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Director of preschool vs center director

The differences between directors of preschool and center directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a director of preschool and a center director. Additionally, a center director has an average salary of $106,505, which is higher than the $45,132 average annual salary of a director of preschool.

The top three skills for a director of preschool include childhood, professional development and curriculum development. The most important skills for a center director are customer service, oversight, and proficiency testing.

Director of preschool vs center director overview

Director Of PreschoolCenter Director
Yearly salary$45,132$106,505
Hourly rate$21.70$51.20
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs10,27562,348
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4847
Years of experience44

Director of preschool vs center director salary

Directors of preschool and center directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Director Of PreschoolCenter Director
Average salary$45,132$106,505
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $69,000Between $65,000 And $172,000
Highest paying CityOakland, CANewark, DE
Highest paying stateAlaskaRhode Island
Best paying companyKLAMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Best paying industry--

Differences between director of preschool and center director education

There are a few differences between a director of preschool and a center director in terms of educational background:

Director Of PreschoolCenter Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorEarly Childhood EducationBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Director of preschool vs center director demographics

Here are the differences between directors of preschool' and center directors' demographics:

Director Of PreschoolCenter Director
Average age4847
Gender ratioMale, 5.2% Female, 94.8%Male, 29.0% Female, 71.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 76.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage17%16%

Differences between director of preschool and center director duties and responsibilities

Director of preschool example responsibilities.

  • Direct and manage every aspect of an extremely successful preschool, including enrollment, tuition, payroll, and all budgets.
  • Create and maintain a budget, this include tuition fees, payroll, insurances, supplies, etc.
  • Develop a staff of 15 through ongoing coaching, and training into a team of skil early childhood teachers.
  • Hire and train quality early childhood educators.
  • Establish continuous improvement processes which include leadership flow chart, monthly meetings which combine teaching and process analysis.
  • Handle administrative responsibilities and policy development, keep volunteer records and develop a vision manual and serve on leadership team.
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Center director example responsibilities.

  • Manage programs provide by SDE, DMH, DHS.
  • Design, implement and manage day-to-day operation of the 21st CCLC grant support afterschool program.
  • Manage daily operations of NAEYC accredit childcare center.
  • Manage daily operation for a family-own business with responsibility for sales, production, and administrative functions including payroll.
  • Manage delivery of quality early childhood education programs by establishing an environment of learning and maintaining the integrity of the programs.
  • Lead a staff of 76 FTE's.
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Director of preschool vs center director skills

Common director of preschool skills
  • Childhood, 13%
  • Professional Development, 12%
  • Curriculum Development, 11%
  • Staff Supervision, 7%
  • Classroom Management, 6%
  • Payroll, 5%
Common center director skills
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Oversight, 8%
  • Proficiency Testing, 6%
  • Center Management, 6%
  • State Regulations, 6%
  • Federal Regulations, 6%

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