CareerGPS

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
Summary Occupational Forecast Data for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
Employment Employment Change Average Annual Job Openings Wage & Training Levels
2020 2025 Numerical Percent New Jobs Replacement Jobs Total Median Hourly Median Annual Training Levels
4,783 5,109 326 6.82% 65 625 690 $17.44 $36,271 Associate's degree
Description: Instruct children (normally up to 5 years of age) 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.
Forecast Data Source: EMSI (4th Quarter 2023)

Occupation Details

The information in this section represents occupational characteristics included in O*NET which defines key features of an occupation as a standardized, measurable set of variables called "descriptors". These distinguishing characteristics of an occupation are described in greater detail in the O*NET Content Model. All items are listed in descending order of importance.

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

Knowledge

81%
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
74%
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
73%
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
68%
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
57%
Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Skills

81%
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
78%
Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
75%
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
72%
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
72%
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.
72%
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
69%
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
65%
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
65%
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
62%
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
60%
Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
60%
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
60%
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
56%
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
53%
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
53%
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Abilities

81%
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
75%
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
75%
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
75%
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
69%
Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
69%
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
65%
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
62%
Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
62%
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
62%
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
60%
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
60%
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
60%
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
56%
Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
56%
Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
53%
Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
53%
Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
50%
Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
50%
Speed of Closure - The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.

Work Activities

78%
Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
78%
Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
74%
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
72%
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
72%
Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
69%
Training and Teaching Others - Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
69%
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
69%
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
69%
Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
68%
Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
66%
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
62%
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
62%
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
62%
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
62%
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
61%
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
59%
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
59%
Coaching and Developing Others - Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
57%
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates - Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
55%
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
55%
Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
55%
Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
52%
Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
50%
Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Title Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Overall Experience Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job Training Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Job Zone Examples These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include food service managers, electricians, agricultural technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.
Education Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Interests

Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Work Styles

Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Work Values

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.