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Preschool Teachers Job Overview

Preschool teachers play a very key role in some of the most essential years of a child’s development. They teach primary skills to children using music, computers, art, painting, games and films. They also introduce children to subjects like language, mathematics, social studies and science.

Preschool Teachers Schools and Degrees

A bachelor’s degree is not an essential requirement but is useful in order to become a preschool teacher.

Job Requirements

It is important for preschool teachers to pass an approved teachers training program. Training in technology is also required in certain states. Some states also require teachers to obtain a master’s degree. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher education and the Teacher Education Accreditation council accredits education programs for teachers. This helps aspiring teachers fulfill licensure needs. In many places there are professional development schools where aspiring preschool teachers can study after finishing their graduation.

Licensing requirements for preschool teachers differs from state to state. The specifications to become a public school teacher are more rigorous than for private preschool teachers. Preschool teachers can opt for one of the most common types of credentials – The Child Development Associate credential.

Preschool teachers need to be able to arouse faith and confidence. They need to not only understand the educational needs of their students, but their emotional requirements as well. They should not differentiate between any students and should know how to address the different needs of each student. Being organized and patient is important for a preschool teacher.

Nature of Work

Preschool teachers make use of children’s basic liking for games and play. They use methods of storytelling, acting and rhyming to develop a child’s social skills and vocabulary. They teach lessons in small groups and use step by step methods of teaching. They also introduce a child to simple mathematical and scientific concepts.

Teachers work in classrooms and spend the time with the students in order to teach them. They generally work for forty hours a week and have about three months off over the summer and for holidays. Sometimes their work may be stressful while dealing with a large number of students and while handling difficult students.p>

Preschool Teachers Jobs and Outlook

The jobs for preschool teachers is expected to grow by 23 percent in the next ten years. By 2016, there is expected to be a requirement for about 750,000 preschool teachers.

The average annual earning of preschool teachers is $43,000.

Job Numbers and Growth

There were about 437,000 pre-school teachers across the US in 2008. Unemployment for workers was considered low in the recent past, relative to other occupations. The percentage of employees unemployed in 2008 was 3%.

Area Job Conditions

The cities with the most pre-school teachers per capita are Greenville (North Carolina), Yuba City (California), and Rochester (New Hampshire), while the worst cities are Anderson (South Carolina), Mobile (Alabama), and Columbia (South Carolina).

The highest salaries for workers are in and around Napa (California), Vineland (New Jersey), and Owensboro (Kentucky). The lowest-paying areas are Kingsport (Tennessee), Clarksville (Tennessee), and Shreveport (Louisiana).

Training and Education

Education or job training for employees typically involves a postsecondary vocational award. At least 43% of pre-school teachers had a degree of four or more years. About 38% of workers had some college below a bachelor's degree. An estimated 20% of employees had just a high-school diploma. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

An estimated 25% of pre-school teachers work part-time. An estimated 1% of workers were self-employed.

Pre-School Teachers by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Auburn	$24,000	150	+39%
Birmingham	$24,000	330	-76%
Florence	$21,000	30	-77%
Montgomery	$26,000	430	-3%
Tuscaloosa	$29,000	100	-57%

Alaska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anchorage	$30,000	230	-49%

Arizona

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Flagstaff	$28,000	120	-15%
Kingman	$21,000	130	+12%
Phoenix	$28,000	4,370	-12%
Prescott	$19,000	190	+41%
Tucson	$25,000	1,240	+30%
Yuma	$25,000	180	+30%

Arkansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fayetteville	$29,000	650	+17%
Fort Smith	$29,000	200	-39%
Hot Springs	$21,000	130	+51%
Jonesboro	$28,000	250	+119%
Little Rock	$24,000	1,580	+64%
Pine Bluff	$30,000	100	+41%

California

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bakersfield	$28,000	750	+4%
Chico	$23,000	480	+171%
El Centro	$27,000	150	+22%
Fresno	$25,000	990	+12%
Hanford	$26,000	80	-1%
Los Angeles	$31,000	11,820	+3%
Madera	$29,000	160	+113%
Merced	$31,000	130	-8%
Modesto	$29,000	510	+22%
Napa	$33,000	180	+14%
Oakland	$33,000	4,540	+61%
Oxnard	$35,000	1,070	+30%
Riverside	$28,000	3,960	+16%
Sacramento	$27,000	3,050	+25%
Salinas	$41,000	370	-14%
San Diego	$31,000	3,470	-6%
San Francisco	$36,000	3,380	+20%
San Jose	$33,000	3,150	+24%
San Luis Obispo	$25,000	250	+3%
Santa Ana	$32,000	3,970	-4%
Santa Barbara	$33,000	360	-21%
Santa Cruz	$31,000	360	+60%
Santa Rosa	$33,000	410	-13%
Stockton	$28,000	940	+64%
Vallejo	$29,000	270	-15%
Visalia	$30,000	270	-25%
Yuba City	$32,000	190	+107%

