What do they do?

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

Also known as:

Child Development Teacher, Day Care Teacher, Daycare Teacher, Early Childhood Teacher, Group Teacher, Infant Teacher, Montessori Paraprofessional, Montessori Preschool Teacher, Nursery Teacher, Pre-Kindergarten Teacher (Pre-K Teacher), Teacher, Toddler Teacher

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education is projected to grow 19 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment in WA

No Data Available
  • 19.6%

    Change

    Ranks #2 in job growth rate
    1,990

    Job Openings

    Ranks #12 in net job growth

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Bachelor's degree  (37%)
  • Some college, no degree  (19%)
  • Master's degree  (18%)
  • Associate's degree  (12%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (12%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (2%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  • 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.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Teach life skills.
  • Establish rules or policies governing student behavior.
  • Modify teaching methods or materials to accommodate student needs.
  • Set up classroom materials or equipment.
  • Provide for basic needs of children.
  • Discuss student progress with parents or guardians.
  • Plan educational activities.
  • Monitor student behavior, social development, or health.
  • Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
  • Maintain student records.
  • Monitor student performance.
  • Evaluate student work.
  • Read to students.
  • Develop instructional objectives.
  • Arrange childcare or educational settings to ensure physical safety of children.
  • Apply multiple teaching methods.
  • Enforce rules or policies governing student behavior.
  • Develop strategies or programs for students with special needs.
  • Collaborate with other teaching professionals to develop educational programs.
  • Assist students with special educational needs.
  • Attend training sessions or professional meetings to develop or maintain professional knowledge.
  • Display student work.
  • Prepare reports detailing student activities or performance.
  • Plan experiential learning activities.
  • Supervise school or student activities.
  • Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
  • Distribute instructional or library materials.
  • Order instructional or library materials or equipment.
  • Evaluate performance of educational staff.
  • Supervise student research or internship work.
  • Administer tests to assess educational needs or progress.
  • Serve on institutional or departmental committees.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

careeronestop logo Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development

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