How to hire a daycare manager

How to hire a daycare manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step daycare manager hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your daycare manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a daycare manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a 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 daycare manager 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.

   This list presents daycare manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Daycare Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Daycare Manager	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.	$12-34
   Test Center Administrator	A test center administrator is responsible for overseeing the daily operations at test centers, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They typically set goals, establish guidelines and timelines, liaise with external partners such as vendors at suppliers, coordinate staff, monitor the progress of all operations, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently... Show more	$10-14
   Center Director	A center director is responsible for ensuring and maintaining the efficiency of child care facilities. Their role is to conduct various assessments, ensure that all aspects adhere to federal requirements, develop programs and supplemental activities in collaboration with child care experts, recruit and hire an efficient workforce, and train staff for professional development... Show more	$31-82

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Child Care
   • Customer Service
   • Payroll
   • Direct Care
   • CPR
   • Front Desk
   • State Regulations
   • Allergies
   • Safety Regulations
   • POS
   • Clean Environment
   • Administrative Tasks
   • Patient Care

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage weekly financial transactions relate to accounts receivable/payable, book keeping, payroll, inventory control and budgeting.
   • Staff is on alert for food allergies.
   • Coordinate efforts to ensure all employees are CPR certify and have food handler permits.
   • Provide proper training for staff, make sure all are CPR and first aid certify.
   • Coordinate and assist children with schedule routines -collect weekly payments -handle weekly staff payroll
   • Provide fitness assessment, weight management, wellness coaching, exercise instruction, and cardiopulmonary and physical rehabilitation services.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your daycare manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A daycare manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, daycare managers' average salary in kansas is 43% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level daycare managers earn 63% less than senior-level daycare managers.
   • Certifications. A daycare manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a daycare manager's salary.

   Average daycare manager salary

   $43,568yearly

   $20.95 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level daycare manager salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a daycare manager job description

   A good daycare manager 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 daycare manager job description:

   Daycare manager job description example

   “The most exciting acting tends to happen in roles you never thought you could play.” – John Lithgow
   
   So, maybe you don’t see yourself as a “9-5” type (unless we’re talking about the musical). If we’re being honest, neither do we! We are My Gym Children’s Fitness Center – the ultimate children’s fitness and developmental activity center – and we get to work and play all day… in a T-shirt and socks!!Do you love kids, being generally silly, and acting for very receptive and adorable audiences? Then My Gym might be the right place for you!Are you…

   • The life of the party?
   • Frequently found at the kids table (which is the best place to be anyway)?
   • A dancer, actor, singer, or athlete?
   • Outgoing, upbeat, and positive?
   • Someone who takes direction well?
   • Interested in a flexible weekday schedule that will allow your job to work into your life?
   • Available to work weekends? (We throw wonderful, memorable birthday parties year-round.)
   • Willing to really grow with us (and the kids!) and can commit to at least a year of employment?

   If you feel we probably wrote this about you as a funny character assessment, you may be the right person for us and My Gym may be just the right job for you! As a teacher, you’ll be working with children ranging from 6 weeks to 10 years of age, teaching programs that incorporate songs, dances, puppet shows, beginning gymnastics skills, sports, games, and a variety of other unique and exciting activities in a positive, noncompetitive, fun environment.To learn more about what we do at My Gym, visit us at www.mygym.com/downingtown.

   This franchise is independently owned and operated by a franchisee. Your application will go directly to the franchisee, and all hiring decisions will be made by the management of that franchise. All inquiries about employment at this franchise should be made directly to the franchisee, and not to My Gym Corporate.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right daycare manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with daycare managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit daycare managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find daycare manager candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit daycare managers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 daycare manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect daycare manager 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   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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