1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
Pre-K teachers are saddled with the responsibility of educating children before they reach kindergarten age. You will work with children from the ages of two to five. Responsibilities vary and are determined based on where you work, but there are many major tasks associated with this job. You are to work one on one with the kids, keeping them engaged and assessing each child's progress. Tending to their personal needs like giving bathroom assistance and helping them remove their coats is also one of your duties. It is also necessary to plan curriculum and schedules. You are to focus on areas like personal hygiene, social skills, child development, and language skills. This curriculum and schedule also include daily routines like physical exercise, playtime, and adequate rest time. It is also expected that you communicate with the parents concerning their child's progress.
Educational requirements for this role vary depending on the employer and location. While some only need a high school diploma, some need a four-year degree in childhood education. Some require a license, while some do not. Apart from educational qualifications, you must have lots of energy and be patient to make a wonderful Pre-K teacher. You must also love working with kids. The average pay per year is $28,990.
There are certain skills that many pre-k 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 communication skills, patience and physical stamina.
If you're interested in becoming a pre-k teacher, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 57.0% of pre-k teachers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 12.4% of pre-k teachers have master's degrees. Even though most pre-k teachers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a pre-k teacher can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as kindergarten teacher, progress to a title such as lead teacher and then eventually end up with the title center director.
What Am I Worth?
The role of a pre-k 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 pre-k teacher responsibilities:
There are several types of pre-k teacher, including:
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.
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.
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.
Mouse over a state to see the number of active pre-k teacher jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where pre-k teachers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
---|---|---|---|
1 | California | 1,780 | $55,235 |
2 | Texas | 1,530 | $46,873 |
3 | Illinois | 1,368 | $40,798 |
4 | Florida | 1,230 | $34,731 |
5 | New Jersey | 1,014 | $51,897 |
6 | New York | 936 | $62,828 |
7 | Pennsylvania | 834 | $47,164 |
8 | Arizona | 738 | $31,684 |
9 | Maryland | 737 | $59,598 |
10 | Michigan | 709 | $41,329 |
11 | Colorado | 687 | $32,477 |
12 | Massachusetts | 655 | $60,538 |
13 | North Carolina | 646 | $30,541 |
14 | Georgia | 641 | $35,108 |
15 | Virginia | 629 | $42,420 |
16 | Ohio | 600 | $37,942 |
17 | Minnesota | 554 | $50,071 |
18 | Washington | 408 | $47,682 |
19 | Connecticut | 389 | $50,969 |
20 | Indiana | 383 | $33,590 |
21 | Missouri | 371 | $30,041 |
22 | Nevada | 355 | $34,629 |
23 | Tennessee | 349 | $32,200 |
24 | Wisconsin | 321 | $36,091 |
25 | South Carolina | 320 | $30,494 |
26 | Oklahoma | 247 | $32,360 |
27 | New Mexico | 218 | $42,633 |
28 | Kansas | 211 | $33,124 |
29 | Iowa | 206 | $39,974 |
30 | Oregon | 206 | $40,742 |
31 | New Hampshire | 201 | $42,225 |
32 | Louisiana | 158 | $33,997 |
33 | Alabama | 152 | $39,326 |
34 | Nebraska | 151 | $42,579 |
35 | Arkansas | 134 | $30,796 |
36 | Kentucky | 122 | $38,484 |
37 | Utah | 115 | $37,420 |
38 | Montana | 104 | $35,854 |
39 | Delaware | 100 | $40,367 |
40 | Mississippi | 90 | $33,774 |
41 | Idaho | 72 | $31,837 |
42 | Rhode Island | 47 | $50,541 |
43 | Maine | 43 | $36,830 |
44 | Vermont | 41 | $44,106 |
45 | Wyoming | 35 | $37,821 |
46 | West Virginia | 22 | $34,845 |
47 | North Dakota | 21 | $37,701 |
48 | Alaska | 17 | $48,168 |
49 | South Dakota | 15 | $31,361 |
50 | Hawaii | 10 | $43,989 |
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
Nashville, TN • Private
In-State Tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-State Tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
Champaign, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
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, 27.3% of pre-k teachers listed kids on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and patience are important as well.
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Pre-K Teacher templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Pre-K Teacher resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
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The English and Academic Preparation - Pre-Collegiate non-credit course is for students with a (minimum) high-intermediate level of English. This certificate course is designed to help domestic and international students develop the academic skills necessary for success in undergraduate studies at an American university while strengthening their English proficiency. Ideally, prospective students have completed or are near completion of a high school diploma in their country and would like to...
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Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a pre-k teacher. The best states for people in this position are New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, and California. Pre-k teachers make the most in New York with an average salary of $62,828. Whereas in Massachusetts and Maryland, they would average $60,538 and $59,598, respectively. While pre-k teachers would only make an average of $55,235 in California, 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. Maryland
$59,598
Avg. Salary
2. New York
$62,828
Avg. Salary
3. Massachusetts
$60,538
Avg. Salary
Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Prince George's County Memorial Library System | $52,967 | $25.46 | 28 |
2 | Legacy Academy | $45,504 | $21.88 | 18 |
3 | Kiddie Academy | $45,011 | $21.64 | 28 |
4 | Children’s Friend Learning Centers | $42,522 | $20.44 | 35 |
5 | Stepping Stone School | $35,761 | $17.19 | 14 |
6 | Sheltering Arms | $35,137 | $16.89 | 24 |
7 | Discovery Point | $31,651 | $15.22 | 36 |
8 | Brightside Academy | $31,069 | $14.94 | 15 |
9 | Bright Horizons | $31,064 | $14.93 | 77 |
10 | Child Development Center | $31,023 | $14.91 | 14 |