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Kindergarten/Preschool Education

Types of Degrees Kindergarten/Preschool Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing 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 build 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

Skills 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

The cognitive and physical 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
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Seesaw	Multi-media educational software	—
Children’s educational software	Computer based training software	—
Bloomz	Desktop communications software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Kindergarten/Preschool Education graduates include:

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

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. These numbers tend to grow 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

Online study are documented 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?

Looking purely at 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	CIP Code
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	13.12
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching	13.1201
College/Postsecondary/University Teaching	13.1214
Early Childhood Education and Teaching	13.1210
Elementary Education and Teaching	13.1202
International Teaching and Learning	13.1212
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	13.1203
Montessori Teacher Education	13.1207
Online Educator/Online Teaching	13.1211
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods	13.1213
Secondary Education and Teaching	13.1205
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other	13.1299

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.