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Child development teacher vs kindergarten teacher

The differences between child development teachers and kindergarten teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a kindergarten teacher has an average salary of $48,029, which is higher than the $33,367 average annual salary of a child development teacher.

The top three skills for a child development teacher include CPR, child care and professional development. The most important skills for a kindergarten teacher are classroom management, math, and professional development.

Child development teacher vs kindergarten teacher overview

Child Development TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Yearly salary$33,367$48,029
Hourly rate$16.04$23.09
Growth rate15%4%
Number of jobs122,28265,972
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4040
Years of experience2-

What does a child development teacher do?

Also called childcare teachers, child development teachers take responsibility for encouraging creativity in young students. Child development teachers establish a strong education through formal teaching and playtime. These teachers design and follow scheduled activities and discover appropriate teaching material. They balance their teaching between social and logical exercises. Media, drawing, outdoor or indoor games, and stories are the teaching methods they use to strengthen their children's abilities. Also, they comply with the safety regulations and teaching standards established by officials.

What does a kindergarten teacher do?

Kindergarten teachers teach young children social and emotional skills, reading skills, music, and personal hygiene. They prepare these children for elementary school and certain life aspects. It is also their responsibility to teach children good classroom behavior, plan the curriculum daily and the whole school year, and conduct parent-teach meetings. Kindergarten teachers should encourage children to be observant of activities and give them the chance to ask questions and find the answers. They should also work with parents in putting an action plan to help children with emotional or developmental problems.

Child development teacher vs kindergarten teacher salary

Child development teachers and kindergarten teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Child Development TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Average salary$33,367$48,029
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $46,000Between $37,000 And $62,000
Highest paying CityRedwood City, CAPalo Alto, CA
Highest paying stateMarylandHawaii
Best paying companyGoogleBrooklyn Waldorf School
Best paying industryEducationFinance

Differences between child development teacher and kindergarten teacher education

There are a few differences between a child development teacher and a kindergarten teacher in terms of educational background:

Child Development TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorHuman DevelopmentElementary Education
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Child development teacher vs kindergarten teacher demographics

Here are the differences between child development teachers' and kindergarten teachers' demographics:

Child Development TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 8.9% Female, 91.1%Male, 8.2% Female, 91.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 5.6% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between child development teacher and kindergarten teacher duties and responsibilities

Child development teacher example responsibilities.

  • Plan and develop curriculum, manage mathematics department.
  • Lead teacher of pre-K children.
  • Complete DRDP's and conduct parent conferences.
  • Create a syllabus, exams, and assignments.
  • Adapt CDA curriculum to meet the needs of the students.
  • Assist children with homework encompassing language, science, math, and art activities.
  • Show more

Kindergarten teacher example responsibilities.

  • Utilize PLC time to meet the needs of struggling and achieving students
  • Target at risk and high achieving students using levele readers and DRA strategies.
  • Present history and math PowerPoint lessons.
  • Serve on data teams to coordinate with ELA, math and RTI specialists to ensure student growth and success.
  • Develop daily literacy and math base learning centers to promote cooperative learning and independent practice.
  • Plan and teach an 1st and 2nd grade ELA unit.
  • Show more

Child development teacher vs kindergarten teacher skills

Common child development teacher skills
  • CPR, 30%
  • Child Care, 20%
  • Professional Development, 8%
  • Learning Environment, 5%
  • Learning Styles, 4%
  • CDC, 4%
Common kindergarten teacher skills
  • Classroom Management, 27%
  • Math, 14%
  • Professional Development, 7%
  • Language Arts, 5%
  • Social Studies, 4%
  • Classroom Environment, 4%

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