Assistant Director’s: how much are you making?

Hello all,

I just recently took an assistant director position, and I’m really starting to resent the pay but I don’t know if I’m being unreasonable.

I am the assistant director at a center licensed for 72 kids. We have 5 rooms: infant, wobbler, toddler, preschool, and pre-k.

So far my duties include all the normal things like paperwork, covering some lunches, stepping in when needed, answering phones, etc, but I am also rewriting our staff handbook, designing an enrichment program, applying for grants, training staff, coordinating a community outreach program, designing fliers, the list goes on.

I have a bachelors degree in educational studies and years of experience, and I live in Washington where the minimum wage is $16.66 an hour. McDonald’s in my area pays $19/hour. I’m currently making $20/hour with reduced cost childcare for my two kids. My older starts kindergarten in the fall at which point the discounted childcare is worth less to me.

When I originally interviewed I asked for $24/hour because that is what other centers pay and they said no, citing that as a smaller center they can’t pay as much. I accepted the job anyway and now I kind of regret it.

It just feels like so much responsibility for only a few dollars over minimum wage.

EDIT thank you all for your responses! I definitely feel justified in being frustrated and I’m going to give it a few months and then talk to my owners