Early head start director vs daycare manager

The differences between early head start directors and daycare managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an early head start director and a daycare manager. Additionally, a daycare manager has an average salary of $43,568, which is higher than the $39,448 average annual salary of an early head start director.

The top three skills for an early head start director include social work, child development and childhood. The most important skills for a daycare manager are child care, customer service, and payroll.

Early head start director vs daycare manager overview

	Early Head Start Director	Daycare Manager
Yearly salary	$39,448	$43,568
Hourly rate	$18.97	$20.95
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	16,978	2,567
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

Early head start director vs daycare manager salary

Early head start directors and daycare managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Early Head Start Director	Daycare Manager
Average salary	$39,448	$43,568
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $61,000	Between $26,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	-
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	-
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between early head start director and daycare manager education

There are a few differences between an early head start director and a daycare manager in terms of educational background:

	Early Head Start Director	Daycare Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Early Childhood Education	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Early head start director vs daycare manager demographics

Here are the differences between early head start directors' and daycare managers' demographics:

	Early Head Start Director	Daycare Manager
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4%	Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 4.4% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between early head start director and daycare manager duties and responsibilities

Early head start director example responsibilities.

Lead program development for an early childhood education initiative.
Provide technical assistance to EHS staff i.e.
Implement direct early childhood development education, health, nutrition, and social services to children and families.
Monitor regulations at the NAEYC accredit program sites.
Ensure all classrooms exceed NAEYC accreditation standards and guidelines.
Participate and develop the design of EHS internal structures, systems and policies.

Daycare manager example 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.

Early head start director vs daycare manager skills

Common early head start director skills

Social Work, 14%
Child Development, 8%
Childhood, 8%
Social Services, 8%
Community Resources, 6%
Child Care, 5%

Common daycare manager skills

Child Care, 52%
Customer Service, 16%
Payroll, 7%
Direct Care, 6%
CPR, 6%
Front Desk, 4%

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Early Head Start Director
Early Head Start Director vs Daycare Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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