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Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education: Career Profile

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

The Daily Work of Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Perform?

Typical responsibilities of preschool teachers, except special education cover:

  • 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.
  • Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
  • Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and needs, determine their priorities for their children, and suggest ways that they can promote learning and development.
  • Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.

What Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Need to Know

Successful preschool teachers, except special education combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Speaking  4.0 / 5
0
5
Instructing  4.0 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  3.9 / 5
0
5
Learning Strategies  3.9 / 5
0
5
Social Perceptiveness  3.8 / 5
0
5
Coordination  3.8 / 5
0
5

Top Knowledge Areas

Education and Training  4.0 / 5
0
5
English Language  3.8 / 5
0
5
Public Safety and Security  3.3 / 5
0
5
Customer and Personal Service  3.2 / 5
0
5
Psychology  3.1 / 5
0
5
Administration and Management  2.7 / 5
0
5

This career also goes by job titles like:

  • After School Teacher
  • Child Care Assistant Teacher
  • Child Development Teacher
  • Childcare Teacher
  • Childhood Development Teacher
  • Day Care Teacher
  • Daycare Teacher
  • Early Childhood Educator

How Many Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Are There?

There are roughly 994,564 preschool teachers, except special education working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +6.4% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Pay

Statistic Value
Annual median $63,776
Hourly median $30.66
10th percentile $36,682
25th percentile $50,229
75th percentile $77,324
90th percentile $90,871

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Pay by State

State Annual median salary
Nebraska $50,270
New Jersey $46,570
California $45,880
New York $45,580
District of Columbia $45,090
Massachusetts $45,030
Hawaii $44,780
Vermont $44,760
North Dakota $43,990
Colorado $43,890
Washington $43,350
Kansas $43,200
Connecticut $43,160
Virgin Islands $42,820
Georgia $42,330
Oregon $39,360
Minnesota $38,650
Maryland $38,560
Oklahoma $37,970
New Mexico $37,900
Alaska $37,820
New Hampshire $37,500
Virginia $37,320
Illinois $37,220
Maine $37,070
Michigan $36,720
Louisiana $36,390
Rhode Island $36,040
Tennessee $35,980
Nevada $35,970
Montana $35,590
Indiana $35,320
Arizona $35,240
Missouri $35,120
Wisconsin $34,950
Florida $34,270
Pennsylvania $34,250
Utah $34,210
Texas $33,860
South Dakota $33,350
South Carolina $33,260
Ohio $32,760
Delaware $31,380
North Carolina $30,980
Puerto Rico $30,170
Arkansas $30,050
Kentucky $29,980
Iowa $29,790
West Virginia $29,610
Wyoming $29,250
Idaho $28,330
Alabama $27,630
Mississippi $26,620
Guam $21,750

Pay by U.S. Region

Earnings for preschool teachers, except special education vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Far Western US $44,405 16.4% 1.00
New England $43,114 6.3% 1.35
Middle Atlantic $41,388 17.7% 1.20
Rocky Mountains $38,364 2.8% 0.76
Plains States $36,609 6.0% 1.03
Great Lakes $35,335 15.3% 1.12
Southwest $34,775 10.9% 0.88
Southeast $33,933 23.9% 1.05

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ NJ $59,110 520
Vineland, NJ NJ $58,830 360
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX TX $54,780 1,050
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA LA $49,860 100
Rome, GA GA $49,660 60
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC SC $49,600 110
Omaha, NE-IA NE $49,260 420
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA CA $49,190 9,100

Which Industries Hire Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

The bulk of preschool teachers, except special education are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Health Care and Social Assistance 332,580 $36,180
Educational Services 84,390 $50,710
Other Services (except Public Administration) 17,310 $42,340
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 2,370 $35,710
Management of Companies and Enterprises 600 $40,300
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 60 $39,130
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education sectors

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education work in the following industries:

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education industries

Software Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education Use

  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

The Day-to-Day Environment

The work environment for preschool teachers, except special education tends to involve the following characteristics:

  • Contact With Others
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
  • Physical Proximity

How to Become Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Most preschool teachers, except special education positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

Degree Programs

Future preschool teachers, except special education commonly pursue programs in:

Education

10 programs across 3 majors

Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences

2 programs across 1 majors

About the Data

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 25-2011.00 (Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education).

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