Colorado

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boulder	$41,000	1,000	+142%
Colorado Springs	$29,000	590	-15%
Denver	$30,000	2,360	-33%
Fort Collins	$27,000	350	+5%
Grand Junction	$28,000	120	-16%
Greeley	$30,000	300	+62%
Pueblo	$24,000	150	+6%

Connecticut

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bridgeport	$31,000	2,280	+91%
Danbury	$28,000	290	+67%
Hartford	$29,000	2,230	+38%
New Haven	$29,000	940	+25%
Norwich	$36,000	270	-17%
Waterbury	$39,000	210	+22%

Delaware

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Dover	$22,000	250	+96%
Wilmington	$27,000	1,520	+68%

District of Columbia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Washington	$31,000	7,370	+7%

Florida

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Cape Coral	$25,000	460	-13%
Fort Lauderdale	$25,000	2,770	+41%
Fort Walton Beach	$23,000	290	+48%
Jacksonville	$23,000	1,730	+2%
Lakeland	$26,000	490	-5%
Miami	$29,000	2,170	-22%
Naples	$28,000	330	+12%
Ocala	$26,000	190	-17%
Orlando	$26,000	2,070	-28%
Palm Bay	$22,000	680	+26%
Panama City	$20,000	170	-3%
Pensacola	$23,000	480	+20%
Port St Lucie	$25,000	230	-27%
Sarasota	$29,000	560	-17%
Sebastian	$24,000	130	+12%
Tallahassee	$37,000	220	-50%
Tampa	$24,000	2,380	-26%
West Palm Beach	$28,000	1,680	+15%

Georgia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$30,000	280	+80%
Athens	$20,000	220	+22%
Atlanta	$28,000	8,080	+23%
Augusta	$27,000	590	+5%
Brunswick	$24,000	180	+81%
Columbus	$22,000	420	+44%
Gainesville	$21,000	270	+52%
Macon	$27,000	260	+10%
Savannah	$26,000	610	+52%
Valdosta	$32,000	100	-18%
Warner Robins	$24,000	270	+103%

Hawaii

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Honolulu	$32,000	1,130	-8%

Idaho

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boise	$19,000	390	-46%
Idaho Falls	$22,000	140	+22%

Illinois

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bloomington	$25,000	530	+196%
Chicago	$30,000	10,700	+0%
Danville	$26,000	110	+74%
Decatur	$27,000	150	+35%
Kankakee	$25,000	90	-9%
Peoria	$25,000	520	+12%
Rockford	$25,000	220	-42%
Springfield	$28,000	250	-12%

Indiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anderson	$22,000	50	-45%
Bloomington	$25,000	110	-38%
Columbus	$25,000	80	-12%
Elkhart	$24,000	90	-68%
Fort Wayne	$24,000	570	+2%
Gary	$25,000	920	+24%
Indianapolis	$25,000	1,750	-31%
Kokomo	$29,000	60	-36%
Lafayette	$25,000	130	-33%
Michigan City	$30,000	90	-9%
Muncie	$23,000	100	-10%
South Bend	$28,000	390	+13%

Iowa

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ames	$22,000	100	+12%
Davenport	$24,000	440	-13%
Des Moines	$32,000	940	+3%
Dubuque	$23,000	110	-17%
Sioux City	$24,000	100	-46%
Waterloo	$25,000	190	-15%

Kansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lawrence	$37,000	140	+33%
Topeka	$36,000	210	-28%
Wichita	$35,000	220	-72%

Kentucky

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bowling Green	$35,000	60	-57%
Lexington	$28,000	490	-26%
Louisville	$24,000	1,860	+9%
Owensboro	$48,000	40	-66%

Louisiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Alexandria	$24,000	220	+35%
Baton Rouge	$22,000	1,090	+5%
Lafayette	$22,000	480	+25%
Lake Charles	$24,000	130	-43%
Monroe	$27,000	120	-39%
New Orleans	$30,000	550	-63%
Shreveport	$23,000	390	-20%

Maryland

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Baltimore	$28,000	3,700	0%
Bethesda	$33,000	2,240	+38%
Cumberland	$34,000	100	+13%
Hagerstown	$32,000	190	-25%
Salisbury	$29,000	220	+65%

