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What is an early childhood teacher and how to become one
Early childhood teachers create a conducive and warm environment for children as they prepare for their formal schooling stage. They usually work with students who are between the ages of three and five. They enforce daily routines and engage the young learners in some activities to keep them occupied and productive. Early childhood teachers earn an average annual salary of $31,700 which breaks down to roughly $15 per hour.
Early childhood teachers provide activities and opportunities that encourage curiosity, exploration, and problem-solving appropriate to the developmental levels of children. They lead daily social, learning, and physical activities for all children in their assigned classes. Their role also include keeping the classroom clean, organized for the children.
Early childhood teachers mostly hold an associate's degree in child development, early childhood education, elementary education, or other related fields. They are often required to have at least one year of teaching experience, either as a primary or assistant teacher. A great early childhood teacher is patient, sensitive, and possesses sound leadership, and communication skills.
What general advice would you give to an Early Childhood Teacher?
Dr. Diana Jones
Chair, Department of Kinesiology, Anderson University
Avg. Salary $33,205
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 15%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.88%
Asian 5.35%
Black or African American 8.72%
Hispanic or Latino 18.27%
Unknown 4.47%
White 62.32%
Genderfemale 92.37%
male 7.63%
Age - 39American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 39Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is intermediate
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
Early Childhood Teacher career paths
Key steps to become an early childhood teacher
Explore early childhood teacher education requirements
Start to develop specific early childhood teacher skills
Skills Percentages CPR 20.60% Child Development 15.23% Professional Development 7.63% Classroom Environment 7.47% Classroom Management 4.55% Complete relevant early childhood teacher training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New early childhood teachers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an early childhood teacher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real early childhood teacher resumes.Gain additional early childhood teacher certifications
More About CertificationsEarly childhood teacher certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific early childhood teacher certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.
The most common certifications for early childhood teachers include Child Development Associate (CDA) and Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE).
Research early childhood teacher duties and responsibilities
- Design and apply activities to help children in achieving their goals and objectives in accordance with IFSP 's
- Co-developed activities and art projects for development -ensure developmental milestones and on-track development for infants moving into the toddler room
- Receive proficient training to become CPR certify.
- Evaluate children's progress in meeting UPK standards.
Prepare your early childhood teacher resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your early childhood teacher resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an early childhood teacher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Early Childhood Teacher Resume templates
Build a professional Early Childhood Teacher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Early Childhood Teacher resume.
Apply for early childhood teacher jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an early childhood teacher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How Did You Land Your First Early Childhood Teacher Job
Are you an Early Childhood Teacher?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average early childhood teacher salary
The average Early Childhood Teacher salary in the United States is $33,205 per year or $16 per hour. Early childhood teacher salaries range between $22,000 and $48,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do early childhood teachers rate their job?
Early Childhood Teacher reviews
Seeing the kids learn, grow, over come challenges.
It can be emotionally and physically draining, especially if not appreciated.
Gaining the childs trust and watching them geow and learn.
That in a year the children you fall in love with move on to the next grade.
Kids, teaching lessons, co-teachers, hours, weekends off, salary, holidays off, summers off, paid sick and personal days
Administration, observations, being told what to teach and HOW to teach it, expecting us to participate in things we might not want to or have the time for, staff meetings with no substance
Updated January 8, 2025
