Photo: Monika Wahi (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Job description
A typical day involves greeting children as they arrive, helping them settle in, and guiding them through activities that build early social and motor skills while watching closely for signs of developmental or behavioral concerns. Preschool teachers regularly coordinate with parents and other staff about a child's individual needs and progress, and often design their own classroom activities and displays around the ages and interests of their group. Many start with an associate's degree or child development credential and can advance into lead teacher or center director roles over time.
Pros
- Standard, predictable full-time hours (30-40/week), typically aligned with a school-year schedule
- Faster than average projected job growth (4.1% over the next decade)
- A large number of positions (65,500) nationwide, so openings are widely available
Cons
- Entry-level pay can be quite low, starting well under $30k
- Noisy, high-energy classroom environment for much of the day
- Regularly managing frustrated or upset young children as a core part of the job
A typical day
The room has to be ready before the first small person arrives at 7:45: activity stations set, name cards out, the day's book chosen. Morning circle means songs, calendar, and wiggle management, then center time — the teacher kneeling at the art table narrating colors, mediating a block-tower dispute, and quietly noting that one child's speech might need a screening referral. Lunch, nap setup, and the fifteen precious minutes of prep it buys. The afternoon holds outdoor play with counting games smuggled in, a parent conversation at pickup about biting, and after the room empties: sanitizing tables, updating progress notes, and planning tomorrow.
Tasks at the job
- 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.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and you work in close physical proximity to coworkers or the public for much of the shift. Noise levels can be distracting or uncomfortable.
You'll regularly deal with frustrated or upset people as part of the job.
Education necessary or common
Vocational training, apprenticeship, or associate's degree
Common college majors
Licenses & certifications
- Child Development Associate (CDA)
- State early-childhood teaching license (varies by setting)
- Pediatric CPR/First Aid
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- Child Development — many high schools offer it; it's the job's direct foundation
- Psychology/AP Psychology — how young minds actually develop
- English — read-alouds and early literacy are core teaching tools
- Art & Music — daily instruments of the trade
- Health — safety, nutrition, and wellness basics
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Educators Rising — the national pipeline organization for future teachers
- FCCLA — family and consumer sciences leadership, with early-childhood events
- Babysitting, church nursery, or camp counselor work
- Volunteer at a library story time or after-school program
First steps you can take now
- Get certified in pediatric CPR and First Aid this month
- Volunteer weekly in a preschool, Sunday school, or library children's program
- Ask a preschool director whether they hire high schoolers as aides — many do
- Look up your state's Child Development Associate (CDA) requirements
