Preschool Teachers: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
- Education Required
- Preschool teachers typically need at least an associates degree.
- Job Outlook
-
The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 10% (Faster than average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Advancement
- Experienced preschool teachers can advance to become the director of a preschool or childcare center or a lead teacher, who may be responsible for the instruction of several classes. Those with a bachelor's degree in early childhood education frequently are qualified to teach kindergarten through grade 3, in addition to preschool. Teaching positions at these higher grades typically pay more. For more information, see the profiles on preschool and childcare center directors and kindergarten and elementary school teachers.
- Licenses/Certifications
- Some states require preschool teachers to obtain the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential offered by the Council for Professional Recognition.Obtaining the CDA credential requires coursework, experience in the field, a written exam, and observation of the candidate working with children. The CDA credential must be renewed every 3 years.
- Median pay: How much do Preschool Teachers make?
- $28,790 Annual Salary
- $13.84 per hour
Preschool teachers educate and care for children younger than age 5 who have not yet entered kindergarten. They teach language, motor, and social skills to young children.
Duties
Preschool teachers typically do the following:
- Teach children basic skills such as color, shape, number, and letter recognition
- Work with children in groups or one on one, depending on the needs of children and the subject matter
- Plan and carry out a curriculum that targets different areas of child development
- Organize activities so children can learn about the world, explore interests, and develop skills
- Develop schedules and routines to ensure children have enough physical activity, rest, and playtime
- Watch for signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and bring them to the attention of the parents
- Keep records of the students progress, routines, and interests, and inform parents about their childs development
Young children learn from playing, problem solving, questioning, and experimenting. Preschool teachers use play and other instructional techniques to teach children about the world. For example, they use storytelling and rhyming games to teach language and vocabulary. They may help improve childrens social skills by having them work together to build a neighborhood in a sandbox or teach math by having children count when building with blocks.
Preschool teachers work with children from different ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds. Teachers include topics in their lessons that teach children how to respect people of different backgrounds and cultures.
Careers for Preschool Teachers
- Early childhood teachers
- Early head start teachers
- Head start teachers
- Nursery school teachers
- Nursery teachers
- Pre-K teachers
- Pre-kindergarten teachers