Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Early head start director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an early head start director. Early head start directors usually study early childhood education, human development, or social work. 64% of early head start directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 691 real early head start director resumes to see exactly what early head start director education sections show.
The most common colleges for early head start directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online early head start director courses to help get the education required to be an early head start director.
What education do you need to become an early head start director?
What degree do you need to be an early head start director?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 14%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become an early head start director?
- Human Development, 12%
- Social Work, 11%
- Psychology, 10%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for early head start directors
| Early head start director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 8.43% |
| Ashford University | 8.43% |
| Temple University | 7.23% |
| Central Michigan University | 7.23% |
| Erikson Institute | 6.02% |
Best majors for early head start directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Early Childhood Education | 14.6% |
| 2 | Human Development | 12.2% |
| 3 | Social Work | 10.6% |
| 4 | Psychology | 9.8% |
| 5 | Education | 7.8% |
Best colleges for early head start directors
The best colleges for early head start directors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
An early head start director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for early head start directors. 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 early head start directors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
10. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
20 best online courses for early head start directors
Advertising disclosure
1. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...
2. Introduction to Early Childhood
This course is targeted toward individuals wishing to operate a family day care center, and it covers topics including the fundamentals of early childhood development; the importance of play and Developmentally Appropriate Practice; and the significance of building strong family-educator relationships and how to achieve them. Since a Family Policy Handbook is essential for anyone operating a family day care center, this course includes the development of one of three imperative sections of the...
3. Strategic Planning Basics for Human Resources
Learn to collaborate with your organizational leaders on the development and implementation of a strategic plan...
4. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
5. Blockchain in Financial Services: Strategic Action Plan
In this fourth and final course of the specialization, you will synthesize your learning into a Strategic Action Plan. The goals of this course are twofold: One, it’s for you to identify a specific need or problem within the financial services industry that can potentially be solved using blockchain technology. Two, it’s for you to investigate possible solutions to this problem, and to develop a strategic plan for how these solutions might be executed. You will accomplish different project...
6. Leadership for Public Health Crises
Leadership for Public Health Crises will enable current and prospective managers, directors, unit heads, and elected officials to effectively lead their organizational response to profound health-related emergencies and to build leadership capacity across multiple sectors, agencies, organizations, and divisions. This series of courses prepares graduate students (in, e.g., public administration, public health, social work, business, homeland security, education, and related fields) and...
7. Strategic Planning Skills
Strategic Planning Skills...
8. Introduction to Early Childhood Montessori Education
Learning Montessori Philosophy and Materials by visiting classrooms across the U.S...
9. Community Awareness Course: Sexuality and Disability
This community awareness course from the University of Minnesota Program on Human Sexuality will provide you with a solid introduction to human sexuality for those living with disabilities. Often there are assumptions that the disabled or differently abled people are not sexual, do not have sexual needs, or cannot be involved sexually. In this professionally produced one-hour course, you'll learn about the basics of disabilities and human sexuality. We'll then learn about three different...
10. Start Improving Customer Service
Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...
11. How to Help Family Members or Friends with Mental Illness
Practical Counseling Skills to help children, family or friends with Depression, Anxiety, or Other Mental Illness...
12. CSR Development & Communications: Make a Difference Today!
Introduction to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program Development & Communication...
13. Mental Health and Wellness Professional (MHW) Diploma Course
Discover a flexible and comprehensive way of understanding mental health as a Certified Mental Health Professional (MHP)...
14. Autism Awareness Course for Parents - Autism Training
Training Helps Parents Reduce Challenging Autism Behavior Learn to Understand & Manage Autism and Autistic Children...
15. Effective Communication Skills: Be a Better Communicator!
NEW UPGRADED COURSE: Learn proven, effective communication skills, how to question, listen actively & overcome problems...
16. Communication Mastery for Managers: How to Talk Like a CEO
Learn the secrets used by the world's most powerful communicators to deliver even difficult messages with tact & finesse...
17. The Communication Skills and Social Intelligence Masterclass
An essential guide to cultivating influential people skills, communication skills and street-smart social intelligence...
18. Strategic Workforce Planning: A Fundamental Beginner's Guide
Everything You Need to Know to Get Started...
19. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)
Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...
20. Addiction & Mental Health (Dual Diagnosis) Integrative 12hrs
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Interventions: Drug & Alcohol Addiction & Mental Health - Integrative Holistic Approach...
Top 10 most affordable universities for early head start directors
The most affordable schools for early head start directors are California State University - Long Beach, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for early head start directors 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 early head start directors.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for early head start directors
The hardest universities for early head start directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for early head start directors 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 early head start directors 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
9. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
10. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for early head start directors
The easiest schools for early head start directors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an early head start director 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 early head start directors.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
5. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
6. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
7. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
8. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
9. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
10. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
Average early head start director salary by education level
| Early head start director education level | Early head start director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $46,334 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $38,726 |
| Doctorate Degree | $52,546 |
Early head start director education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
Search for early head start director jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025