Average Day Care Director Salary in Canada for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Day Care Director salary for 2024 in Canada and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Canadian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the CAD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Day Care Director Make in Canada?

A Day Care Director working in Canada will typically earn around 200,600 CAD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 109,000 CAD to the highest average salary of 304,300 CAD.

Average Annual Salary
200,600 CAD
Average Monthly Salary
16,716 CAD

Lowest Annual Salary
109,000 CAD
Lowest Monthly Salary
9,083 CAD

Highest Annual Salary
304,300 CAD
Highest Monthly Salary
25,358 CAD

These are average salaries for a Day Care Director in Canada and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Day Care Director to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Day Care Director salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Day Care Director Salaries in Canada

So we've looked at the average salaries a Day Care Director will earn in Canada. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Day Care Director can earn between 109,000 CAD and 304,300 CAD on average in Canada. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Day Care Director in Canada is 183,600 CAD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 183,600 CAD, and 50% of the population earn more than 183,600 CAD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Day Care Director salary in Canada, 25% of the population are earning less than 130,400 CAD while 75% of the population earn more than 130,400 CAD.

75% of the population earn less than 223,700 CAD, and 25% of the population earn more than 223,700 CAD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Day Care Director Salary by Experience Level in Canada

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average day care director salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Day Care Director in Canada that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 127,700 CAD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Day Care Director salary would increase to 158,700 CAD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Day Care Director, the average salary would be 210,600 CAD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 246,200 CAD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Day Care Director with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 272,500 CAD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Day Care Director with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 288,900 CAD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
127,700 CAD
2-5 Years +26%
158,700 CAD
5-10 Years +32%
210,600 CAD
10-15 Years +18%
246,200 CAD
15-20 Years +11%
272,500 CAD
20+ Years +6%
288,900 CAD

Day Care Director Salary by Education Level in Canada

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Day Care Director in Canada based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Day Care Director in Canada with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 152,900 CAD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Day Care Director in Canada with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 167,100 CAD.

  • Master's Degree. A Day Care Director in Canada with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 222,700 CAD.

  • PhD. A Day Care Director in Canada with a phd education can earn an average salary of 281,100 CAD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma
152,900 CAD
Bachelor's Degree +10%
167,100 CAD
Master's Degree +32%
222,700 CAD
PhD +26%
281,100 CAD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Canada is around 49,800 to 149,000 CAD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Day Care Director Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Canada, a male day care director will earn an average of 195,200 CAD, while a female day care director will earn around 205,400 CAD.

This means that a male day care director earns approximately 5% less than a female day care director for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Canada

Male
195,200 CAD
Female +5%
205,400 CAD

Day Care Director Average Pay Raise in Canada

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Day Care Director in Canada is around 13% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Canada is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 13 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that a Day Care Director in Canada can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Canada for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Canada.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
2%
Energy
4%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
8%
Travel
1%
Construction
3%
Education
5%

Day Care Director Bonus and Incentive Rates in Canada

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Day Care Director is a high bonus based job, with 80% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

20% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 7%.

Received Bonus
80%
No Bonus
20%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Canada earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
123,000 CAD
Private Sector -6%
115,600 CAD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Day Care Director

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Day Care Director in Canada.

Job Title Category Salary
Activity Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 40,300 CAD
Advice Worker Care Giving and Child Care 49,700 CAD
Care Manager Care Giving and Child Care 147,900 CAD
Care Worker Care Giving and Child Care 44,300 CAD
Child Care Assistant Director Care Giving and Child Care 105,800 CAD
Child Care Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 163,800 CAD
Child Care Teacher Care Giving and Child Care 53,600 CAD
Child Development Center Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 71,600 CAD
Child Development Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 161,300 CAD
Child Life Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 168,700 CAD
Child Protection Officer Care Giving and Child Care 52,300 CAD
Child Psychotherapist Care Giving and Child Care 185,900 CAD
Child Support Officer Care Giving and Child Care 49,400 CAD
Clinical Care Coordinator Care Giving and Child Care 51,900 CAD
Clinical Officer Care Giving and Child Care 46,900 CAD
Custodian Care Giving and Child Care 79,500 CAD
Elderly Care Giver Care Giving and Child Care 39,800 CAD
Group Home Manager Care Giving and Child Care 204,900 CAD
Kids Activity Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 39,400 CAD
Live In Carer Care Giving and Child Care 49,700 CAD
Nanny Care Giving and Child Care 47,100 CAD
Nursery Nurse Care Giving and Child Care 51,400 CAD
Nursery Teacher Care Giving and Child Care 45,000 CAD
Nursing Home Administrator Care Giving and Child Care 63,500 CAD
Personal Assistant Care Giving and Child Care 36,700 CAD
Physical Health and Wellness Specialist Care Giving and Child Care 176,300 CAD
Preschool Education Coordinator Care Giving and Child Care 73,700 CAD
Primary Therapist Care Giving and Child Care 130,400 CAD
Psychiatric Aide Care Giving and Child Care 60,100 CAD
Rehabilitation Counselor Care Giving and Child Care 152,700 CAD
Support Worker Care Giving and Child Care 38,900 CAD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Canada, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Brampton 195,200 CAD
Calgary 218,500 CAD
Edmonton 205,400 CAD
Gatineau 187,500 CAD
Halifax 187,500 CAD
Hamilton 206,300 CAD
Kitchener 200,600 CAD
Markham 187,500 CAD
Mississauga 205,700 CAD
Montreal 212,500 CAD
Ottawa 215,100 CAD
Quebec 206,300 CAD
Regina 183,600 CAD
Richmond 172,300 CAD
Saskatoon 175,100 CAD
Surrey 187,500 CAD
Toronto 215,100 CAD
Vancouver 218,500 CAD
Vaughan 193,200 CAD
Windsor 184,700 CAD
Winnipeg 205,700 CAD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in Canada.

City Average Salary
Alberta 218,500 CAD
British Columbia 210,400 CAD
Manitoba 209,700 CAD
New Brunswick 192,600 CAD
Newfoundland-Labrador 177,200 CAD
Northwest Territories 206,300 CAD
Nova Scotia 187,500 CAD
Nunavut 215,100 CAD
Ontario 219,500 CAD
Prince Edward Island 177,200 CAD
Quebec 215,100 CAD
Saskatchewan 199,700 CAD
Yukon 172,100 CAD

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