Average childcare teacher salary

Teaching in a childcare setting, such as daycare is a job that very few can handle doing. It requires a very specific set of skills and is a fairly tough job. That being said, the question remains, “what is the average salary of a childcare teacher?”

The average salary for a childcare teacher is about $21,000 a year. This, however, may change depending on your location.

Breakdown of the average salary

As mentioned just a moment ago, the average salary for a childcare teacher in the United States is about $21,000 a year.

But how does this breakdown throughout the year?

Monthly

With an average salary of $21,000 a year, childcare teachers bring in about $1,750 a month.

Weekly

Although there is no official number stating how many weeks of the year a daycare teacher works, we are going to assume they take 2 weeks out of the year off, leaving us with 50.

That makes the average weekly salary for a childcare teacher $420

Daily

According to various sources, the average daycare teacher will make about $84 a day based on an eight-hour work week.

Hourly

The average childcare teacher in the United States will make about $10.50 an hour.

Childcare teacher salary compared to the average American

As we have already discussed, the average childcare provider in the United States makes about $21,000 per year.

This breaks down into about $10.50 an hour.

But how does this salary compared to that of the average American?

Well, studies show that the average full-time worker in the United States makes about $40,000 per year, which breaks down into about $19 an hour.

As you can now see, a daycare teacher’s salary falls quite a bit short compared to the average full-time worker.

• What are states doing to help improve the situation?

States are beginning to realize how much of an impact these low wages for teachers, including those for daycare teachers, are having.

As such, some states are providing incentives to teachers, particularly early education teachers, and are working on ways to improve salaries.

For example, the states of North Carolina and New Jersey are providing incentives and support in the form of more financial aid for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education.

Other states are working on potentially diverting funds specifically to raise the wages of early childhood teachers/

Programs and steps like these will be necessary if we wish for childcare and early education teachers to be around in large numbers in the next decade as if we don’t, as if we don’t they will slowly faze out due to the inability to survive off of their current wages.

• Where do childcare teachers make the most money in the United States?

Throughout the country, daycare teachers have varying salaries, with some making far more than others

In some cases, this has to do with the differences in the cost of living, as other parts of the country are more expensive to live in.

In other cases, however, this isn’t necessarily the case, with parents just willing to pay more for daycare teaching services.

As such, today we are going to look at the 5 cities with the highest salaries for childcare teachers in the US.

Brooklyn, New York

 Brooklyn, while not technically its city, has its own culture and environment to it.

It also just so happens to be the highest paying area in the US for childcare teachers.

Childcare teachers in Brooklyn make an average of $15.29 an hour, which is 40% higher than the national average!

Chicago, Illinois

The city of hustle and bustle, while known for many things, should also be known for its particularly high wages for daycare teachers.

In the city of Chicago, the average salary for daycare teachers is $14.35 an hour, which, like Brookly, is well above the national average, about 31% so!

Baltimore, Maryland

Home to the Baltimore Ravens and the poet Edgar Allen whom they were known after, Baltimore Maryland is the third city on our list of the cities with the highest wages for childcare teachers.

With an average salary of $12.80 per hour, Baltimore posts a childcare salary 17% above the national average.

Atlanta, Georgia

Coming in at number 4 is the City of Atlanta, Georgia, boasting an average childcare teacher salary of $11.51 an hour.

While this salary is not as high as some of the previous on our list, it still comes in 5% higher than the national average.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Coming in at number 5 in my list is none other than the City of Brotherly Love!

The average salary for childcare teachers in the City of Philadelphia is around $10.85 an hour, which only happens to be about 8% over the national average.

• How do childcare teachers make their money?

Childcare teachers run a pretty straightforward business.

Essentially, they make money by convincing parents to drop their children off and leave them in the care of said childcare service while the childcare teacher does what their job title entails; they teach.

While the children are in their care, it is the responsibility of said childcare teacher to teach them the skills that correspond to whatever age they are

Generally, childcare teachers will teach children as young as preschool age, but it is certainly possible for them to be in charge of the learning of a child who has passed this stage of life.

• How can childcare teachers make more money?

There are three main ways in which a childcare teacher can increase the amount of money they are bringing in each month.

Teach more kids

The first method is to simply be responsible for more kids.

Teaching more kids will mean you as a childcare teacher will get paid more as each parent pays separately.

However, before you decide to take on more children at a single time, you should check with your state’s department of children and family services and possibly even your zoning office.

Checking with these two departments can help you make sure that you haven’t reached the legal limit of children that a daycare center can provide for.

Have great reviews/be exclusive

One of the best ways to increase the amount you charge for your services is to have a history of great reviews.

Having a number of great reviews will make more and more people want to hire you for your services, which in turn, will allow you to become more exclusive.

Unfortunately, this is a little bit out of your control, however, simply focusing on providing a great service and urging your clients to leave reviews is a great way to get started!

Offer more services

Offering more services is a great way to increase your rates! People will be more willing to pay more if they know their kids are going to receive more education in return.

One of the best services to offer is an education in a second language.

Teaching children another language is a service that very few provide.

If you are able to do so as part of your teaching program, you can charge far more for your services and will likely become exclusive as a result.

Related Questions:

• What education do you need to be a childcare teacher?

Being a teacher in a daycare happens to be a bit different than being a teacher in a school.

As such, there is a difference in the educational requirements that you must meet to operate as a daycare teacher.

To be a teacher in a daycare, you must complete a state-approved teacher preparation program.

This program usually consists of a bachelor’s degree, and in most states, is similar if not identical to the one that teachers in a public school must complete.

This course also includes pedagogy work as well as a certain amount of student-teacher experience, all of which will ensure that you as a teacher know what you are doing. 

You also must complete a state manded 10-hour service training every year, which also has an accompanying exam that follows it.

To be licensed to teach in a daycare center, you must meet all of these requirements.

• What age do childcare teachers teach?

In most instances, a childcare teacher will teach children who are around preschool age.

Preschool age is generally about 3 to 4 years old, as anything older will be in primary school beginning their education there.

• What do they teach?

Given that the children involved are so you, childcare teachers usually don’t teach any academic skills.

Instead, they focus on things that the children can understand that will benefit their growth mentally, socially, emotionally, and physically.

This includes spending time on ideas like sharing and personal space, as well as teaching the children how to express their feelings and how to interact with each other.

Childcare teachers also spend a significant amount of time coming up with activities to keep the children active and moving to help benefit their physical health as well.

Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.

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