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Childcare Centre Manager salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a childcare centre manager is $103,100 per annum, before tax, up $22,000 since 2018.
- Pay moves more with the provider than with the job title: a large long day care group, a community-based not-for-profit and a small independent centre each set their own bands, and community providers often add salary packaging on top.
- Not-for-profit and local government services commonly pay under an enterprise agreement, which sets steps for your years of experience and the size of the service.
- A director running a 120-place centre with a large staff team generally earns more than the manager of a 40-place centre, and holding an early childhood teaching degree can put you on a different scale again.
The median salary rose by $22,000 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than childcare centre manager
The largest typical pay rise is $12,700 a year, moving into Primary School Teacher.
- Primary School Teacher+$12,700/yr
- Regional Education Manager+$11,300/yr
- VET Trainer+$7,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher childcare centre manager salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time childcare centre manager salary is $103,100; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Budgeting and forecasting and Regulatory compliance tend to command a premium over general childcare centre manager experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Primary School Teacher pays a typical $12,700 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Childcare Centre Manager salary questions
How much do childcare centre managers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a childcare centre manager is $103,100 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is childcare centre manager pay rising or falling?
The median childcare centre manager salary is up $22,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than childcare centre manager?
Primary School Teacher pays a typical $12,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to childcare centre manager.
Related salaries
- Regional Education Manager salary
- Primary School Teacher salary
- VET Trainer salary
- Early Childhood Educator salary
- Family Day Care Educator salary
- Out of School Hours Care Educator salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.