Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Instruct preschool-aged children in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth needed for primary school in preschool, day care center, or other child development facility. May be required to hold State certification.

Median Annual Wage: $28,120

Education: Some college, no degree (25%); Associate's degree (22%); Bachelor's degree (21%)

Projected Growth: Faster than average (15% to 21%)

Related Job Titles: Teacher; Preschool Teacher; Lead Teacher; Group Teacher; Early Childhood Teacher; Headstart Teacher; Toddler Teacher; Teacher Assistant; Pre-Kindergarten Teacher (Pre-K Teacher); Head Start Teacher

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Source: O*NET OnLine information for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.

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  • Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.
  • Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
  • Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
  • Read books to entire classes or to small groups.
  • Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
  • Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
  • Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them.
  • Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
  • Teach proper eating habits and personal hygiene.
  • Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
  • Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.
  • Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems and discuss them with supervisors, parents or guardians, and child development specialists.
  • Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to children.
  • 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.
  • Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
  • Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
  • Arrange indoor and outdoor space to facilitate creative play, motor-skill activities, and safety.
  • Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
  • Demonstrate activities to children.
  • Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
  • Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
  • Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
  • Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their ages and perceptual skills.
  • Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
  • Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of preschool programs.
  • Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guests, or other experiential activities and guide students in learning from those activities.
  • Attend staff meetings and serve on committees as required.
  • Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.

  • Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • 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.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education.

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