Massachusetts

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Barnstable Town	$34,000	350	+34%
Boston	$36,000	6,290	+27%
Brockton	$34,000	710	+203%
Framingham	$35,000	630	+43%
Haverhill	$29,000	450	+112%
Lawrence	$31,000	210	+40%
Leominster	$28,000	160	+31%
Lowell	$32,000	750	+135%
New Bedford	$28,000	300	+83%
Peabody	$33,000	360	+34%
Pittsfield	$25,000	180	+136%
Springfield	$28,000	1,170	+41%
Taunton	$30,000	200	+83%
Worcester	$32,000	920	+33%

Michigan

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ann Arbor	$31,000	170	-63%
Battle Creek	$25,000	170	+33%
Bay City	$41,000	50	-35%
Detroit	$33,000	1,180	-37%
Grand Rapids	$27,000	460	-56%
Holland	$25,000	260	+3%
Jackson	$32,000	120	+0%
Kalamazoo	$27,000	310	-15%
Lansing	$37,000	260	-52%
Muskegon	$28,000	140	+0%
Niles	$38,000	60	-59%
Warren	$33,000	1,630	-47%

Minnesota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Duluth	$35,000	430	+24%
Mankato	$38,000	120	-15%
Minneapolis	$32,000	5,120	+1%
Rochester	$30,000	240	-11%
St Cloud	$25,000	330	+32%

Mississippi

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Gulfport	$25,000	260	-8%
Hattiesburg	$20,000	170	+18%
Jackson	$21,000	700	+0%
Pascagoula	$22,000	130	+15%

Missouri

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Columbia	$23,000	480	+132%
Jefferson City	$19,000	240	+26%
Joplin	$26,000	150	-26%
Kansas City	$27,000	2,170	-24%
Springfield	$21,000	320	-39%
St Louis	$25,000	4,570	+21%

Montana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Great Falls	$21,000	100	+14%

Nebraska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lincoln	$29,000	320	-26%
Omaha	$26,000	1,220	-8%

Nevada

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Carson City	$26,000	40	-33%
Las Vegas	$26,000	1,420	-41%
Reno	$25,000	480	-8%

New Hampshire

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Manchester	$26,000	640	+135%
Nashua	$26,000	730	+98%
Portsmouth	$27,000	160	+11%
Rochester	$36,000	380	+184%

New Jersey

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Atlantic City	$31,000	230	-41%
Camden	$33,000	1,350	-9%
Edison	$31,000	2,900	0%
Newark	$37,000	3,260	+15%
Ocean City	$44,000	30	-70%
Trenton	$32,000	830	+33%
Vineland	$42,000	140	-7%

New Mexico

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albuquerque	$32,000	410	-62%
Farmington	$25,000	90	-26%
Las Cruces	$40,000	100	-38%
Santa Fe	$32,000	110	-30%

New York

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$29,000	1,190	-6%
Binghamton	$30,000	440	+47%
Buffalo	$33,000	1,350	-13%
Elmira	$30,000	90	-2%
Glens Falls	$23,000	190	+46%
Ithaca	$29,000	130	+31%
Kingston	$31,000	220	+45%
Nassau	$31,000	4,320	+20%
New York	$44,000	19,730	+33%
Poughkeepsie	$28,000	880	+29%
Rochester	$27,000	1,950	+37%
Syracuse	$24,000	830	-5%
Utica	$30,000	240	-28%

North Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Asheville	$24,000	540	+12%
Burlington	$19,000	240	+69%
Charlotte	$23,000	3,280	+35%
Durham	$25,000	1,290	+69%
Fayetteville	$20,000	640	+90%
Goldsboro	$18,000	140	+43%
Greensboro	$23,000	1,060	+7%
Greenville	$21,000	430	+150%
Hickory	$22,000	380	-4%
Jacksonville	$18,000	210	+103%
Raleigh	$23,000	3,070	+111%
Rocky Mount	$21,000	180	+24%
Wilmington	$20,000	570	+56%
Winston Salem	$22,000	630	+9%

North Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fargo	$30,000	180	-45%
Grand Forks	$28,000	40	-66%

Ohio

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Akron	$24,000	820	-8%
Canton	$24,000	280	-38%
Cincinnati	$24,000	3,750	+31%
Cleveland	$23,000	3,890	+34%
Columbus	$24,000	3,630	+39%
Dayton	$23,000	1,260	+18%
Mansfield	$29,000	80	-38%
Sandusky	$25,000	50	-40%
Springfield	$22,000	110	-7%
Steubenville	$33,000	80	-20%
Toledo	$25,000	950	+16%
Youngstown	$20,000	640	+3%

