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Preschool Teacher

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What You Need to Know About Preschool Teacher

Occupation Description Instruct preschool-aged children in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth needed for primary school in preschool, day care center, or other child development facility. May be required to hold State certification.

Preschool Teacher Responsibilities

  • Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
  • Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guests, or other experiential activities and guide students in learning from those activities.
  • Arrange indoor and outdoor space to facilitate creative play, motor-skill activities, and safety.
  • Attend to children’s basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
  • Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them.
  • Teach proper eating habits and personal hygiene.

What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Preschool Teacher?

When polled, Preschool Teachers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Types of Preschool Teacher Jobs

  • Nursery Teacher
  • Infant Teacher
  • Child Development Associate Teacher (CDA Teacher)
  • Teacher
  • Prekindergarten Teacher

Job Outlook for Preschool Teachers

There were about 478,500 jobs for Preschool Teacher in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 10.5% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 50,100 new jobs for Preschool Teacher by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 53,600 job openings in this field each year.

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The states with the most job growth for Preschool Teacher are Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Wyoming, or Rhode Island. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Do Preschool Teachers Make A Lot Of Money?

The typical yearly salary for Preschool Teachers is somewhere between $20,610 and $55,350.

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Preschool Teachers who work in New York, Hawaii, or District of Columbia, make the highest salaries.

How much do Preschool Teachers make in different U.S. states?

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $24,800
Alaska $36,210
Arizona $31,010
Arkansas $33,150
California $37,850
Colorado $33,140
Connecticut $43,350
Delaware $28,910
District of Columbia $42,060
Florida $27,990
Georgia $30,910
Hawaii $39,560
Idaho $26,000
Illinois $31,500
Indiana $27,250
Iowa $27,030
Kansas $31,560
Kentucky $33,650
Louisiana $32,290
Maine $35,560
Maryland $38,440
Massachusetts $39,180
Michigan $35,010
Minnesota $37,500
Mississippi $27,940
Missouri $30,440
Montana $31,160
Nebraska $37,980
Nevada $32,540
New Hampshire $30,860
New Jersey $40,880
New Mexico $34,100
New York $48,630
North Carolina $28,260
North Dakota $28,220
Ohio $29,020
Oklahoma $29,310
Oregon $30,400
Pennsylvania $29,250
Rhode Island $32,400
South Carolina $28,940
South Dakota $30,860
Tennessee $32,630
Texas $34,960
Utah $29,700
Vermont $34,290
Virginia $37,880
Washington $32,960
West Virginia $32,560
Wisconsin $26,550
Wyoming $32,610

What Tools do Preschool Teachers Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Preschool Teachers:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Data entry software
  • Email software
  • Children’s educational software

Becoming a Preschool Teacher

Are there Preschool Teachers education requirements?

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How many years of work experience do I need?

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Where Preschool Teachers Are Employed

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Preschool Teachers work in the following industries:

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Other Jobs You May be Interested In

Are you already one of the many Preschool Teacher in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:

References:

Image Credit: Vgrigas via Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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