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Preschool assistant vs special education instructional assistant

The differences between preschool assistants and special education instructional assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special education instructional assistant has an average salary of $32,025, which is higher than the $28,442 average annual salary of a preschool assistant.

The top three skills for a preschool assistant include CPR, child care and classroom management. The most important skills for a special education instructional assistant are CPR, instructional materials, and autism.

Preschool assistant vs special education instructional assistant overview

Preschool AssistantSpecial Education Instructional Assistant
Yearly salary$28,442$32,025
Hourly rate$13.67$15.40
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs27,23360,974
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

Preschool assistant vs special education instructional assistant salary

Preschool assistants and special education instructional assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Preschool AssistantSpecial Education Instructional Assistant
Average salary$28,442$32,025
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $35,000Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CitySan Luis Obispo, CARedwood City, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiHawaii
Best paying companyGreenfield Union School DistrictGoleta Union School District
Best paying industryFinanceEducation

Differences between preschool assistant and special education instructional assistant education

There are a few differences between a preschool assistant and a special education instructional assistant in terms of educational background:

Preschool AssistantSpecial Education Instructional Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 50%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorEarly Childhood EducationPsychology
Most common collegeStanford UniversityNorthwestern University

Preschool assistant vs special education instructional assistant demographics

Here are the differences between preschool assistants' and special education instructional assistants' demographics:

Preschool AssistantSpecial Education Instructional Assistant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 7.5% Female, 92.5%Male, 19.3% Female, 80.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between preschool assistant and special education instructional assistant duties and responsibilities

Preschool assistant example responsibilities.

  • Receive training in CPR and first aid, and gain experienceworking with children with food allergies.
  • Assist child in accordance to his IEP.
  • Assist in preparation of and implementation of IEP plan.
  • Review daily lessons, activities and responsibilities with Pre-K teacher.
  • Help instruct and supervise a Pre-K classroom in social and developmental activities.
  • Develop activates that introduce math and literacy concepts.
  • Show more

Special education instructional assistant example responsibilities.

  • Help to manage activities and assist with projects for autistic and ADHD diagnose preschoolers enroll in the special education summer program.
  • Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
  • Have taught math and done individualize instruction with modifications and adaptations for other students with learning disabilities.
  • Provide individual instruction in math and reading for kindergarten and first grade students identify as having learning and/or developmental disabilities.
  • Familiarize myself with ABA teaching and behavior techniques.
  • Support and assist in implementation of ABA and behavior plans.
  • Show more

Preschool assistant vs special education instructional assistant skills

Common preschool assistant skills
  • CPR, 42%
  • Child Care, 21%
  • Classroom Management, 10%
  • Math, 7%
  • Behavioral Issues, 4%
  • Instructional Materials, 2%
Common special education instructional assistant skills
  • CPR, 14%
  • Instructional Materials, 7%
  • Autism, 7%
  • Behavior Management, 6%
  • Math, 6%
  • Behavioral Problems, 5%

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