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The differences between lead pre-kindergarten teachers and early childhood special educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a lead pre-kindergarten teacher and an early childhood special educator. Additionally, an early childhood special educator has an average salary of $36,798, which is higher than the $32,779 average annual salary of a lead pre-kindergarten teacher.
The top three skills for a lead pre-kindergarten teacher include classroom management, language arts and CPR. The most important skills for an early childhood special educator are autism, classroom management, and CPR.
| Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Yearly salary | $32,779 | $36,798 |
| Hourly rate | $15.76 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 55,663 | 62,487 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 40 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher is responsible for running a public or private school. Their main duty is to prepare education programs for children, as well as prepare the children for kindergarten.
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.
Lead pre-kindergarten teachers and early childhood special educators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Average salary | $32,779 | $36,798 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $51,000 | Between $23,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Baltimore City Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between a lead pre-kindergarten teacher and an early childhood special educator in terms of educational background:
| Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Early Childhood Education | Early Childhood Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between lead pre-kindergarten teachers' and early childhood special educators' demographics:
| Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Average age | 40 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 7.1% Female, 92.9% | Male, 7.1% Female, 92.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 6.4% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |