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Day care teacher vs kindergarten teacher

The differences between day care 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 $31,231 average annual salary of a day care teacher.

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

Day care teacher vs kindergarten teacher overview

Day Care TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Yearly salary$31,231$48,029
Hourly rate$15.01$23.09
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs138,11065,972
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4440
Years of experience--

What does a day care teacher do?

A Daycare Teacher is an individual who educates young children and toddlers with lessons and daily activities. Daycare Teachers perform various tasks that include grading student assignments and worksheets, encouraging good manners and positive behavior, and stimulating students intellectually using different learning methods such as games and stories. They will communicate with parents and provide them updates on their children's progress. They will also identify behavioral issues and create strategies to resolve them.

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.

Day care teacher vs kindergarten teacher salary

Day care teachers and kindergarten teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Day Care TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Average salary$31,231$48,029
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $42,000Between $37,000 And $62,000
Highest paying CityCambridge, MAPalo Alto, CA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsHawaii
Best paying companyCincinnati Hills Christian AcademyBrooklyn Waldorf School
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between day care teacher and kindergarten teacher education

There are a few differences between a day care teacher and a kindergarten teacher in terms of educational background:

Day Care TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorElementary EducationElementary Education
Most common collegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Day care teacher vs kindergarten teacher demographics

Here are the differences between day care teachers' and kindergarten teachers' demographics:

Day Care TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Average age4440
Gender ratioMale, 10.3% Female, 89.7%Male, 8.2% Female, 91.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 9.0% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%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 Percentage6%5%

Differences between day care teacher and kindergarten teacher duties and responsibilities

Day care teacher example responsibilities.

  • Participate in safety, first aid and CPR classes.
  • Offer detailed daily reports that outline each child's activities.Upheld all CPR and Florida regulate certifications.
  • Operate van safely when driving residents, adhering to reasonable cleanliness standards and notifying appropriate personnel of maintenance concerns.
  • Prepare, plan, organize, and instruct interactive classes to engage children in bible and life lessons.

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

Day care teacher vs kindergarten teacher skills

Common day care teacher skills
  • Kids, 20%
  • Child Care, 17%
  • CPR, 11%
  • Learning Environment, 11%
  • Mathematics, 8%
  • Child Development, 8%
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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