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Child Daycare Worker Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a child daycare worker. Child daycare workers usually study psychology, general studies, or business. 42% of child daycare workers hold a high school diploma, and 27% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 5,484 real child daycare worker resumes to see exactly what child daycare worker education sections show.
The most common colleges for child daycare workers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online child daycare worker courses to help get the education required to be a child daycare worker.
There are certain child daycare worker certifications that you should consider. These child daycare worker certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and Adult and Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED.
What education do you need to become a child daycare worker?
What degree do you need to be a child daycare worker?
- High School Diploma, 42%
- Bachelor's, 27%
- Associate, 17%
- Diploma, 7%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a child daycare worker?
- Psychology, 11%
- General Studies, 10%
- Business, 9%
- Other Majors, 62%
Most common colleges for child daycare workers
Child Daycare Worker Common College  | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.71% |
| Liberty University | 8.87% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 7.26% |
| Grand Canyon University | 5.65% |
| Brigham Young University | 4.84% |
Best majors for child daycare workers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 11.2% |
| 2 | General Studies | 10.0% |
| 3 | Business | 9.0% |
| 4 | Early Childhood Education | 8.4% |
| 5 | Nursing | 8.2% |
Best colleges for child daycare workers
The best colleges for child daycare workers are Vanderbilt University, University of Rochester, and University of Virginia.
A child daycare worker with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for child daycare workers. 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 child daycare workers.
1. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-State Tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
2. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-State Tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
20 best online courses for child daycare workers
Advertising Disclosure
1. Child Care as a Business
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...
2. Home-Based Child Care
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...
3. Fully Accredited Professional Child Psychology Diploma
Learn or Specialise Your Therapy in Child Psychology with this Fully Accredited Diploma Course...
4. Introduction to Child Psychology - ACCREDITED CERTIFICATE
Learn about child behaviour, parenting styles, relationships and socialising, cognitive development, counselling & more!...
5. Child Nutrition and Cooking
Eating patterns that begin in childhood affect health and well-being across the lifespan. The culture of eating has changed significantly in recent decades, especially in parts of the world where processed foods dominate our dietary intake. This course examines contemporary child nutrition and the impact of the individual decisions made by each family. The health risks associated with obesity in childhood are also discussed. Participants will learn what constitutes a healthy diet for children...
6. Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing
Everyday Parenting gives you access to a toolkit of behavior-change techniques that will make your typical day in the home easier as you develop the behaviors you would like to see in your child. The lessons provide step-by-step instructions and demonstrations to improve your course of action with both children and adolescents. Among many techniques, you will learn how even simple modifications to tone of voice and phrasing can lead to more compliance. The course will also shed light on many...
7. The Complete Daily Positive Habits Building Course
Increase Happiness and Decrease Procrastination Using SSP Brain Training...
8. Safeguarding Children Level One
Safeguarding, Spotting Abuse, Sharing Concerns and Child Protection...
9. 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...
10. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs
Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...
Top 10 most affordable universities for child daycare workers
The most affordable schools for child daycare workers are University of Florida, california state university - bakersfield, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for child daycare workers 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 child daycare workers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,381
Cost of Attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Cost of Attendance
16,714
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,798
Cost of Attendance
18,306
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,656
Cost of Attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for child daycare workers
The hardest universities for child daycare workers to get into are Vanderbilt University, University of Rochester, and University of Virginia.
Some great schools for child daycare workers 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 child daycare workers 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. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions Rate
10%
SAT Average
1,514
2. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
29%
SAT Average
1,422
3. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
Admissions Rate
26%
SAT Average
1,427
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
40%
SAT Average
1,376
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
13%
SAT Average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for child daycare workers
The easiest schools for child daycare workers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, adventhealth university, and la roche college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a child daycare worker 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 child daycare workers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
84%
SAT Average
1,031
A
2. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions Rate
87%
SAT Average
1,016
3. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
99%
SAT Average
1,008
4. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions Rate
78%
SAT Average
1,024
5. Pennsylvania State University - Worthington Scranton
Dunmore, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
82%
SAT Average
1,056
Average child daycare worker salary by education level
| Child Daycare Worker education level | Child Daycare Worker salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $33,663 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $26,644 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $30,422 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $28,401 |
Child Daycare Worker Education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025