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The differences between early childhood special educators and lead teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an early childhood special educator and a lead teacher. Additionally, an early childhood special educator has an average salary of $36,798, which is higher than the $33,652 average annual salary of a lead teacher.
The top three skills for an early childhood special educator include autism, classroom management and CPR. The most important skills for a lead teacher are CPR, customer service, and child care.
| Early Childhood Special Educator | Lead Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $36,798 | $33,652 |
| Hourly rate | $17.69 | $16.18 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 62,487 | 56,131 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
The Lead Teacher works with parents to resolve student issues and train new teachers on effective teaching techniques. A Lead Teacher is a licensed teacher with extensive teaching experience and preferably has a master's in education or related studies. They are an integral part of a school's faculty and the principal's arm in drafting policies for implementation.
Early childhood special educators and lead teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Early Childhood Special Educator | Lead Teacher | |
| Average salary | $36,798 | $33,652 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $58,000 | Between $22,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Baltimore City Public Schools | Success Preparatory Academy |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between an early childhood special educator and a lead teacher in terms of educational background:
| Early Childhood Special Educator | Lead Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Early Childhood Education | Early Childhood Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | San Diego State University |
Here are the differences between early childhood special educators' and lead teachers' demographics:
| Early Childhood Special Educator | Lead Teacher | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 7.1% Female, 92.9% | Male, 10.2% Female, 89.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 7.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 3.5% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |