 4 | Education | 8.6% |
| 5 | Early Childhood Education | 8.2% |
Best colleges for day care teachers
The best colleges for day care teachers are University of Rochester, University of Tulsa, and Vanderbilt University.
A day 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 day 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 day 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 day care teachers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for day care teachers
The most affordable schools for day care teachers are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for day 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 day 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 day care teachers
The hardest universities for day care teachers to get into are University of Rochester, University of Tulsa, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for day 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 day 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 day care teachers
The easiest schools for day 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 day 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 day 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 day care teacher salary by education level
| Day care teacher education level | Day care teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $37,326 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $33,052 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $34,418 |
| Doctorate Degree | $38,158 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $33,474 |
Day care teacher education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025