What is a Head Start Teacher?

Early childhood education is important in the development of children. Kids pick up a lot of information and skills even before they start formal schooling. Often, they form core traits and knowledge that will shape their growth and maturity. Most of the time, parents handle the development of their children at this time. However, there are instances when parents cannot do so due to work and other responsibilities.

They enroll their kids in pre-kindergarten classes instead. Some kids whose parents cannot afford pre-kindergarten classes enroll them in Head Start schools. In these schools, Head Start Teachers are in charge of the kids' development. Head Start teachers manage the classroom. They create educational plans and deliver these lessons to pre-kindergarten children from low-income families. Usual lessons include personal hygiene, nutrition, and proper manners and conduct. They teach children and prepare them for kindergarten.

If you are the type who likes to make a difference in children's lives, this would be an amazing career for you. Of course, you need to have endless patience and an approachable demeanor to be great at this!

What Does a Head Start Teacher Do

There are certain skills that many head start teachers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed creativity, organizational skills and interpersonal skills.

Learn more about what a Head Start Teacher does

How To Become a Head Start Teacher

If you're interested in becoming a head start teacher, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 55.2% of head start teachers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 11.0% of head start teachers have master's degrees. Even though most head start teachers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Head Start Teacher

Head Start Teacher Job Description

A head start teacher is responsible for educating and caring for children ages three to five during their stay at a kindergarten or preschool. Their duties include delivering planned lessons, working with parents to ensure proper mental and social growth, and responding to any emergencies.

Learn more about Head Start Teacher Job Description
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Head Start Teacher Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of kindergarten teacher you might progress to a role such as lead teacher eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title center director.

Head Start Teacher

Average Salary for a Head Start Teacher

Head Start Teachers in America make an average salary of $33,865 per year or $16 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $49,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $23,000 per year.
Average Head Start Teacher Salary
$33,865 Yearly
$16.28 hourly
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Roles and Types of Head Start Teacher

The role of a head start teacher includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general head start teacher responsibilities:

  • Setting up a classroom that is developmentally appropriate
  • Initially, daily in home visits are necessary to meet program outcomes, which will decrease to 2 days per week once the program is center based provide families with education
  • Plan, implement and evaluate a child care program consistent with policies developed by the ymca child development center. Follow criteria defined by the dcfs, dhs child care performance standards

There are several types of head start teacher, including:

Teacher

Role:

A teacher isn't just someone you realize you look up to later in life. A teacher is someone who teaches important life lessons while making sure to include academic lessons along the way.

Typically, a teacher only works during school hours, which means they get to beat rush hour traffic. Although, it's not uncommon for teachers to spend their nights and weekends preparing lessons and grading papers. An added bonus of being a teacher is getting to enjoy summer vacation.

  • Average Salary: $47,989
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Substitute Teacher

Role:

Substitute teachers are there when regular teachers need backup. If the regular teacher can't make it into school on a given day, a substitute teacher is called.

Sometimes you won't know you're going into teach a class until that day, that's why you kind of have to be "on-call" as a substitute teacher. You never know when you're going to be needed. Some substitute teachers get to fill in if a regular teacher has to take an extended absence, which means you'll be there until they get back. Long-term substitute gigs can mean anything from two weeks to five months or more.

It's important as a substitute teacher to establish some ground rules when you first step into the classroom. Since you're not the regular teacher, some students may decide they don't have to follow any rules, which definitely makes "subbing" even harder. But don't worry - you've got this.

  • Average Salary: $32,904
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Teacher Aide

Role:

A Teacher Aide assists a classroom teacher in dealing with a large number of children. He/She or she helps engage children's attention through one-on-one activities or group exercises. These are part of the integral lesson plan created by the teacher. They might be involved in helping the teacher design the lessons and activities or provide support for dealing with children with special needs.

Teacher aides help manage outdoor games and physical activities or assist with extra activities such as physiotherapy. Sometimes they are responsible for extra classes, like teaching a foreign language. They administer medication to students who need it and help with requests regarding personal hygiene.

Part of the responsibilities of a teacher's aide is to monitor and discuss the child's progress with the parents and other teachers.

