Daycare manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a daycare manager. Daycare managers usually study business, elementary education, or general studies. 39% of daycare managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 483 real daycare manager resumes to see exactly what daycare manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for daycare managers are the High Point University and the High Point University.

There are also many online daycare manager courses to help get the education required to be a daycare manager.

What education do you need to become a daycare manager?

What degree do you need to be a daycare manager?

The most common degree for daycare managers is bachelor's degree, with 39% of daycare managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 28% and high school diploma degree at 20%.

Bachelor's, 39%

High School Diploma, 28%

Associate, 20%

Diploma, 6%

Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a daycare manager?

You should major in business to become a daycare manager. 19% of daycare managers major in business. Other common majors for a daycare manager include elementary education and general studies.

Business, 19%

Elementary Education, 10%

General Studies, 7%

Medical Assisting Services, 7%

Other Majors, 57%

Most common colleges for daycare managers

Daycare managers often get their degrees at High Point University, Davenport University, and Monroe College. Here are the most common colleges for daycare managers in the US based on their resumes.

Daycare manager common college	Percentages
High Point University	9.38%
Davenport University	9.38%
Monroe College	9.38%
Pennsylvania State University	6.25%
Southern University and A & M College	6.25%

Show more common daycare manager colleges

Best majors for daycare managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	19.1%
2	Elementary Education	9.6%
3	General Studies	6.6%
4	Medical Assisting Services	6.6%
5	Psychology	6.6%

Show more common daycare manager majors

Best colleges for daycare managers

The best colleges for daycare managers are Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Rochester.

A daycare manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for daycare managers. 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 daycare managers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

4. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for daycare managers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for daycare managers

The most affordable schools for daycare managers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, brigham young university, and university of florida.

If the best universities for daycare managers 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 daycare managers.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

9. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

10. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for daycare managers

The hardest universities for daycare managers to get into are Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of Rochester.

Some great schools for daycare managers 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 daycare managers 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

4. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

8. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

9. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,337

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for daycare managers

The easiest schools for daycare managers to get into are D'Youville College, gwynedd mercy university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a daycare manager 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 daycare managers.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

5. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

8. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average daycare manager salary by education level

According to our data, daycare managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $60,052 annually. Daycare managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $52,164.

Daycare manager education level	Daycare manager salary
Master's Degree	$52,164
Bachelor's Degree	$42,677
Doctorate Degree	$60,052

Daycare manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Daycare Managers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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