"kids," "math," and "cpr" aren't the only skills we found head start teachers list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of head start teacher responsibilities that we found, including:
Arguably the most important personality trait for a head start teacher to have happens to be creativity. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "preschool teachers must plan lessons that engage young children" Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that head start teachers can use creativity to "teach students, parents meetings, prepare students for kindergarten transition, head start program tests, creative curriculum" While it may not be the most important skill, we found that many head start teacher duties rely on organizational skills. This example from a head start teacher explains why: "teachers need to be organized to plan lessons and keep records of the children." This resume example is just one of many ways head start teachers are able to utilize organizational skills: "reviewed organizational governance policies and procedures to make sure the organization was in compliance with the head start performance standards. " Another skill that is quite popular among head start teachers is interpersonal skills. This skill is very critical to fulfilling every day responsibilities as is shown in this example from a head start teacher resume: "preschool teachers must understand children’s emotional needs and be able to develop relationships with parents, children, and coworkers." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "assist children in academic and personal/social growth through interpersonal, organizational, and conflict-resolution skills. " A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "physical stamina" is important to completing head start teacher responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way head start teachers use this skill: "preschool teachers should have a lot of energy, because working with children can be physically demanding." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical head start teacher tasks: "create an enthusiastic classroom environment favorable to learning and suitable to the physical, social, and emotional growth of students. " As part of the head start teacher description, you might find that one of the skills that might be helpful to the job is "communication skills." A head start teacher resume included this snippet: "preschool teachers need good writing and speaking skills to talk to parents and colleagues about children’s progress" This skill could be useful in this scenario: "provided family services to 8 families of high needs and high risk through monthly home visits and daily communication. " Another skill commonly found on head start teacher resumes is "patience." This description of the skill was found on several head start teacher resumes: "working with children may be stressful" Here's an example from a resume of how this skill could fit into the day-to-day head start teacher responsibilities: "demonstrated patience and understanding while managing difficult behaviors to maintain conducive learning environment in the classroom. " See the full list of head start teacher skills.
After discovering the most helpful skills, we moved onto what kind of education might be helpful in becoming a head start teacher. We found that 55.2% of head start teachers have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 11.0% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While most head start teachers have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every seven head start teachers were not college graduates.
Those head start teachers who do attend college, typically earn either a early childhood education degree or a human development degree. Less commonly earned degrees for head start teachers include a elementary education degree or a education degree.
Once you're ready to become a head start teacher, you should explore the companies that typically hire head start teachers. According to head start teacher resumes that we searched through, head start teachers are hired the most by WCCA - Wright County Community Action, Save the Children US, and Ymca Of Metropolitan Atlanta. Currently, WCCA - Wright County Community Action has 80 head start teacher job openings, while there are 54 at Save the Children US and 43 at Ymca Of Metropolitan Atlanta.
But if you're interested in companies where you might earn a high salary, head start teachers tend to earn the biggest salaries at Topeka Public Schools, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, and Broward County Public Schools. Take Topeka Public Schools for example. The median head start teacher salary is $51,283. At Prince George's County Memorial Library System, head start teachers earn an average of $49,764, while the average at Broward County Public Schools is $48,125. You should take into consideration how difficult it might be to secure a job with one of these companies.
View more details on head start teacher salaries across the United States.
If you earned a degree from the top 100 educational institutions in the United States, you might want to take a look at ESL Federal Credit Union, KinderCare Education, and Bright Horizons. These three companies have hired a significant number of head start teachers from these institutions.
The industries that head start teachers fulfill the most roles in are the non profits and education industries. But the highest head start teacher annual salary is in the education industry, averaging $38,680. In the professional industry they make $36,345 and average about $35,612 in the non profits industry. In conclusion, head start teachers who work in the education industry earn a 18.7% higher salary than head start teachers in the government industry.
