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Early childhood special educator vs head teacher

The differences between early childhood special educators and head teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a head teacher has an average salary of $51,715, which is higher than the $36,798 average annual salary of an early childhood special educator.

The top three skills for an early childhood special educator include autism, classroom management and CPR. The most important skills for a head teacher are classroom management, child care, and creative curriculum.

Early childhood special educator vs head teacher overview

Early Childhood Special EducatorHead Teacher
Yearly salary$36,798$51,715
Hourly rate$17.69$24.86
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs62,48773,756
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age4342
Years of experience2-

What does an early childhood special educator do?

Early childhood special educators are professionals who provide direct services for infants and young children that are experiencing delays in their development. These educators are required to collaborate with parents to provide a program of activities that can encourage the growth of the children's skills. By incorporating the advice of other professionals, early childhood special educators must create individual education plans that address the specific learning challenges of children. They must also identify signs of child abuse and neglect so that they can take the necessary actions to remediate the situation.

What does a head teacher do?

A headteacher is responsible for monitoring the students' overall learning process, managing and evaluating the performance of school staff, implementing effective learning strategies for the students, encouraging them to reach their maximum potential, and gain self-confidence. Headteachers often lead meetings, especially discussing school activities and the child's performance to their parents, implementing safety policies, and enforcing disciplinary actions for policy violations. A headteacher must have excellent leadership and communication skills to handle the students' needs and support their high-quality performance.

Early childhood special educator vs head teacher salary

Early childhood special educators and head teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Early Childhood Special EducatorHead Teacher
Average salary$36,798$51,715
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $58,000Between $32,000 And $83,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYBoston, MA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyMassachusetts
Best paying companyBaltimore City Public SchoolsGrand View Health
Best paying industryEducationRetail

Differences between early childhood special educator and head teacher education

There are a few differences between an early childhood special educator and a head teacher in terms of educational background:

Early Childhood Special EducatorHead Teacher
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorEarly Childhood EducationEarly Childhood Education
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Early childhood special educator vs head teacher demographics

Here are the differences between early childhood special educators' and head teachers' demographics:

Early Childhood Special EducatorHead Teacher
Average age4342
Gender ratioMale, 7.1% Female, 92.9%Male, 13.8% Female, 86.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage8%9%

Differences between early childhood special educator and head teacher duties and responsibilities

Early childhood special educator example responsibilities.

  • Target at risk and high achieving students using levele readers and DRA strategies.
  • Collaborate with other Pre-K teachers to plan and team-teach with a multicultural focus.
  • Develop IFSP's design to promote students' educational, physical, or social needs.
  • Assist in other classrooms as needed, from infants to pre-k, to help gain knowledge of children of all ages.
  • Adapted/Individualize curriculum base on individual student needs, including all need self-help skills.
  • Develop IEP objectives consistent with daily instruction as provided, base on developmentally appropriate activities.
  • Show more

Head teacher example responsibilities.

  • Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
  • Plan and implement cohesive, age-appropriate curriculum for severely disable children in Pre-K program.
  • Develop and implement age-appropriate curriculum for toddler program, ensuring that appropriate opportunities are provided in order to maximize learning potential.
  • Set up the physical environment to meet the changing needs of infants and toddlers in accordance with ECERS and ITERS-R assessments.

Early childhood special educator vs head teacher skills

Common early childhood special educator skills
  • Autism, 9%
  • Classroom Management, 9%
  • CPR, 8%
  • Child Development, 6%
  • IEP, 5%
  • Child Care, 5%
Common head teacher skills
  • Classroom Management, 26%
  • Child Care, 13%
  • Creative Curriculum, 5%
  • Language Arts, 5%
  • Pre-K, 5%
  • Mathematics, 5%

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