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What does an early childhood education instructor do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

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.

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Early childhood education instructor responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real early childhood education instructor resumes:

  • Manage groups of kids on a daily basis in the field to ensure safety while participating in activities.
  • Create daily lesson plans for multi-level adult ESL classes.
  • Educate students in the area of biology and chemistry.
  • Create an ABE department-wide curriculum as part of a development team.
  • Perform all other administrative tasks involve in the instruction of ABE classes.
  • Prepare syllabus and outline of instructional program and assemble material to be present.
  • Observe and evaluates students' work to identify progress and need for improvement.
  • Coordinate tutor training, matches, and assessments; work one-on-one with ESOL students.
  • Assist low-income ESOL adults in realizing their full potential through literacy, employment, advocacy and community involvement.
  • Design, develop, and implement curriculum for the ECE stackable certificate courses and 2nd year ECE courses for the degree.
  • Employ differentiated activities to facilitate language acquisition
  • Influence conversation and reading activities to reinforce language proficiency
  • Provide in-home behavioral services for children with autism or relate developmental disorder.
  • Contextualize teaching to integrate reading and math into specific industry or occupations.
  • Facilitate the assessment and planning of lessons for students obtaining high school equivalency certificate.

Early childhood education instructor skills and personality traits

We calculated that 25% of Early Childhood Education Instructors are proficient in Autism, Childhood Education, and Child Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Cultural sensitivity, Communication skills, and Patience.

We break down the percentage of Early Childhood Education Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Autism, 25%

    Implemented Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) teaching techniques to increase or decrease targeted behaviors for children on the autism spectrum.

  • Childhood Education, 11%

    Hired as a part-time instructor following components of Early Childhood Education curriculum and ESL curriculum.

  • Child Development, 8%

    Trained early childhood educators in licensing requirements, regulations, professional development, assessment, curriculum, and child development.

  • Syllabus, 7%

    Created and administered quiz and examination questions that were based upon performance objectives identified in the syllabus and their expected outcomes.

  • Child Care, 6%

    Developed surveys and focus groups within parent and child care community to determine support for a campus child care/learning lab.

  • Mathematics, 4%

    Prepared lesson plans and assignments for computer applications, computer programming, information technology, project management, and mathematics classes.

"autism," "childhood education," and "child development" are among the most common skills that early childhood education instructors use at work. You can find even more early childhood education instructor responsibilities below, including:

Cultural sensitivity. The most essential soft skill for an early childhood education instructor to carry out their responsibilities is cultural sensitivity. This skill is important for the role because "teachers work with students from a variety of cultural, educational, and economic backgrounds." Additionally, an early childhood education instructor resume shows how their duties depend on cultural sensitivity: "supervised classroom activities* responsible for the oversight of the infant and toddler multicultural rooms. "

Communication skills. Many early childhood education instructor duties rely on communication skills. "adult basic and secondary education and esl teachers must collaborate with other teachers and program administrators," so an early childhood education instructor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways early childhood education instructor responsibilities rely on communication skills: "raised awareness of career development and communication skills with refugees seeking to establish a new beginning in egypt"

Patience. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of early childhood education instructors is patience. This skill is critical to many everyday early childhood education instructor duties, as "working with students of different abilities and backgrounds can be difficult." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "embodied and honored the instructor s code of ethics of professionalism, patience, rapport, respect, and admission. "

All early childhood education instructor skills

The three companies that hire the most early childhood education instructors are:

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Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume
Early Childhood Education Instructor Resume

Compare different early childhood education instructors

Early childhood education instructor vs. Resource teacher

A Resource Teacher is responsible for providing curriculum support systems for students, teachers, and administrators. Another role of a Resource Teacher is to assist the class teacher and provide additional support for children with moderate learning difficulties.

We looked at the average early childhood education instructor salary and compared it with the wages of a resource teacher. Generally speaking, resource teachers are paid $2,193 higher than early childhood education instructors per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both early childhood education instructor and resource teacher positions are skilled in mathematics, professional development, and student learning.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an early childhood education instructor are more likely to require skills like "autism," "nys," "childhood education," and "child development." On the other hand, a job as a resource teacher requires skills like "classroom management," "math," "ieps," and "student achievement." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Resource teachers tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $50,696. In contrast, early childhood education instructors make the biggest average salary, $38,239, in the hospitality industry.On average, resource teachers reach similar levels of education than early childhood education instructors. Resource teachers are 3.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Early childhood education instructor vs. Pre-k teacher

Pre-K teachers play an essential role in the lives of young children ages three to five years old by developing and nurturing their interest in subjects appropriate for their age. They promote a creative learning environment and encourage social interactions among students while providing the fundamental educational foundation that will prepare them for a successful start to kindergarten. They are responsible for overseeing children during their mealtimes, reinforcing personal hygiene, and developing children's social skills. Pre-K teachers also plan curriculum and work with other school staff members.

On average, pre-k teachers earn a $993 lower salary than early childhood education instructors a year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both early childhood education instructors and pre-k teachers have skills such as "child development," "mathematics," and "professional development. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real early childhood education instructor resumes. While early childhood education instructor responsibilities can utilize skills like "autism," "nys," "childhood education," and "syllabus," pre-k teachers use skills like "kids," "math," "help support," and "language arts."

In general, pre-k teachers achieve lower levels of education than early childhood education instructors. They're 9.1% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Early childhood education instructor vs. Infant teacher

Infant teachers provide care to infants and a safe environment for them to develop. They are teachers that specialize in giving an educational environment to preschool babies and toddlers. These professional teachers guide the child or toddler in their educational development by creating appropriate programs. They lovingly, patiently, and efficiently respond to the child's needs. They should be able to demonstrate good judgment in their care and verbally engage with them throughout the day. Also, they must be caring and enjoy teaching these infants as well as be flexible in their schedule.

An average infant teacher eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of early childhood education instructors. The difference in salaries amounts to infant teachers earning a $12,218 lower average salary than early childhood education instructors.early childhood education instructors and infant teachers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "child development," "learning environment," and "early childhood development," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from early childhood education instructor resumes include skills like "autism," "nys," "childhood education," and "syllabus," whereas an infant teacher is more likely to list skills in "cpr," "customer service," "infant care," and "social growth. "

Infant teachers earn the highest salary when working in the finance industry, where they receive an average salary of $43,375. Comparatively, early childhood education instructors have the highest earning potential in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $38,239.Most infant teachers achieve a lower degree level compared to early childhood education instructors. For example, they're 18.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Early childhood education instructor vs. Head start teacher

A head start teacher is responsible for organizing lectures and monitoring classroom operations for students with financial difficulties. Head start teachers have the same roles as regular teachers, such as preparing lesson plans, conducting assessments to test the students' knowledge, documenting their progress, and planning group activities to observe their personal and social behaviors. They also coordinate with the students' parents to share the child's difficulties and strategize methods to enhance capabilities. A head start teacher must have excellent communication skills, especially in attending to students for their needs and encouraging them to reach their maximum potentials.

Head start teachers typically earn lower pay than early childhood education instructors. On average, head start teachers earn a $7,429 lower salary per year.According to resumes from early childhood education instructors and head start teachers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "child development," "child care," and "professional development. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. An early childhood education instructor uses "autism," "nys," "childhood education," and "syllabus." Head start teachers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "kids," "help support," "math," and "cpr. "The education industry tends to pay the highest salaries for head start teachers, with average annual pay of $38,680. Comparatively, the highest early childhood education instructor annual salary comes from the hospitality industry.In general, head start teachers hold lower degree levels compared to early childhood education instructors. Head start teachers are 10.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of early childhood education instructor

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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