Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare
Machines can already do 31% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 54%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 31% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 4% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2033, and 54% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 73,660 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $59,300 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 86% for contact with people.
- Also called: Child Care Center Director, Child Care Director, Childcare Director, Day Care Director.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities and policies and students' behavioral or learning problems | 14% | 35% to 58% | |
| Teach classes or courses or provide direct care to children | 14% | 3% to 30% | |
| Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff and recommend personnel actions for programs and services | 11% | 27% to 51% | |
| Direct and coordinate activities of teachers or administrators at daycare centers, schools, public agencies, or institutions | 11% | 10% to 27% | |
| Prepare and maintain attendance, activity, planning, accounting, or personnel reports and records for officials and agencies, or direct preparation and maintenance activities | 11% | 50% to 73% | |
| Monitor students' progress and provide students and teachers with assistance in resolving any problems | 7% | 40% to 80% | |
| Determine the scope of educational program offerings and prepare drafts of program schedules and descriptions to estimate staffing and facility requirements | 6% | 25% to 50% | |
| Plan, direct, and monitor instructional methods and content of educational, vocational, or student activity programs | 6% | 71% to 82% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary51% of tasks by 2035 · US median $105,870
- Special Education Teachers, Preschool45% of tasks by 2035 · US median $64,830
- Registered Nurses45% of tasks by 2035 · US median $97,550
- Chief Executives50% of tasks by 2035 · US median $213,990
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2033. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare?
Machines can do 31% of the tasks of education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare today and 54% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 11-9031.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/education-and-childcare-administrators-preschool-and-daycare/