What Qualifications Do You Need to Be a Daycare Director in Oregon?
A daycare director in Oregon must be at least 21 years old and meet the director qualifications in Table 1 of the state's certified center rules.
The first route listed is Step 9 in the Oregon Registry; the alternatives are 1 year as a certified family provider at a single center of 20 or fewer children, or a combination of management or supervision knowledge and child development knowledge.
Directors also verify 10 hours of Program Management training and complete at least 15 clock hours of training every year.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) of the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC), under OAR 414-305 for certified centers.
At least 21 years old.
Oregon Registry Step 9, or a mix of management or supervision knowledge — for example 7 credits in business or 70 hours of program management training — with child development knowledge.
1 year as a certified family provider qualifies for a single center of 20 or fewer children; the other two routes are Registry Step 9 and the management-plus-child-development mix.
Qualifications run through the rulebook's routes (Oregon Registry Step 9 among them), not a separate named credential; directors also verify 10 hours of Program Management training with Oregon Registry Online at hire or within the first year.
At least 15 clock hours a year, including at least 8 in child development and at least 1 in health, safety and nutrition.
Ways to qualify as a director in Oregon
- Route 1 — Oregon Registry Step 9Requirement
At least Step 9 in the Oregon Registry. The rule text our research transcribed attaches no center-size limit to this route.
- Route 2 — certified family provider experienceRequirement
For a single center of 20 or fewer children, 1 year of experience as a certified family child care provider qualifies.
- Route 3 — management plus child development knowledgeRequirement
A combination of management or supervision knowledge — the rule's examples are 7 credits in business or 70 hours of program management training — plus child development knowledge.
Who sets director rules in Oregon?
Oregon child care is licensed by the Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) of the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC).
Certified centers follow the center rules in OAR 414-305 — effective January 1, 2024, with updates effective September 1, 2026 — plus the general rules in OAR 414-075.
The director qualifications sit inside the center rulebook, in the qualification table at OAR 414-305-0320.
When a requirement on this page and the agency's current rulebook disagree, the rulebook governs.
“Rules for Certified Child Care Centers, Division 305”
What education and ECE credits does an Oregon daycare director need?
Oregon spells out its director routes in the qualification table of the certified center rules (OAR 414-305-0320, Table 1).
A director must be at least 21 years old and meet one of three routes: Oregon Registry Step 9; 1 year as a certified family provider, for a single center of 20 or fewer children; or a combination of management or supervision knowledge plus child development knowledge, where the rule's examples are 7 credits in business or 70 hours of program management training.
Registry Steps are used directly in the licensing qualifications — the same system that sets Step 6 for teachers and family providers sets Step 9 for directors.
The route text our research transcribed does not name a bachelor's degree, but it also did not transcribe what Step 9 itself requires, which may include college coursework.
Confirm the step with DELC or the Oregon Registry, and read each job posting, since an individual employer can still ask for a degree.
“At least Step 9 in the Oregon Registry”
How much experience does an Oregon daycare director need?
Experience enters the rules through the small-center route: a single center of 20 or fewer children may be directed by someone with 1 year of experience as a certified family provider.
The Step 9 route and the management-plus-child-development route are measured in Registry steps and in credits or training hours — the rule's own examples — and the rule text our research transcribed sets no separate minimum number of years working in a center on those routes.
Individual employers decide what classroom and administrative background they want beyond the licensing minimum, so compare job postings.
Does Oregon require a director credential or administration coursework?
In the center rules, directors qualify through the routes in the qualification table — the first built on Oregon Registry Step 9 — rather than through a single named director credential.
Step 9 in the Registry is the first route the rule lists, and it is the step the Registry system sets for directors in the licensing qualifications.
On top of the qualification routes, directors must provide verification to Oregon Registry Online of 10 hours of training in the core knowledge category of Program Management — either already logged or completed within the first year of hire.
The administration coursework alternative lives in the third route: management or supervision knowledge, with 7 credits in business or 70 hours of program management training as the rule's examples, paired with child development knowledge.
“must provide verification to Oregon Registry Online (ORO) that they have obtained 10 hours of training in the core knowledge category of Program Management”
What training hours and renewal rules apply to Oregon directors?