  • Average Salary: $29,480
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Head Start Teacher Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active head start teacher jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where head start teachers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Head Start Teacher Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California2,118$37,414
2Texas1,911$35,627
3Illinois1,421$34,191
4Florida1,399$26,968
5New York1,262$42,836
6New Jersey1,071$42,539
7Pennsylvania1,058$31,770
8North Carolina872$30,773
9Massachusetts864$46,586
10Georgia799$28,853
11Maryland765$35,708
12Virginia748$39,053
13Ohio747$31,401
14Colorado707$37,690
15Michigan697$34,517
16Minnesota642$39,993
17Indiana574$31,728
18Washington515$36,406
19Tennessee482$31,031
20Missouri467$36,771
21Arizona452$34,110
22South Carolina413$26,576
23Wisconsin345$30,062
24Oklahoma299$30,770
25Oregon285$36,118
26Connecticut276$39,735
27Iowa275$30,294
28Kansas260$32,600
29Nevada248$31,195
30New Mexico231$38,219
31New Hampshire205$35,006
32Louisiana188$29,765
33Nebraska183$35,119
34Utah181$30,212
35Alabama168$22,397
36Kentucky164$33,644
37Arkansas147$32,906
38Montana126$29,647
39Mississippi126$26,150
40Delaware120$30,907
41Idaho107$28,260
42Rhode Island86$31,510
43Maine63$36,604
44Vermont47$43,426
45Wyoming38$37,635
46West Virginia26$38,820
47Alaska24$32,089
48North Dakota22$35,164
49South Dakota21$32,626
50Hawaii14$39,617

Head Start Teacher Education

Head Start Teacher Majors

Early Childhood Education
28.2 %
Human Development
14.7 %
Elementary Education
12.0 %

Head Start Teacher Degrees

Bachelors

55.2 %

Associate

25.7 %

Masters

11.0 %

Top Colleges for Head Start Teachers

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

Top Skills For a Head Start Teacher

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 46.3% of head start teachers listed kids on their resume, but soft skills such as creativity and organizational skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Head Start Teacher Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Head Start Teacher templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Head Start Teacher resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Head Start Teacher Resume
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Head Start Teacher diversity

Head Start Teacher Gender Distribution

Female
Female
92%
Male
Male
8%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among head start teachers, 92.1% of them are women, while 7.9% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among head start teachers is White, which makes up 60.9% of all head start teachers.

  • The most common foreign language among head start teachers is Spanish at 80.0%.

Online Courses For Head Start Teacher That You May Like

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1. Severe to Profound Intellectual Disability: Circles of Care and Education

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This course is about caring for and educating children (and youth) with severe to profound intellectual disability. We use the idea of 'circles' to position the child at the center of the many levels of support needed. Around the child are circles of care and education - such as the parents, family, friends, caregivers, educators, health care workers and others such as neighbors, business owners and community members. Each one has an important role to play in the life of a person with an...

2. Motivating Gen Z Learners: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know

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The purpose of this course is to equip parents and educators with the knowledge of motivational theories and their application in real-life contexts. Following the storyline of two children, Bob and Sarah, course participants are presented with a variety of problem scenarios. These depict common motivational issues that the participants can resolve using the motivational principles described in the course. Through the various sessions, parents and educators will progressively build a repertoire...

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Best States For a Head Start Teacher

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a head start teacher. The best states for people in this position are Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, and New Jersey. Head start teachers make the most in Massachusetts with an average salary of $46,586. Whereas in Vermont and New York, they would average $43,426 and $42,836, respectively. While head start teachers would only make an average of $42,539 in New Jersey, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. New Jersey

Total Head Start Teacher Jobs: 1,071
Highest 10% Earn:
$65,000
Location Quotient:
1.58

$42,539

Avg. Salary

View 1,071 Head Start Teacher Jobs In NJ

2. Massachusetts

Total Head Start Teacher Jobs: 864
Highest 10% Earn:
$69,000
Location Quotient:
1.1

$46,586

Avg. Salary

View 864 Head Start Teacher Jobs In MA

3. New York

Total Head Start Teacher Jobs: 1,262
Highest 10% Earn:
$65,000
Location Quotient:
1.15

$42,836

Avg. Salary

View 1,262 Head Start Teacher Jobs In NY
Full List Of Best States For Head Start Teachers

How Do Head Start Teachers Rate Their Jobs?

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Top Head Start Teacher Employers

Most Common Employers For Head Start Teacher

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Save the Children US$47,359$22.7711
2Matrix Human Services$45,049$21.6614
3AVANCE$42,357$20.3614
4Children International$41,620$20.0121
5Gulf Coast Community Services Association$39,183$18.8421
6Telamon$39,170$18.8312
7Community Action Agency$38,651$18.5819
8COMMUNITY ACTION COUNCIL OF PORTAGE COUNTY$37,465$18.0126
9Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County$37,420$17.9912
10Community Action$36,703$17.6515
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Updated April 6, 2023