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Early childhood special educator vs teacher

The differences between early childhood special educators and teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a teacher has an average salary of $47,989, 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 teacher are ESL, handle scheduling, and kids.

Early childhood special educator vs teacher overview

Early Childhood Special EducatorTeacher
Yearly salary$36,798$47,989
Hourly rate$17.69$23.07
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs62,48771,918
Job satisfaction-4.14
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
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 teacher do?

Being a teacher is one of the most passionate professions, among others. Teachers educate, motivate, and guide every generation of learners to prepare them for the real world. Every teacher is unique and has their own teaching styles and methods depending on the subject they teach and the age of their students. Oftentimes they also function as a parent, counselor, coach, friend, and even a lawmaker. There is essentially no limit to the roles a teacher portrays.

Early childhood special educator vs teacher salary

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

Early Childhood Special EducatorTeacher
Average salary$36,798$47,989
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $58,000Between $32,000 And $70,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYBaltimore, MD
Highest paying stateNew JerseyMaryland
Best paying companyBaltimore City Public SchoolsKing Low Heywood Thomas
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between early childhood special educator and teacher education

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

Early Childhood Special EducatorTeacher
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorEarly Childhood EducationElementary Education
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Early childhood special educator vs teacher demographics

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

Early Childhood Special EducatorTeacher
Average age4342
Gender ratioMale, 7.1% Female, 92.9%Male, 25.7% Female, 74.3%
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, 10.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage8%9%

Differences between early childhood special educator and 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

Teacher example responsibilities.

  • Work closely with co-teacher to manage and co-teach curriculum to a large group.
  • Target at risk and high achieving students using levele readers and DRA strategies.
  • Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
  • Develop social studies and geography curriculum.
  • Provide kindergarten readiness in approaching phonemic awareness, phonics, and introductory math skills.
  • Attend and participate in ESL professional development activities, conferences/workshops, curriculum/program planning, & special events and activities.
  • Show more

Early childhood special educator vs teacher skills

Common early childhood special educator skills
  • Autism, 9%
  • Classroom Management, 9%
  • CPR, 8%
  • Child Development, 6%
  • IEP, 5%
  • Child Care, 5%
Common teacher skills
  • ESL, 17%
  • Handle Scheduling, 15%
  • Kids, 12%
  • Classroom Management, 7%
  • CPR, 5%
  • Curriculum Development, 4%

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