Prek teacher job description: Early Childhood Education Jobs | Preschool Teacher Jobs
Early Childhood Education Jobs | Preschool Teacher Jobs
Tiny hands, bright eyes, growing minds, and endless possibilities.
Teaching in a preschool environment is like no other. One minute you may be teaching the ABCs and the next you may be tying shoelaces. Another minute you may be exploring ways to implement basic math and counting skills into your lesson plan and the next you may be calming a tantrum. It’s a truly unique learning environment where the youngest learners are first introduced to academics, proper social behavior, and group learning.
Grand Canyon University
Featured Program: B.S or M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education
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Walden University
Featured Program: Online Early Childhood Studies Programs
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Arizona State University
Featured Program: Early Childhood Education, Med; Early Childhood Education (Teacher Certification), MEd
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University of Phoenix
Featured Program: Associate of Arts with a concentration in Elementary Education, Bachelor of Science in Education / Elementary Education, Master of Arts in Education/Early Childhood Education
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Brenau University
Featured Program: Associate of Arts in Elementary Education; Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education; Education Specialist in Elementary Education; Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Education
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Your job will include encouraging creativity, fostering academic growth, and nurturing your tiny learners. It’s a rewarding and fulfilling profession reserved for those who love children and the learning process, who have equal parts enthusiasm and patience, and who feel right at home with paint on their fingers and a storybook in their hands.
Preschool may be a place for circle time and learning to stand in line, but there’s no mistaking its significance in our nation’s educational system.
A strong body of evidence shows that early learning is vital for children’s future learning and development. According to the U.S. Department of Education, preschool is vital for expanding educational equity and opportunity by giving every child a strong start.
As a result, preschool enrollment and spending for preschool programs continues to grow. As of the 2018-19 school year, state-funded pre-k programs served nearly a third of the nation’s four-year-olds—1.3 million children, an increase of more than 35,000 from the previous year. Total state funding grew to $8.75 billion during this time, an increase of $301 million from the year before.
Preschool teachers provide our next generation of learners with a solid foundation for achieving future academic and social successes, which benefits them, their families, and society as a whole.
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The Job Duties of Today’s Early Childhood Educators
As an early childhood educator, you’re responsible for providing safe and developmentally appropriate programs that align with all relevant federal and state policies. Job duties include:
- Adapting daily routines to meet the interest and needs of the individual child and the group
- Developing activities that promote literacy and math concepts
- Ensuring that the facility and all equipment is clean, well-maintained, and safe
- Establishing policies and procedures, including disciplinary policies
- Maintaining and scheduling weekly and monthly activities
- Participating in on-going in-service and education development opportunities, and participating in the ongoing development and evaluation of the program’s goals and objectives
- Planning and implementing activities that meet the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social needs of your students
- Providing a classroom environment that encourages parent participation
- Providing adequate equipment and activities
Regardless of whether you work in a private, public, federally funded, or nonprofit preschool setting, you’ll have similar responsibilities, which include:
- Ensuring the constant supervision of all children
- Establishing routines
- Building children’s self-esteem through positive guidance and nurturing
- Communicating with parents and discussing their children’s development
- Implementing positive discipline
- Observing children and making notes of progress and development
- Promoting literacy and early education
- Providing a safe and secure environment where children feel comfortable
- Providing age-appropriate experiences and activities for children, including storytelling, games, and songs
- Integrating special needs children in a positive and respectful manner
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The Skills, Knowledge and Abilities Required of Early Childhood Educators
A preschool teacher’s job is not for the faint of heart!
Your job as a preschool teacher involves not only teaching (of course) but also being in tune with your young students’ unique challenges and needs. You must remember that children at 3, 4, and 5 years of age have amazingly short attention spans and a constant desire to be on the move. They are almost always in motion, looking for the next stimulus that will hold their attention. That means you must come to work with some serious energy and expect to keep your students interested and engaged. You must not only be a teacher, but an entertainer!
You must be able to relate to your students on their level without losing sight of your teaching objective. This often involves not just teaching a concept but doing so in a way that will keep your little ones’ attention spans for a few, precious moments. Songs? Absolutely. Funny dances? You bet. Glue, glitter, and construction paper? Always a must.
As most preschool teachers will tell you, it’s an exhausting but highly rewarding endeavor.
