jobfacts

Early education and childcare services managers

SOC 2020 2324

Early education and childcare services managers plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the administration, support systems and activities that facilitate the effective running of nurseries and early education centres.

Also calledManagerAfter school managerNursery school managerClub managerChildcare managerEarly years managerand 10 more titles
Typical full-time pay£30,1002025 Provisional
People in the job27,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,200↑ 1%on last year · 162nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time early education and childcare services managers earn between £25,900 and £36,500 a year.

What full-time early education and childcare services managers earn, 2025
£30,100 typical£23,400lowest 20%£25,90025%£36,50075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£25,900–£36,500)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£23,400
25%£25,900
Median£30,100
75%£36,500
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £30,100
London!£34,600
East Midlands!£34,400
South East!£33,000
East of England!£31,500
North West!£29,400
West Midlands!£28,100
South West!£26,200
Yorkshire and The Humber!£25,200
North EastNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £30,100
London£34,600 (small sample)
East Midlands£34,400 (small sample)
South East£33,000 (small sample)
East of England£31,500 (small sample)
North West£29,400 (small sample)
West Midlands£28,100 (small sample)
South West£26,200 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£25,200 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £26,000
  • 2024 £28,300
  • 2025 Provisional£30,100
↑ 16% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,200 jobs for early education and childcare services managers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,043
Jul 20261,221
Jun 2026Not published
May 20261,156
Apr 20261,178
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,072
Jan 20261,426
Dec 2025598
Nov 20251,301
Oct 20251,364
Sept 20251,428
Aug 20251,175
Jul 20251,363
Jun 20251,393
May 20251,361
Apr 20251,102
Mar 20251,403
Feb 20251,263
Jan 20251,177
Dec 2024661
Nov 20241,053
Oct 20241,185
Sept 20241,328
Aug 20241,209
Jul 20241,400
Jun 20241,305
May 20241,428
Apr 20241,173
Mar 2024834
Feb 2024839
Jan 2024954
Dec 2023641
Nov 2023775
Oct 2023771
Sept 2023745
Aug 2023776
Jul 2023745
Jun 20231,123
May 20231,206
Apr 2023957
Mar 20231,189
Feb 20231,082
Jan 20231,288
Dec 2022988
Nov 20221,352
Oct 20221,255
Sept 20221,213
Aug 20221,133
Jul 20221,236
Jun 20221,266
May 20221,376
Apr 2022943
Mar 20221,267
Feb 20221,084
Jan 20221,221
Dec 20211,209
Nov 20211,194
Oct 20211,137
Sept 20211,142
Aug 20211,024
Jul 20211,244
Jun 20211,055
May 2021995
Apr 2021912
Mar 20211,182
Feb 2021733
Jan 2021835
Dec 2020701
Nov 2020872
Oct 2020867
Sept 2020967
Aug 2020888
Jul 2020789
Jun 2020674
May 2020607
Apr 2020698
Mar 20201,224
Feb 20201,438
Jan 20201,334
Dec 2019898
Nov 20191,156
Oct 20191,360
Sept 20191,437
Aug 20191,155
Jul 20191,516
Jun 20191,416
May 20191,235
Apr 2019806
Mar 20191,139
Feb 2019887
Jan 2019974
Dec 2018659
Nov 2018834
Oct 2018981
Sept 20182,131
Aug 20181,449
Jul 20181,587
Jun 20181,737
May 20181,667
Apr 20181,662
Mar 20181,632
Feb 20181,616
Jan 20181,936
Dec 20171,019
Nov 20171,092
Oct 20171,053
Sept 20171,517
Aug 20172,073
Jul 20171,909
Jun 20173,130
May 20172,223
Apr 20172,533
Mar 20172,323
Feb 20173,186
Jan 20175,026
Is there a shortage of early education and childcare services managers?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsWell above usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
24%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for other educational professionals, which includes early education and childcare services managers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London896
Manchester71
Birmingham64
Buckinghamshire57
Bristol, City of50
Leeds46
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole39
Leicester34
Woking34
Reading30
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where early education and childcare services managers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of early education and childcare services managers
6.4%!
21%!
26%!
26%!
20%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–246.4% (small sample)
25–3421% (small sample)
35–4426% (small sample)
45–5426% (small sample)
55–6420% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent37%
Higher education below degree!16%
A levels or equivalent38%
GCSEs or equivalent!11%
Other qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent37%
Higher education below degree16% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent38%
GCSEs or equivalent11% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published

Main employers: pre-primary education (51%), child day-care activities (34%), primary education (13%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
37%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 38%
Apprenticeships
1
from level 5
Apprenticeships take
2 years
typically

Apprenticeships

1 for this job
Level 5About 2 years

Early years lead practitioner

Leads to
This apprenticeship aligns with the criteria that early years qualifications must meet to be recognised by th…
Employers may ask for
Undertake the Disclosure and Barring Service process and provide the result.
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
Early Childhood Studies Foundation Degree (FdA)Higher technical5
FdA Early YearsHigher technical5
FdA Early Years (0-8 years) (Professional Practice)Higher technical5
FdA Early Years Sector EndorsedHigher technical5
FdA in Early Childhood StudiesHigher technical5
Foundation Degree (FdA) Early Years LeadershipHigher technical5
Foundation Degree in Childhood Studies, Care and EducationHigher technical5
Foundation Degree in Children and Young PeopleHigher technical5
Foundation Degree in Children, Young People and their ServicesHigher technical5
Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Education and CareHigher technical5
Foundation degree in Early Childhood StudiesHigher technical5
Foundation Degree in Early Childhood StudiesHigher technical5
Foundation Degree in Early Childhood StudiesHigher technical5
Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Studies (Graduate Practitioner Competencies)Higher technical5
Foundation Degree in Early Years Care and EducationHigher technical5
Foundation Degree in Early Years EducatorHigher technical5
Higher National Diploma in Early Years Professional Leadership for EnglandHigher technical5
NCFE CACHE Level 5 Diploma for the Early Years Senior PractitionerHigher technical5

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • directs and co-ordinates the day-to-day activities of nurseries and early years education centres
  • helps create a friendly, secure atmosphere to encourage the development of social and language skills and other learning
  • determines staffing, financial, material and other short- and long-term requirements and ensures facility meets health, safety, Ofsted and other standards
  • writes reports on children’s development and maintains awareness of health and safety issues
  • communicates with parents and colleagues on children’s development and well-being

Skills

  • implement care programmes for children
  • support children's wellbeing
  • maintain relations with children's parents
  • apply organisational techniques
  • apply person-centred care
  • assess the development of youth
  • assist in the organisation of school events
  • contribute to the safeguarding of children
  • manage budgets
  • manage children's problems
  • manage staff
  • promote inclusion
  • promote the safeguarding of young people
  • provide after school care

Knowledge

  • child protection
  • kindergarten school procedures
  • project management
  • business management principles
  • children's physical development

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for teaching and other educational professionals, a group of 13 jobs that includes early education and childcare services managers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 15%about 268,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the 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. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.