How to hire education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities and policies and students' behavioral or learning problems. • Determine allocations of funds for staff, supplies, materials, and equipment and authorize purchases. • Determine the scope of educational program offerings and prepare drafts of program schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements. • Direct and coordinate activities of teachers or administrators at daycare centers, schools, public agencies, or institutions. • Monitor students' progress and provide students and teachers with assistance in resolving any problems. • Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff and recommend personnel actions for programs and services. • Review and evaluate new and current programs to determine their efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with state, local, and federal regulations and recommend any necessary modifications. • Teach classes or courses or provide direct care to children. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree] • Strong active listening, critical thinking, reading comprehension, speaking, active learning and learning strategies skills • Working knowledge of education and training, administration and management, personnel and human resources and customer and personal service • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $28.51 an hour ($59,300 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities and policies and students' behavioral or learning problems. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to determine allocations of funds for staff, supplies, materials, and equipment and authorize purchases. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to determine the scope of educational program offerings and prepare drafts of program schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to direct and coordinate activities of teachers or administrators at daycare centers, schools, public agencies, or institutions. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare do
- Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities and policies and students' behavioral or learning problems.
- Determine allocations of funds for staff, supplies, materials, and equipment and authorize purchases.
- Determine the scope of educational program offerings and prepare drafts of program schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements.
- Direct and coordinate activities of teachers or administrators at daycare centers, schools, public agencies, or institutions.
- Monitor students' progress and provide students and teachers with assistance in resolving any problems.
- Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff and recommend personnel actions for programs and services.
- Review and evaluate new and current programs to determine their efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with state, local, and federal regulations and recommend any necessary modifications.
- Teach classes or courses or provide direct care to children.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Experience usually needed to start: Less than 5 years (BLS)
- Job outlook: -3.1% over ten years, declining · about 5,200 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| New York | $96,810 |
| New Jersey | $78,770 |
| Washington | $70,470 |
| Massachusetts | $70,320 |
| California | $67,100 |
| Arkansas | $44,990 |
| Kentucky | $44,530 |
| Alabama | $41,780 |
See education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare pay in every state
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Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.