Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Overview

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education has a national median salary of $38,140 per year, with +4.5% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists an associate's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Achievement
• Independence

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
• Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
• Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
• Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
• Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.

Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Getting Information
• Training and Teaching Others
• Thinking Creatively
• Developing and Building Teams
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists an associate's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a bachelor's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Bachelor's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for an associate's degree.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education:

Video Resources