Oklahoma

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lawton	$28,000	220	+123%
Oklahoma City	$26,000	1,550	-5%
Tulsa	$27,000	1,000	-17%

Oregon

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bend	$24,000	280	+75%
Corvallis	$24,000	120	+92%
Eugene	$25,000	660	+75%
Medford	$25,000	290	+45%
Portland	$25,000	3,140	+8%
Salem	$26,000	590	+47%

Pennsylvania

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Allentown	$22,000	890	-8%
Altoona	$22,000	90	-41%
Erie	$26,000	500	+46%
Harrisburg	$21,000	420	-53%
Lancaster	$26,000	490	-24%
Philadelphia	$27,000	4,690	-13%
Pittsburgh	$24,000	1,530	-53%
Reading	$32,000	360	-20%
Scranton	$27,000	480	-34%
State College	$24,000	210	+32%
York	$26,000	530	+10%

Rhode Island

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Providence	$29,000	2,220	+41%

South Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anderson	$32,000	40	-72%
Charleston	$22,000	570	-29%
Columbia	$23,000	420	-57%
Greenville	$21,000	590	-29%
Spartanburg		190	-38%

South Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Rapid City	$28,000	110	-32%
Sioux Falls	$26,000	330	-12%

Tennessee

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Chattanooga	$29,000	800	+28%
Clarksville	$27,000	160	-21%
Cleveland	$23,000	110	+35%
Jackson	$23,000	300	+103%
Johnson City	$31,000	120	-35%
Kingsport	$24,000	280	-13%
Knoxville	$23,000	970	+4%
Memphis	$23,000	1,820	+5%
Morristown	$27,000	150	+34%
Nashville	$27,000	2,360	+13%

Texas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Austin	$27,000	2,370	+7%
Beaumont	$23,000	590	+35%
Brownsville	$43,000	330	-5%
Corpus Christi	$24,000	490	+1%
Dallas	$29,000	3,850	-35%
El Paso	$26,000	1,050	+39%
Fort Worth	$29,000	2,400	-2%
Houston	$28,000	6,390	-15%
Killeen	$31,000	500	+45%
Laredo	$37,000	280	+38%
Longview	$29,000	230	-8%
Lubbock	$24,000	340	+1%
Mcallen	$48,000	590	-7%
Midland	$26,000	170	+7%
Odessa	$26,000	170	+20%
San Antonio	$28,000	1,670	-32%
Texarkana	$24,000	220	+62%
Tyler	$27,000	200	-15%
Victoria	$43,000	90	-24%
Waco	$24,000	220	-16%
Wichita Falls	$29,000	140	+1%

Utah

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ogden	$22,000	210	-61%
Provo	$26,000	200	-57%

Vermont

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Burlington	$32,000	170	-43%

Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Blacksburg	$25,000	260	+70%
Charlottesville	$33,000	260	+16%
Danville	$24,000	70	-14%
Harrisonburg	$20,000	160	+14%
Lynchburg	$26,000	190	-27%
Richmond	$26,000	1,460	-16%
Roanoke	$29,000	350	-17%
Virginia Beach	$27,000	2,150	+0%
Winchester	$28,000	90	-27%

Washington

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bellingham	$28,000	110	-42%
Bremerton	$30,000	190	-12%
Kennewick	$25,000	200	-24%
Longview	$29,000	70	-10%
Mount Vernon	$28,000	90	-17%
Olympia	$26,000	220	-15%
Seattle	$31,000	2,680	-33%
Tacoma	$26,000	860	+17%
Yakima	$26,000	410	+89%

West Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Charleston	$28,000	190	-52%
Huntington	$26,000	230	-24%
Morgantown	$27,000	200	+51%
Parkersburg	$28,000	100	-42%
Wheeling	$26,000	190	+15%

Wisconsin

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Appleton	$34,000	400	+31%
Eau Claire	$21,000	320	+69%
Fond	$21,000	140	+35%
Green Bay	$34,000	640	+40%
Janesville	$21,000	290	+81%
La Crosse	$31,000	150	-18%
Madison	$26,000	1,140	+21%
Milwaukee	$23,000	3,150	+34%
Oshkosh	$20,000	250	+9%
Racine	$22,000	320	+67%
Sheboygan	$23,000	130	-7%
Wausau	$21,000	230	+37%

Wyoming

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Casper	$28,000	60	-31%