What makes preschool a truly unique learning environment is that you are likely teaching foundational skills like proper social behavior and manners alongside academic skills. Standing in line, keeping their hands to themselves, listening to the teacher, not talking at certain times, and raising their hands when they have a question are all skills they will learn in preschool and carry with them as they advance to kindergarten and beyond.
Preschool teachers must also be the nurturers of these little souls. Very young children often need encouragement, compassion, understanding, and kind words as they navigate an environment that’s completely foreign to them. For many children, a preschool setting is the first experience outside of home in a group environment. Tears, breakdowns, and outbursts are all very normal but common behaviors in preschoolers. You must be able to meet these emotional struggles with a soft voice and kind words, all while encouraging your students the importance of obeying, following the rules, and adapting to the school environment.
You must be able to demonstrate:
- Compassion
- Consistency and fairness
- Cultural awareness and sensitivity
- Flexibility
- Respectfulness
You must also have a specific set of skills that will allow you to deliver the highest quality learning experiences:
- Analytical and problem solving skills
- Decision making skills
- Effective verbal and communication skills
- Knowledge in child development and early education theories and practices
- Knowledge of relevant legislation, policies, and procedures
- Knowledge of safe and appropriate activities for preschool children
- Supervisory skills
- Team building skills
- Time management skills
Qualifying for Early Childhood Educator Jobs
Given the increased attention placed on high-quality preschool programs, program administrators, school districts, and federal programs, such as Head Start, are finding significant value in hiring and retaining preschool teachers who hold a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and specialized training in teaching pre-k.
A report by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) found that as of 2018, 78% of all state-funded public preschool programs, 56% of state-funded private preschool programs, and 75% of state-funded preschool programs that serve both public and private settings required teachers to hold at least a bachelor’s degree and a teaching certification.
Although minimum education requirements for preschool teachers still vary from one state to the next (all but six states— Idaho, Indiana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming—offered state-funded preschool programs as of 2019, but most have different criteria for preschool teachers), there is a clear and concerted push toward the bachelor’s degree to be the educational standard for preschool teachers in both public and private school settings.
Further, many preschool teachers are now pursuing advanced degrees in the field, particularly for state licensing purposes or to achieve administrator jobs in the field of early childhood education.
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Assistant preschool teachers are often required to possess an associate’s degree in early childhood development and/or a nationally recognized teaching credential, such as the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential through the Council for Professional Recognition. The CDA credential requires the completion of at least 120 hours of professional education, at least 480 hours of professional experience, and the completion of a professional portfolio.
Early Childhood Educator Jobs: Where They’re Found and Who’s Funding Them
Preschool teachers may work in any number of settings and positions. Your position may be funded at the federal, state, or local level, or it may be funded on student tuition alone. It may be part of a large, national program or the state public school system, or it may be small, locally operated program.
You’ll find variations in everything from salary and benefits to work schedule and minimum educational requirements, depending on where the preschool program is located, how it is funded, and the size and structure of it.
Most states license center-based preschool programs. Licensed preschool programs must adhere to state standards, which typically include minimum educational and training requirements for preschool program directors, teachers, and teacher assistants.
Head Start Preschools
Head Start is a federally funded educational program administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Head Start Bureau.
Established in 1956, Head Start meets the needs of low-income children and their families by increasing school readiness by delivering comprehensive services to children and their families. Head Start is usually free to eligible children and their families.
Although Head Start has several programs, preschool is provided through center-based Head Start programs. This type of program is provided in a group setting and operates on a specific schedule with a qualified teaching staff. Head Start services eligible children who turn three years old before the first day of school.
Faith-Based and Non-Profit Preschools
Faith-based preschools sponsored by religious organizations provide a comprehensive educational program alongside religious education. Many of these programs are located in churches and other religious structures. A number of nonprofit organizations like the YMCA also provide low-cost preschool programs to members of a community.
For-Profit Preschools
For-profit preschools (e.g., KinderCare, the Goddard School) are operated by private organizations and are open to the general public. Many of these preschools offer additional enhancements, such as a second language, alongside comprehensive preschool programming. Many are located in childcare/daycare centers.
