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The differences between early childhood education instructors and early childhood teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an early childhood education instructor, becoming an early childhood teacher takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an early childhood education instructor has an average salary of $41,294, which is higher than the $33,205 average annual salary of an early childhood teacher.
The top three skills for an early childhood education instructor include autism, childhood education and child development. The most important skills for an early childhood teacher are CPR, child development, and professional development.
| Early Childhood Education Instructor | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $41,294 | $33,205 |
| Hourly rate | $19.85 | $15.96 |
| Growth rate | -6% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 68,342 | 56,821 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
With love for children, an early childhood education instructor helps children reach their optimum intelligence and healthy physique level. They develop programs that help children develop skills appropriate for age and development. Through these programs, they can observe for any developmental delays and behavioral problems of children. Instructors can tell the parents their observations and assist in looking for suitable solutions. They work alongside nurses, social workers, and parents to better all children and their health.
An early childhood teacher specializes in handling and teaching young learners as they prepare for their formal schooling stage. Their responsibilities revolve around addressing and meeting the needs of students, organizing recreational activities for learning processes, and devising strategies to help the learners with their interpersonal and emotional growth. Furthermore, as an early childhood teacher, it is essential to monitor the children's progress and provide updates to their parents, all while maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for everyone.
Early childhood education instructors and early childhood teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Early Childhood Education Instructor | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Average salary | $41,294 | $33,205 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $57,000 | Between $22,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Northwestern University | Governors State University |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between an early childhood education instructor and an early childhood teacher in terms of educational background:
| Early Childhood Education Instructor | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Early Childhood Education | Early Childhood Education |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between early childhood education instructors' and early childhood teachers' demographics:
| Early Childhood Education Instructor | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 5.8% Female, 94.2% | Male, 7.6% Female, 92.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 6.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 5.4% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 5% |