Directors share the annual training clock with teachers and Aide IIs: at least 15 clock hours of formal training every year, of which at least 8 clock hours must be in child development and at least 1 in health, safety and nutrition.
Every staff member of a certified center must hold an active Oregon Registry Online account, and training must be ORO-approved.
The 10 Program Management hours are verified with ORO either at hire or within the first year.
Our research did not transcribe a separate renewal cycle for the director qualification beyond those annual hours, so ask CCLD what renewal currently requires.
“must have at least 15 clock hours of formal training or education annually related to child care, of which at least 8 clock hours is in child development”
What are the assistant director and designee rules in Oregon?
The center rulebook does not name an assistant director in the coverage our research transcribed; the on-premises rule runs to the director or a substitute director.
A certified center must have the director or a substitute director on the premises during all hours of operation, and the substitute director must be teacher-qualified.
The director's own on-site time scales with the size of the center: at centers under 100 children the director must be on site at least one-third of the weekly operating hours or 40 hours, and above 100 children at least half of the weekly operating hours or 40 hours per week, whichever is less, as documented by the center.
“A certified child care center must have the director or a substitute director on the premises during all hours of operation.”
Can an Oregon director run more than one center?
A director of a center under 100 children may run multiple centers, while a director of a center above 100 children is limited to one center.
A multi-site program must have a director-qualified multi-site coordinator, and that coordinator must be at each site at least once a month for a minimum of one hour while children are in care.
Each site also needs a designated teacher on site at all times.
“Must be at each site at least once a month for a minimum of one hour while children are in care;”
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Oregon licensing rules, agency pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state daycare director requirements series, current as of October 2026. It is not a substitute for the instructions the Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) of the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) publishes. For the rest of the picture in Oregon, see daycare teacher requirements in Oregon, quality rating system (QRIS) in Oregon, daycare licensing steps in Oregon, and childcare director pay in Oregon.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a daycare director in Oregon?
Meet one of the three routes in the rulebook's qualification table: Oregon Registry Step 9; 1 year as a certified family provider, for a single center of 20 or fewer children; or a combination of management or supervision knowledge — for example 7 credits in business or 70 hours of program management training — plus child development knowledge.
You must also be at least 21.
New directors verify 10 hours of Program Management training with Oregon Registry Online, completing them within the first year of hire if they are not already logged, and then keep up at least 15 training hours a year.
Do you need a college degree to be a daycare director in Oregon?
The qualification routes our research transcribed do not name a bachelor's degree: they run through Oregon Registry Step 9, certified family provider experience at a small center, or a management plus child development combination — the rule's examples are 7 credits in business or 70 hours of program management training.
Our research did not transcribe what Step 9 itself requires, and it may involve college coursework, so ask DELC or the Oregon Registry.
An individual employer can still prefer a degree, so read each job posting and confirm the current qualification table with the Child Care Licensing Division.
What is Oregon Registry Step 9?
The Oregon Registry Online is the statewide database of early educators' training and education, and its Steps are used directly in licensing qualifications — Step 6 for teachers and family providers, Step 9 for directors.
Our research transcribed the role Step 9 plays in the director rules but not the training and education points that add up to Step 9, so ask DELC or the Oregon Registry what the step currently requires.
How many training hours does an Oregon daycare director need each year?
At least 15 clock hours of training every year — the same annual clock as teachers and Aide IIs — with at least 8 of those hours in child development and at least 1 in health, safety and nutrition.
Training must be ORO-approved, and directors also verify 10 hours of Program Management training with Oregon Registry Online at hire or within the first year.
Can one director oversee several childcare centers in Oregon?
A director of a center under 100 children may run multiple centers; above 100 children, the director is limited to one center.
A multi-site program also needs a director-qualified multi-site coordinator who is at each site at least once a month for a minimum of one hour while children are in care, and each site needs a designated teacher on site at all times.
More Oregon Resources
Sources
- Oregon DELC, Child Care Licensing Division — Rules for Certified Child Care Centers (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Oregon DELC, Child Care Licensing Division — Rules for Certified Family Child Care Homes (retrieved 2026-10-05)
Sourced from the documents listed above. Verified October 2026. This is career and employer information, not licensing or legal advice. Confirm current rules with the Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) of the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC).