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Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth

Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.

What you’d do

  • Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
  • Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
  • Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
  • Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
  • Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
  • Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
  • 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.

Skills that matter

  • Instructing
  • Speaking
  • Active Listening
  • Learning Strategies
  • Coordination
  • Critical Thinking

How to get there

Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

Also called

  • Montessori Preschool Teacher
  • Pre-Kindergarten Teacher (Pre-K Teacher)
  • Teacher
  • Toddler Teacher
  • Child Development Teacher
  • Early Childhood Teacher

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