Administrators' qualifications often differ across sectors of the early childhood field--school-based pre-K programs, centerbased child care, and Head Start. School principals overseeing school-based programs typically have a minimum of a master's degree in educational leadership with administrative certification. Currently, Head Start Performance Standards do not specify minimum qualifications for sitelevel managers, but changes to these requirements are being considered as the regulations for this federal program are revised. Minimum qualifications in education, experience, and specialized training are needed in all sectors of the field to ensure that individuals leading and managing early childhood programs are adequately prepared. This Research Note provides a focused look at Head Start and Early Head Start administrators. The McCormick Center examined workforce data regarding Head Start and Early Head Start education coordinators and site-level managers in Illinois to learn more about their qualifications. For clarity, two levels of administration were considered--grantee level and site level. Separate data sources for each level were analyzed to identify administrative qualifications. The findings affirm that most Head Start and Early Head Start administrators in Illinois have formal coursework and expertise in child development and early childhood education. These findings reveal that one-fourth of the site-level managers in Illinois fail to meet the federal education mandates for classroom teachers--a bachelor's degree. The Office of Head Start should ensure that minimum qualifications for administrators at all levels meets or exceeds those of classroom teachers in their programs and include specialized formal education that includes both pedagogical leadership and administrative leadership.