Characteristics of a Successful Childcare Director

For those who wish to work in early childhood education, a strong passion and desire to work with children is a given. But when seeking career opportunities as a childcare director, simply being good with kids doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll excel as a childcare director.

A successful childcare director not only has prior experience serving as a childcare provider, as well as holding a degree in early childhood education, but they’re capable of handling the multitude of responsibilities that accompany such an important and crucial administrative role that comes with being in charge of a childcare facility.

If you’re considering a career as a childcare director, you most likely have some degree of experience, expertise, or just a strong passion for working with children in a childcare setting. You no doubt possess a few of the following characteristics as well.

Strong Sense of Responsibility

Childcare directors must be capable of handling a large amount of responsibility, as they have a lot on their plate. Not only do they oversee the entire day to day operations of the childcare center, but they’re also the ones responsible for hiring new teachers, performing reviews, and giving feedback to their employees. They also play an important role in setting lesson plans and ensuring that certain benchmarks and learning objections are being met in each classroom.

The most critical role they play is making sure that proactive measures are being taken to make sure the staff they hire are both protecting and teaching by providing a safe and flourishing learning environment for the children.

Strong Communication Skills

A successful childcare director must demonstrate strong written and verbal interpersonal skills, as they will need to be able to positively and effectively communicate with children, staff, and parents on a daily basis. As a childcare director, you will be the one to handle any major issues, conflicts, or concerns that might arise.

Parents want to feel confident that they chose the right facility for their child and are paying close attention to how a childcare director responds to any conflicts or concerns. A successful childcare director will be able to respond in a professional, respectful, and compassionate manner, and be able to stay calm, cool, and collected under pressure.

Strong Leadership and Management Abilities

A childcare director must be a confident leader as they set the tone for the entire operation. They must also be highly organized and business oriented, as there are many administrative duties involved, such as the ordering, purchasing, and approving of equipment and supplies for the facility.

Childcare directors must be knowledgeable and up to date on understanding local, state, and federal laws, licensing requirements, inspection, and certification procedures. It will be your responsibility to ensure the center and employees are always in compliance.

Career Outlook

Setting a long-term goal of becoming a childcare director is a smart career choice, as the job market in the childcare industry is projected to increase as more and more parents seek out quality childcare centers and preschools for their children. The importance of early education only continues to increase, which means there will continue to be a need for high quality childcare centers and preschools. This is a career you can be proud of as you are helping to shape and mold young minds by providing a nurturing, and positive learning environment that will help prepare them for future academic success.

An Early Childhood Education degree from Athena Career Academy will provide you with many of the foundational concepts commonly utilized among the early childhood field, that will help you serve you with the base knowledge you need to successfully get started in a career that you love, such as working as a childcare director. Early childhood education is a constantly growing field and the need for highly qualified educators will always be in demand. Contact Athena Career Academy to find out more about how you could play a role in this vital industry and help inspire our future generations with a love for learning.