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Kindergarten/Preschool Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach students in formal settings prior to beginning regular elementary school, usually ranging in age from three to six years (or grade one), depending on the school system or state regulations. Includes preparation to teach all relevant subject matter.

Types of Degrees Kindergarten/Preschool Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Kindergarten/Preschool Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	33
Associate’s Degree	1,141
Bachelor’s Degree	729
Master’s Degree	709
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Kindergarten/Preschool Education Majors Need to Know

Studies in Kindergarten/Preschool Education emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Kindergarten/Preschool Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Kindergarten/Preschool Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Kindergarten/Preschool Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Kindergarten/Preschool Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Kindergarten/Preschool Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	3.7 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Kindergarten/Preschool Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Bloomz	Desktop communications software	—
Children’s educational software	Computer based training software	—
Seesaw	Multi-media educational software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Kindergarten/Preschool Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Instructor
• Teacher
• Early Childhood Teacher
• Montessori Teacher
• Transitional Kindergarten Teacher
• Private Kindergarten Teacher
• Bilingual Education Teacher
• Classroom Teacher
• Physical Fitness Teacher
• Physical Education Teacher (PE Teacher)
• Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher
• Kindergarten Classroom Teacher
• Art Teacher
• Title One Kindergarten Teacher

What Can You Do With a Kindergarten/Preschool Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Kindergarten/Preschool Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Kindergarten/Preschool Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	33.0%
Bachelor’s degree	32.8%
Master’s degree	11.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	6.0%
Some college courses	3.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.0%
Postsecondary certificate	2.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Kindergarten/Preschool Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 94.1% of Kindergarten/Preschool Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,461	94.1%
Men	155	5.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Kindergarten/Preschool Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,249	47.7%
Asian	50	1.9%
Hispanic or Latino	474	18.1%
Black or African American	581	22.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	64	2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Two or More Races	84	3.2%
Race Unknown	85	3.2%
International Students	28	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Kindergarten/Preschool Education Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Kindergarten/Preschool Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$44,857
4 years	$43,846
5 years	$48,879

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $48,879 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Kindergarten/Preschool Education Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Kindergarten/Preschool Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	7	5
Bachelor’s	12	5
Master’s	2	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Kindergarten/Preschool Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Kindergarten/Preschool Education graduates earn a median of $43,846 four years after completion — roughly 15% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	108,054
Elementary Education and Teaching	42,205
Secondary Education and Teaching	10,594
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other	6,573
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor	5,071
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,051
Bilingual and Multilingual Education	932
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching	901
Biology Teacher Education	696

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.