Universal Preschool/Pre-Kindergarten
To date, 45 states offer pre-k programs as part of their public school system. While most preschool programs are housed within primary school settings, some are also offered in childcare centers and Head Start programs due to limited space and personnel. Most state boards of education require preschool teachers in universal preschool settings to hold state teacher certification, which requires a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a similar degree.
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For example, teachers in public school pre-k settings in New York must hold a NYS certification in early childhood birth through grade 2, which requires a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.
Preschool Charter Programs
Charters schools are public schools in terms in funding; however, they operate independent of public schools and therefore enjoy a greater flexibility in their operations in return for a greater accountability for their performance. Preschool teachers in charter schools must observe the charter school’s contract that details the school’s mission, program, and performance goals. As public schools, most charter schools must adhere to public school educator requirements.
Early Childhood Educator Career Resources
Resources abound for individuals seeking a career in early childhood education:
- National Association for the Education of Young Children
- National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators
- Southern Early Childhood Association
- Association for Child Education International
- Association for Early Learning Leaders
- National Child Care Association
- Professional Association for Childhood Education
- National Head Start Association
- T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center
Grand Canyon University
Featured Program: B.S or M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education
Request Info
Walden University
Featured Program: Online Early Childhood Studies Programs
Request Info
Arizona State University
Featured Program: Early Childhood Education, Med; Early Childhood Education (Teacher Certification), MEd
Request Info
University of Phoenix
Featured Program: Associate of Arts with a concentration in Elementary Education, Bachelor of Science in Education / Elementary Education, Master of Arts in Education/Early Childhood Education
Request Info
Brenau University
Featured Program: Associate of Arts in Elementary Education; Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education; Education Specialist in Elementary Education; Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Education
Request Info
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Preschool Teacher Career Profile | Job Description, Salary, and Growth
Preschool teachers educate and care for children younger than age 5 who have not yet entered kindergarten. They teach language, motor, and social skills to young children.
Duties
Preschool teachers typically do the following:
- Teach children basic skills such as identifying colors, shapes, numbers, and letters
- Work with children in groups or one on one, depending on the needs of children and on the subject matter
- Plan and carry out a curriculum that focuses on different areas of child development
- Organize activities so children can learn about the world, explore interests, and develop skills
- Develop schedules and routines to ensure children have enough physical activity and rest
- Watch for signs of emotional or developmental problems in each child and bring them to the attention of the child’s parents
- Keep records of the children’s progress, routines, and interests, and inform parents about their child’s development
Young children learn from playing, problem solving, and experimenting. Preschool teachers use play and other instructional techniques to teach children. For example, they use storytelling and rhyming games to teach language and vocabulary. They may help improve children’s social skills by having them work together to build a neighborhood in a sandbox or teach math by having children count when building with blocks.
Preschool teachers work with children from different ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds. Teachers include topics in their lessons that teach children how to respect people of different backgrounds and cultures.
Work Environment
Preschool teachers held about 483,100 jobs in 2021. The largest employers of preschool teachers were as follows:
Child day care services | 62% |
Elementary and secondary schools; state, local, and private | 16 |
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | 12 |
Individual and family services | 3 |
It may be rewarding to see children develop new skills and gain an appreciation of knowledge and learning. However, it can also be tiring to work with young, active children all day.
Work Schedules
Preschool teachers in public schools generally work during school hours. Many work the traditional 10-month school year and have a 2-month break during the summer. Some preschool teachers may teach in summer programs.
Teachers in districts with a year-round schedule typically work 9 weeks in a row and then have a break for 3 weeks before starting a new school session.
Those working in daycare settings may work year-round with longer hours.
Education and Training
Education and training requirements vary based on settings and state regulations. Preschool teachers typically need at least an associate’s degree.
Education
Preschool teachers typically need at least an associate’s degree.
Preschool teachers in center-based Head Start programs are required to have at least an associate’s degree. However, at least 50 percent of all preschool teachers in Head Start programs nationwide must have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a related field. Those with a degree in a related field, such as psychology, must have experience teaching preschool-age children.
In public schools, preschool teachers are generally required to have at least a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a related field. Bachelor’s degree programs include instruction on children’s development, teaching young children, and observing and documenting children’s progress.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Some states require preschool teachers to obtain the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential offered by the Council for Professional Recognition. Obtaining the CDA credential requires coursework, experience in the field, a written exam, and observation of the candidate working with children. The CDA credential must be renewed every 3 years.
