Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.
Also called: Child Development Teacher · Early Childhood Teacher · Group Teacher · Infant Teacher · Montessori Preschool Teacher · Nursery Teacher
Median pay (national)
$37,120
$28,300–$60,070 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
445,080
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+4.1%
~65,500 openings/yr
Typical entry
Associate's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for preschool teachers, except special education shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $60,070 versus $28,300 at the bottom 10% — 2.1x. The median of $37,120 leaves roughly 62% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +4.1% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 65,500 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 54 states with released data, Nebraska pays the most for this role (median $50,270, +35% vs the national median), while Guam sits lowest at $21,750 — a 131% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Learning Strategies as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Learning Strategies
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- 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.
- Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- Arrange indoor and outdoor space to facilitate creative play, motor-skill activities, and safety.
- Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their ages and perceptual skills.
- Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
- 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.
- Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems and discuss them with supervisors, parents or guardians, and child development specialists.
Tools & technology
- Appletree
- Bloomz
- Children's educational software
- ClassDojo
- Common Curriculum
- EasyCBM
- Edmodo
- Flipgrid
- Google Classroom
- Google Meet
- Intrado SchoolMessenger
- Nearpod
- Padlet
- Schoology
- Seesaw
- Tadpoles
Knowledge areas
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Administration and Management
- Administrative
- Sociology and Anthropology