Building Your Path to Leadership with a 2-Year ECE Degree

Posted On October 27,2025

A career in early childhood education is incredibly fulfilling. It’s important, it’s fun, and you will know that you are making a real difference. However, a career in early childhood education doesn’t mean you are destined to only be a preschool teacher. Your degree will give you the right foundation to help you move from classroom teaching to administrative roles, program development and coordination, and other leadership opportunities. When you choose the right ECE program, you can start to build your path to educational leadership. Female educator teaching a lesson to a group of students in her classroom.

Early Childhood Education Leadership Starts in the Classroom

You’ve spent two years getting your early childhood degree, and you are ready to move on to your first job working in the field. As you’ve gone through your program, you’ve developed a passion for educational leadership and program development. Should you consider administrative roles in program development or school management, or should you start in the classroom?

While there is no one right path to a successful career in early childhood education, many of the best educational leaders started their careers in the classroom, working directly with children. Even with all the hands-on experience provided by your ECE program, it’s teaching that will really hone your early childhood education skills, such as classroom management, adaptability, problem-solving, and communication with both students and parents. You’ll have experience collaborating with other teachers, understand the day-to-day realities of working in the classroom, and use that experience to help you create the vision you’ll need when you are ready to move into a leadership role. In many cases, leaders in education develop their culture from what they experienced themselves. Staff and parents will see you as a much more credible leader if you have classroom experience.

Good Early Childhood Education Programs Have Good Leaders

For an early childhood education program to be successful for the youngest learners, it needs not only quality teachers but quality leadership as well. Without strong and supportive leadership, even the best teachers will struggle to be as successful as they can be. Good leadership creates a positive learning environment, allows the teaching staff to feel supported, builds strong relationships with families, and cultivates a learning environment where children feel safe, all of which contribute to a successful space for both children and teachers. Without that strong support from leadership, a positive learning culture can’t thrive.

Good leadership is important, but what makes a good leader in an early childhood education program? First, anyone in a leadership role needs a strong understanding of child development and the current best practices for early childhood education, but always be ready to adapt to keep the program strong. A good leader needs to understand the role of the teachers and should have familiarity with being in the classroom. Good leaders inspire by example, demonstrating the values they want to see from their staff. Good leaders listen, consider their options, and move forward confidently. But most importantly, an early childhood leader is an advocate for early childhood education, and this means they need to have a passion for creating and managing a strong program. They need to set a clear vision for the program, inspiring and motivating both their staff and the families to work together.

The Right Background Can Help Give You the Right Vision

Classroom experience is vital to helping you develop your vision, but it’s your ECE program that provides the foundation. When choosing your ECE program, look for a curriculum that not only covers the basics but also focuses on why you are learning what you are. Why is early childhood education so important? Why do ECE teachers need to understand child development? To be a successful early childhood education leader, you need a good vision, and that starts with your ECE program.

Developing Your Leadership Skills

You see yourself as a leader. You’re relying on your training to help you develop your vision. You’re in the classroom, gaining the experience that will help build the foundation you need to be a good leader. However, there are some personality traits that set leaders apart. Some early childhood professionals have these skills naturally, while others will need to hone them. Your first teaching job is a good place to start, as you establish yourself as the leader of your students.

  • Communication Skills

Good leaders communicate well. Make sure you are clear in all forms of communication with your students, the parents, your co-workers, and the administration.

  • Organizational Skills

As an educational leader, you will have a lot to juggle. You can’t be effective if you’re always feeling scattered. You can start to build your organizational and time management skills while you are still in your ECE program, refine them in your first role as a teacher, and continue to develop what works best for you.

  • Build Your Confidence

A good leader is confident and assertive. This doesn’t mean you have to be bossy or arrogant. You should always be willing to listen and consider different options, but a good leader is one who can make a decision and feel strongly that it’s the right path.

  • Collaboration Skills

You need to be the leader, but you also need to be able to work well with others and treat your team with respect. A good leader knows the strength of their staff and can delegate and manage.

Start your Journey

Leadership Roles You Can Do with an ECE Degree

When you are ready to move from the classroom into leadership, there are several roles you can consider. Most leadership roles involve managing staff and administrative work, developing educational programs, overseeing the day-to-day operations, and advocating for your program within the community. Some roles you can strive for with an ECE degree include:

  • Childcare Center Director
  • Preschool Manager/Director
  • Curriculum Developer
  • Learning Coordinator
  • Childcare Center/Preschool Owner

From your first day in your early childhood education program, you will start building your leadership skills. You’ll get a strong foundation in why early childhood education is important, develop best practices in teaching and classroom management, and refine your soft skills in communication, organization, and collaboration. Whether you end up working directly with students as a classroom teacher or helping structure the program as an educational leader, your ECE degree will set you on the right path.

Ready to take the next step? Contact Athena Career Academy today to learn more about our 2-year ECE program and how it can prepare you for leadership roles in early childhood education.