In public schools, preschool teachers must be licensed to teach early childhood education, which covers preschool through third grade. Requirements vary by state, but they generally require a bachelor’s degree and passing an exam to demonstrate competency. Most states require teachers to complete continuing education credits in order to maintain their license.
Other Experience
A few states require preschool teachers to have some work experience in a childcare setting. In these states, preschool teachers often start out as childcare workers or teacher assistants. The amount of experience needed varies by state.
Advancement
Experienced preschool teachers may advance to become the director of a preschool or childcare center or a lead teacher. Those with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education frequently are qualified to teach kindergarten through grade 3, in addition to preschool. Teaching positions at these higher grades typically pay more. For more information, see the profiles on preschool and childcare center directors and kindergarten and elementary school teachers.
Personality and Interests
Preschool teachers typically have an interest in the Creating and Helping interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Creating interest area indicates a focus on being original and imaginative, and working with artistic media. The Helping interest area indicates a focus on assisting, serving, counseling, or teaching other people.
If you are not sure whether you have a Creating or Helping interest which might fit with a career as a preschool teacher, you can take a career test to measure your interests.
Preschool teachers should also possess the following specific qualities:
Important Qualities
Communication skills. Preschool teachers need good communication skills to tell parents and colleagues about students’ progress. They need good writing and speaking skills to convey this information effectively. They must also be able to communicate well with small children.
Creativity. Preschool teachers must plan lessons that engage young students. In addition, they need to adapt their lessons to suit different learning styles.
Interpersonal skills. Preschool teachers must understand children’s emotional needs and be able to develop good relationships with parents, children, and colleagues.
Organizational skills. Teachers need to be organized to plan lessons and keep records of their students.
Patience. Working with children can be frustrating, and preschool teachers should be able to respond calmly to overwhelming and difficult situations.
Physical stamina. Working with children can be physically taxing, so preschool teachers should have a lot of energy.
Pay
The median annual wage for preschool teachers was $30,210 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,840, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $58,530.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for preschool teachers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Elementary and secondary schools; state, local, and private | $48,190 |
Individual and family services | 36,300 |
Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | 36,060 |
Child day care services | 29,320 |
Preschool teachers in public schools generally work during school hours. Many work the traditional 10-month school year and a 2-month break during the summer. Some preschool teachers may teach in summer programs.
Teachers in districts with a year-round schedule typically work 8 weeks in a row and then have a break for 1 week before starting a new school session. They also have a 5-week midwinter break.
Those working in daycare settings may work year-round and have longer hours.
Job Outlook
Employment of preschool teachers is projected to grow 15 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 63,100 openings for preschool teachers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Much of the projected employment growth in this occupation is due to recovery from the COVID-19 recession of 2020.
Early childhood education is important for a child’s intellectual and social development. More preschool teachers should be needed to meet the demand for early childhood education.
For More Information
For more information about early childhood education, visit
National Association for the Education of Young Children
For more information about professional credentials, visit
Council for Professional Recognition
Where does this information come from?
The career information above is taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. This excellent resource for occupational data is published by the U.S. Department of Labor every two years. Truity periodically updates our site with information from the BLS database.
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There is no published author for this page. Please use citation guidelines for webpages without an author available.
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This information is taken directly from the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Truity does not editorialize the information, including changing information that our readers believe is inaccurate, because we consider the BLS to be the authority on occupational information. However, if you would like to correct a typo or other technical error, you can reach us at [email protected].
I am not sure if this career is right for me. How can I decide?
There are many excellent tools available that will allow you to measure your interests, profile your personality, and match these traits with appropriate careers. On this site, you can take the Career Personality Profiler assessment, the Holland Code assessment, or the Photo Career Quiz.
