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The differences between elementary classroom teachers and early childhood teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an elementary classroom teacher has an average salary of $48,105, which is higher than the $33,205 average annual salary of an early childhood teacher.
The top three skills for an elementary classroom teacher include instructional materials, student learning and data analysis. The most important skills for an early childhood teacher are CPR, child development, and professional development.
| Elementary Classroom Teacher | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $48,105 | $33,205 |
| Hourly rate | $23.13 | $15.96 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 69,970 | 56,821 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
An Elementary Classroom Teacher is in charge of delivering classroom instruction to help students learn and develop their skills and potentials. Their responsibilities include performing research, preparing lesson plans and learning materials, organizing activities to enhance the students' interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, conducting quizzes and examinations, computing grades, and developing teaching strategies according to the students' needs. Elementary Classroom Teachers monitor the progress and behavior of students, all while maintaining a safe and healthy classroom environment for everyone.
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.
Elementary classroom teachers and early childhood teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Elementary Classroom Teacher | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Average salary | $48,105 | $33,205 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $61,000 | Between $22,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | New York |
| Best paying company | Shelby County Board Of Education | Governors State University |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between an elementary classroom teacher and an early childhood teacher in terms of educational background:
| Elementary Classroom Teacher | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Elementary Education | Early Childhood Education |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between elementary classroom teachers' and early childhood teachers' demographics:
| Elementary Classroom Teacher | Early Childhood Teacher | |
| Average age | 42 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9% | Male, 7.6% Female, 92.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 9% | 5% |