Playground director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a playground director. Playground directors usually study elementary education, early childhood education, or psychology. 63% of playground directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 145 real playground director resumes to see exactly what playground director education sections show.

The most common colleges for playground directors are the Clarion University of Pennsylvania and the Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

There are also many online playground director courses to help get the education required to be a playground director.

What education do you need to become a playground director?

What degree do you need to be a playground director?

The most common degree for playground directors is bachelor's degree, with 63% of playground directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 25% and high school diploma degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 63%

High School Diploma, 25%

Master's, 5%

Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a playground director?

You should major in elementary education to become a playground director. 17% of playground directors major in elementary education. Other common majors for a playground director include early childhood education and psychology.

Elementary Education, 17%

Early Childhood Education, 12%

Psychology, 8%

Health Education, 7%

Other Majors, 56%

Most common colleges for playground directors

Playground directors often get their degrees at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Youngstown State University, and University of Akron. Here are the most common colleges for playground directors in the US based on their resumes.

Playground director common college	Percentages
Clarion University of Pennsylvania	9.38%
Youngstown State University	9.38%
University of Akron	6.25%
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania	6.25%
University of the District of Columbia	6.25%

Show more common playground director colleges

Best majors for playground directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Elementary Education	16.9%
2	Early Childhood Education	11.9%
3	Psychology	8.5%
4	Health Education	6.8%
5	Management	5.1%

Show more common playground director majors

Best colleges for playground directors

The best colleges for playground directors are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A playground 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 playground 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 playground directors.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

10. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

20 best online courses for playground directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for playground directors

The most affordable schools for playground directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for playground 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 playground directors.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for playground directors

The hardest universities for playground directors to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for playground 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 playground 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

SAT average

1,508

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for playground directors

The easiest schools for playground directors to get into are D'Youville College, wayland baptist university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a playground 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 playground directors.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average playground director salary by education level

Playground directors with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $35,568 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, playground directors earn a median annual income of $34,010 compared to $32,087 for playground directors with an Associate degree.

Playground director education level	Playground director salary
Master's Degree	$35,568
High School Diploma or Less	$28,970
Bachelor's Degree	$34,010
Some College/ Associate Degree	$32,087

Playground director education FAQs

What is the best college for Playground Directors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants 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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