Job description of the teacher beginning. school
Primary school teacher job description
I. General requirements for a primary school teacher
1. A teacher must know:
• The Constitution of the Russian Federation; Law of the Russian Federation "On Education", decisions of the Government of the Russian Federation and bodies
management of education on education; the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
• Fundamentals of general theoretical disciplines to the extent necessary to solve
pedagogical, scientific, methodological and organizational and managerial tasks
at the primary stage of a general education institution, pedagogy,
psychology, age physiology, school hygiene;
• the concept and content of the GEF IEO, as well as a package of related documents
Federal State Educational Standards of the new generation and recommendations for their implementation in general education
institution;
• methods of teaching subjects and educational work, programs and teaching materials,
meeting the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard;
• requirements for equipping and equipping classrooms and utility rooms
premises;
• teaching aids and their didactic possibilities;
• main directions and prospects for the development of education and pedagogical
Sciences;
• Fundamentals of law, scientific organization of labor, design technologies and effective
means of business communication;
• Rules and regulations for occupational health, safety and fire protection.
II. Job Responsibilities
Primary school teacher performs the following job responsibilities:
2.1. Provides training and education of students, taking into account the specifics
requirements of the new GEF IEO, conducts lessons and extracurricular activities in
in accordance with the schedule in the specified premises. Provides a level of training
meeting the requirements of the new Federal State Educational Standards, and is responsible for their
implementation is not complete.
2.2. Provides support and support for the personal development of students.
Identifies their educational aspirations and needs. Collects information about plans
and intentions of students, their interests, inclinations, motives,
strengths and weaknesses. Helps students identify and solve
individual problems associated with the development of educational programs.
2.3. Draws up work programs for academic subjects and extracurricular
activities for each semester of the academic year and a work plan for each
lesson and lesson.
2.4. Controls the availability of student notebooks in academic subjects,
compliance with the school-established procedure for their registration, maintenance, compliance
unified spelling.
2.5. Adheres to the following procedure for reviewing workbooks
students: in grades 1-4: all classrooms and homework are checked daily
student work.
2.6. Carry out the assigned tasks in a timely manner in accordance with the schedule
program and curriculum, the number of tests, as well as
necessary educational excursions and classes.
2.7. Checks control dictations and tests in mathematics
in grades 1–4 for the next lesson.
2.8. Puts down in the class journal all grades for test papers
for the day of the month in which they took place.
2.9. Carries out work on the errors after checking the control work.
2.10. Keeps notebooks of control works of students during the school year.
2.11. Organizes extra-curricular activities with the school librarian and parents
student reading.
2.12. Ensures the inclusion of students in various forms of extracurricular
activities.
2.13. Works closely with other teachers, parents
(persons replacing them).
2.14. Ensures the conformity of curricula in subjects,
as well as programs of extracurricular activities by the new GEF.
2.15. Masters and implements new educational programs, uses
a variety of techniques, methods and means of training and education,
ensuring the achievement of educational goals.
III. Rights
A primary school teacher has the rights provided for by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation,
Law of the Russian Federation "On Education", Model Regulations on General Education
institution, the Charter of the school, the collective agreement, the Rules of the internal
labor schedule. The teacher has the right to make decisions that are binding
for students to comply with, and taking disciplinary action
in accordance with the constitution of the institution.
IV. Liability
4. 1. In accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, the teacher bears
responsibility:
• for the implementation of incomplete educational programs;
• for the life and health of students during the educational process
and extra-curricular activities conducted by the teacher;
• for violation of the rights and freedoms of students, certain
the legislation of the Russian Federation, the Charter and local acts of the institution.
• execution of orders "On labor protection and compliance with safety regulations"
and "On Ensuring Fire Safety";
• safe conduct of the educational process;
• taking measures to provide first aid to the victim,
prompt notification of the management of the accident;
• instructing students (pupils) on safety
labor in training sessions, educational events with mandatory
registration in the class journal or the journal for instructing students on security
and labor safety;
• organizing the study by students (pupils) of labor protection rules,
traffic, behavior in everyday life, etc. ;
• monitoring compliance with labor protection rules (instructions).
4.2. In case of violation of the Charter of the institution, the terms of the collective agreement,
Internal labor regulations, this job description,
orders of the director, the teacher is subject to disciplinary action in
in accordance with Article 192 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.
4.3. For the use of methods of education related to the physical and (or)
mental violence against the personality of the student, the teacher may be fired
under Art. 336, paragraph 2 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. a comprehensive project for the introduction of new Federal State Educational Standards for general education
at the primary level of a general education institution, non-compliance
the quality of the results obtained to the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard, the teacher bears a disciplinary
responsibility in the manner prescribed by labor legislation.
For gross violation of labor duties as a disciplinary punishment
dismissal may apply.