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Vocational childcare teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a vocational childcare teacher. Vocational childcare teachers usually study early childhood education, business, or psychology. 33% of vocational childcare teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 31% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 2,485 real vocational childcare teacher resumes to see exactly what vocational childcare teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for vocational childcare teachers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online vocational childcare teacher courses to help get the education required to be a vocational childcare teacher.

There are certain vocational childcare teacher certifications that you should consider. These vocational childcare teacher certifications include Child Development Associate (CDA) and Certified Childcare Professional (CCP).

What education do you need to become a vocational childcare teacher?

What degree do you need to be a vocational childcare teacher?

The most common degree for vocational childcare teachers is bachelor's degree, with 33% of vocational childcare teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 31% and high school diploma degree at 22%.
  • Bachelor's, 33%
  • High School Diploma, 31%
  • Associate, 22%
  • Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a vocational childcare teacher?

You should major in early childhood education to become a vocational childcare teacher. 16% of vocational childcare teachers major in early childhood education. Other common majors for a vocational childcare teacher include business and psychology.

Most common colleges for vocational childcare teachers

Vocational childcare teachers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, and Ashford University. Here are the most common colleges for vocational childcare teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Vocational childcare teacher common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix16.52%
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point9.57%
Ashford University8.70%
University of Wisconsin Colleges7.83%
East Tennessee State University6.09%

Best majors for vocational childcare teachers

Best colleges for vocational childcare teachers

The best colleges for vocational childcare teachers are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Vanderbilt University.

A vocational childcare teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for vocational childcare teachers. 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 vocational childcare teachers.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

3. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

4. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

9. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

10. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

In-state tuition

$17,653

Enrollment

16,405

20 best online courses for vocational childcare teachers

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1. Home-Based Child Care

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This series of courses is intended to provide learners with the tools to develop and operate a home-based childcare center. Stages of child development, best practices to stimulate learning, important safety measures, and business fundamentals are introduced...

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Become a certified mindfulness teacher with this accredited mindfulness teacher training programme...

5. Child Care as a Business

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This course is targeted toward individuals wishing to run a home-based child care center. It covers topics such as the fundamentals of an in-home childcare setting as a business; the importance of financial management of a child care center; the creation of a child care contract; and an exploration of how to set tuition rates. 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...

6. The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

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Social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs have flourished in schools during the last decade. These programs vary widely but most share a concern for five individual, student competencies: self awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and finally responsible decision making. It is important for teachers and parents to know about and understand these programs. While lots of SEL programs emphasize K-12 student social and emotional learning, only a very few programs...

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9. Music Education for Teachers

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In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...

10. Get Organized: How to be a Together Teacher

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13. THINK GLOBAL: TEACHERS TRAINING COURSE (IDP-ICE)

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A group of seven European partners from Catalonia, Belgium, and Wales worked together on the Erasmus+ funded ‘Think Global’ project on global competence. The project seeks to address the following research question through development and piloting of practical classroom activities: What is global competence, and how can it be learned effectively? The Think Global project explores, through international collaboration, how global competence is defined, taught, learned, and measured in the...

14. ELL Success in the Content Classroom: Teacher Toolbox Series

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Plan lessons, activities and assessment with the ELL in mind, and create an engaging and welcoming environment for the ELL and their families.\n\nThis Specialization covers lesson planning and assessing with the ELL in mind as well as engaging the ELL student and their families in the school and community. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply the skills you learned by creating an annotated lesson plan and assessment with appropriate modifications for the ELL students. You will also...

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The Final Project will be a hands-on, comprehensive project that practitioners of virtual education can implement in their profession. For this final project, learners will draft a design plan for an online learning module utilizing materials learned from the virtual teacher series. Learners will choose the subject matter, method of delivery, tools, instructional strategies, and assessments, with the goal of creating a module of online or blended instruction that meets the needs of their...

18. Professional Accredited Yoga Teacher Training Diploma Course

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Top 10 most affordable universities for vocational childcare teachers

The most affordable schools for vocational childcare teachers are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.

If the best universities for vocational childcare teachers 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 vocational childcare teachers.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

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 vocational childcare teachers

The hardest universities for vocational childcare teachers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for vocational childcare teachers 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 vocational childcare teachers 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 Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

5. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA • Private

Admissions rate

26%

SAT average

1,427

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for vocational childcare teachers

The easiest schools for vocational childcare teachers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, holy names university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a vocational childcare teacher 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 vocational childcare teachers.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

5. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

6. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton

Dunmore, PA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

1,056

7. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

8. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

9. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

10. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

Average vocational childcare teacher salary by education level

Vocational childcare teachers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $34,481 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, vocational childcare teachers earn a median annual income of $32,533 compared to $31,273 for vocational childcare teachers with an Associate degree.
Vocational childcare teacher education levelVocational childcare teacher salary
Master's Degree$34,481
High School Diploma or Less$30,146
Bachelor's Degree$32,533
Some College/ Associate Degree$31,273

Vocational childcare teacher education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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