Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Preschool lead teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a preschool lead teacher. Preschool lead teachers usually study early childhood education, elementary education, or human development. 54% of preschool lead teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 9,718 real preschool lead teacher resumes to see exactly what preschool lead teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for preschool lead teachers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online preschool lead teacher courses to help get the education required to be a preschool lead teacher.
There are certain preschool lead teacher certifications that you should consider. These preschool lead teacher certifications include Child Development Associate (CDA) and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.
What education do you need to become a preschool lead teacher?
What degree do you need to be a preschool lead teacher?
- Bachelor's, 54%
- Associate, 25%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Master's, 8%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a preschool lead teacher?
- Elementary Education, 13%
- Human Development, 12%
- Psychology, 9%
- Other Majors, 37%
Most common colleges for preschool lead teachers
| Preschool lead teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 13.55% |
| Ashford University | 11.40% |
| Ohio State University | 6.45% |
| Central Michigan University | 5.62% |
| Eastern Michigan University | 4.63% |
Best majors for preschool lead teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Early Childhood Education | 28.5% |
| 2 | Elementary Education | 13.1% |
| 3 | Human Development | 11.8% |
| 4 | Psychology | 8.6% |
| 5 | Education | 7.9% |
Best colleges for preschool lead teachers
The best colleges for preschool lead teachers are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.
A preschool lead teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for preschool lead teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become preschool lead teachers.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
6. Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$48,350
Enrollment
4,103
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
20 best online courses for preschool lead teachers
Advertising disclosure
1. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher
Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases, there is no allowance made for the education of Deaf children at all. This 4-week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language-rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically,...
2. Music Education for Teachers
In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...
3. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate
Transform Lives with Mindfulness & Meditation: Accredited Life Coach Teacher Certificate (2023)...
4. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...
5. Get Organized: How to be a Together Teacher
This course is designed for classroom teachers who juggle time-sensitive tasks and often-exhausting teaching schedules. With an eye toward long-term sustainability, The Together Teacher examines the purpose for planning ahead, provides tools for tracking time commitments, deadlines and tasks, and helps teachers develop a personal organization system that interacts with their day-by-day practices. All teachers, from the pen & paper list maker to the tech-savvy digital maven, will benefit from...
6. Virtual Teacher Final Project
The Final Project will be a hands-on, comprehensive project that practitioners of virtual education can implement in their profession. For this final project, learners will draft a design plan for an online learning module utilizing materials learned from the virtual teacher series. Learners will choose the subject matter, method of delivery, tools, instructional strategies, and assessments, with the goal of creating a module of online or blended instruction that meets the needs of their...
7. Preparation for CELTA Teacher Training
Learn the skills required to succeed in your CELTA training - gain practice in lesson planning and writing assignments!!...
8. Implementing Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom
Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...
9. The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs have flourished in schools during the last decade. These programs vary widely but most share a concern for five individual, student competencies: self awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and finally responsible decision making. It is important for teachers and parents to know about and understand these programs. While lots of SEL programs emphasize K-12 student social and emotional learning, only a very few programs...
10. ELL Success in the Content Classroom: Teacher Toolbox Series
Plan lessons, activities and assessment with the ELL in mind, and create an engaging and welcoming environment for the ELL and their families.\n\nThis Specialization covers lesson planning and assessing with the ELL in mind as well as engaging the ELL student and their families in the school and community. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply the skills you learned by creating an annotated lesson plan and assessment with appropriate modifications for the ELL students. You will also...
11. Art Therapy: Personal Development and Self Healing with Art
Arts Therapy heals ! Improve your Mental Health with 30 Art Therapy Exercises ...
12. Mindfulness Teacher Training Certificate
Become a certified mindfulness teacher with this accredited mindfulness teacher training programme...
13. THINK GLOBAL: TEACHERS TRAINING COURSE (IDP-ICE)
A group of seven European partners from Catalonia, Belgium, and Wales worked together on the Erasmus+ funded ‘Think Global’ project on global competence. The project seeks to address the following research question through development and piloting of practical classroom activities: What is global competence, and how can it be learned effectively? The Think Global project explores, through international collaboration, how global competence is defined, taught, learned, and measured in the...
14. Leading and Developing Top Talent
This course offers seasoned and up-and-coming leaders a clear, concise overview of hiring for team culture, the concepts and practices of building a productive environment for remote and hybrid teams, and leading organizational strategies, which begins with developing a strategic plan, creating SMART goals, and determining the most critical key performance indicators or metrics to manage and measure the plan’s success. Studies have shown that leading and developing talent includes creating a...
15. Mind Maps/ Mind Mapping for Teachers, Trainers, & Presenters
Using Mind Mapping to Plan>Rehearse >Teach brain-friendly lessons, broadcasts or webinars (Mind Maps,Memory,Mindmapping)...
16. Pilates Teacher Training & CPD Certification
Become a Classical Mat Pilates instructor with this accredited training course...
17. SAP Activate Project Manager Masterclass (C_ACTIVATE_22/13)
Learn SAP Activate Methodology (Act100) Learn Agile Methodology (Act200) Based on Activate 22 and Activate 13...
18. Excel at Teaching English: Be a Better ESL Teacher
Increase Understanding, Increase Productivity, Increase Teacher and Learner Satisfaction...
19. Professional Accredited Yoga Teacher Training Diploma Course
Full Certification Diploma Course to Learn the In depth techniques of Yoga to teach to Students & Groups!...
20. [Active Directory] Management using Windows PowerShell
[Power Shell] Simplified practical knowledge for automation & management of [Active Directory] using Windows Power Shell...
Top 10 most affordable universities for preschool lead teachers
The most affordable schools for preschool lead teachers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for preschool lead teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for preschool lead teachers.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
5. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for preschool lead teachers
The hardest universities for preschool lead teachers to get into are Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Some great schools for preschool lead teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for preschool lead teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
10. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for preschool lead teachers
The easiest schools for preschool lead teachers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, holy names university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a preschool lead teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for preschool lead teachers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
6. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
7. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
8. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
9. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
10. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
Average preschool lead teacher salary by education level
| Preschool lead teacher education level | Preschool lead teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $43,276 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $29,954 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $37,196 |
| Doctorate Degree | $42,248 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $30,894 |
Preschool lead teacher education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
Search for preschool lead teacher jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025