What is a daycare owner and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
The average daycare owner salary is $27,716. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a daycare owner. Daycare owners with a Child Development Associate (CDA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 61,600 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreDaycare OwnerUS Average
Salary
2.2

Avg. Salary $27,716

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.7

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.99%

Asian 6.51%

Black or African American 6.78%

Hispanic or Latino 15.61%

Unknown 6.13%

White 63.98%

Gender

female 95.59%

male 4.41%

Age - 35
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35
Stress Level
6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
3.7

Complexity Level is basic

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Daycare Owner career paths

Key steps to become a daycare owner

  1. Explore daycare owner education requirements

    Most common daycare owner degrees

    Bachelor's

    31.7 %

    Associate

    28.8 %

    High School Diploma

    21.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific daycare owner skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Quality Childcare25.92%
    Child Care10.31%
    Payroll6.91%
    Preschool Curriculum6.27%
    Nutritional Meals5.02%
  3. Complete relevant daycare owner training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New daycare owners learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a daycare owner based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real daycare owner resumes.
  4. Research daycare owner duties and responsibilities

    • Follow USDA food program policy, maintain cleanliness, pass unannounce government inspections, etc.
    • Supply meal menus for each day and handle paperwork to USDA requirements.
    • Educate each child on counting and ABC's along with homework assistance for school age students who attend after care services.
    • Administer learning materials, provide one-on-on tutoring and supervise kids during time of play.
  5. Prepare your daycare owner resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your daycare owner resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a daycare owner resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Daycare Owner Resume templates

    Build a professional Daycare Owner resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Daycare Owner resume.
    Daycare Owner Resume
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  6. Apply for daycare owner jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a daycare owner job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Daycare Owner Job

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Average daycare owner salary

The average Daycare Owner salary in the United States is $27,716 per year or $13 per hour. Daycare owner salaries range between $18,000 and $41,000 per year.

Average Daycare Owner Salary
$27,716 Yearly
$13.32 hourly

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How do daycare owners rate their job?

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Daycare Owner reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2022
Pros

I love working with kids

Cons

Working with kids means sometimes it can get overwhelming


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022
Pros

I love being a role model telling the kids stories making them lunch coloring and drawing with them and making them happy and laugh

Cons

I honestly can’t complain because there was nothing I ever didn’t enjoy being a babysitter infact I want to work at w children’s hospital when I graduate and make the kids smile and happy


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Not only that I can care and provide a since of security for the children,I want the parents to also have comfort knowing that their little ones are in great care.

Cons

When parents, parent don't have full communication with me about problems that the children, child may have, if any.


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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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