Research Summary. Here are some key facts to know if you're looking to hire a preschool teachers in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire a preschool teacher is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per preschool teacher on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 2,176,693 preschool teachers in the US, and there are currently 55,298 job openings in this field.
  • Las Vegas, NV, has the highest demand for preschool teachers, with 41 job openings.

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How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Preschool Teacher

There are different types of costs for hiring preschool teachers. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new preschool teacher employee.

Preschool teachers earn a median yearly salary is $33,582 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find preschool teachers for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $11 and $22.

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How to hire a Preschool Teacher, step by step

To hire a preschool teacher, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a preschool teacher:

  • Step 1: Identify your needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Writing a preschool teacher job description
  • Step 5: Post the job
  • Step 6: Interview process
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new preschool teacher
  • Step 8: Go through the checklist for the hiring process

1
Identify Your Needs

Before you get started with hiring a preschool teacher, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

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A preschool teacher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, preschool teachers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

This list presents the salaries of various preschool teacher positions.

Type Of Preschool TeacherDescriptionHourly Rate
Preschool TeacherPreschool teachers educate and care for children younger than age 5 who have not yet entered kindergarten. They teach reading, writing, science, and other subjects in a way that young children can understand.$11-22
Teacher InternshipTeaching interns are individuals who assist teachers and educators in the classroom. The interns are instructed to fulfill the tasks set out and provided by the supervisors for them... Show More$16-32
Teacher AideTeacher aides help lead teachers in managing the classroom. They assist teachers in conducting classroom sessions by setting up the classroom in advance, sourcing materials needed for class activities, helping in presentations, and guiding students during class activities... Show More$11-17

2
Create An Ideal Candidate Profile

Before you draft a preschool teacher job description, imagine the ideal employee for the role and begin creating a profile. What are they proficient in and what sort of background do they have?

Preschool teachers typically have the following skills:

Common Skills:
  • Child Care
  • CPR
  • Classroom Management
  • Child Development
  • Open Communication
  • Early Development
  • Mathematics
  • Emotional Development
  • Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • Art Projects
  • Social Development
  • Pre-K
  • Preschool Program
  • Classroom Environment
Check All Skills

Here is a list of common responsibilities that preschool teachers may be expected to fulfill:

Responsibilities:
  • Implement and manage data for daily in-home ABA program for students with autism.
  • Design and apply activities to help children in achieving their goals and objectives in accordance with IFSP 's
  • Create creative curriculum to keep the kids learning and meet school, state, and federal educational guidelines.
  • Maintain a NAEYC portfolio with supporting documentation to meet standards outline for Pre-Kindergarten.
  • Develop differentiate literacy and math lessons to fulfill a creative curriculum and support kindergarten readiness.
  • Arrange events & bible studies.
Check all Duties

Beyond the basics, you should also consider how well a candidate fits into your company culture. In other words, you should think about how your ideal preschool teacher will live by the company's mission statement and contribute to the team dynamic you already have in place.

Most Common States For Preschool Teachers In The US

Rank #State# Of Jobs% of PopulationAvg. Salary
1Illinois1,85614%$31,892
2New Jersey1,23514%$37,409
3Arizona1,08115%$34,075
4Maryland95816%$33,939
5Colorado93017%$34,889

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3
Make A Budget

Including a salary range in your job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A preschool teacher salary can vary based on several factors:

  • Location. For example, preschool teachers' average salary in alabama is 52% less than in hawaii.
  • Seniority. Entry-level preschool teachers earn 51% less than senior-level preschool teachers.
  • Certifications. A preschool teacher with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
  • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a preschool teacher's salary.

Updated March 16, 2023

Preschool Teacher Salary Estimate

$16.15hourly

$33,582 yearly

Entry level Salary
$23,000 yearly

Preschool Teacher Average Salary By Location

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1California$41,428$2021
2New York$40,635$2024
3District of Columbia$38,892$192
4Minnesota$37,714$184
5Massachusetts$35,996$1714

Preschool Teacher Average Salary By Company

4
Writing a Preschool Teacher Job Description

A job description for a preschool teacher role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a preschool teacher job description:

Example of Full Job Description

Make a difference in the community with Early Learning Essentials (ELE)! We are a non profit organization that offers preschool services to children and families who encounter life's challenges and need a hand up.

Enjoy exceptional benefits with medical, dental, life, and a 401(k). We are a family friendly company as all staff enjoy gym benefits, weekends off, and twice the normal holidays! We also offer a $600 sign-on incentive for selected positions working with children and families.

Assists the teacher to provide instruction, supervision, and provision of appropriate learning activities for all enrolled children at a specified site

Under the direction of the teacher, delivers comprehensive educational services to Head Start children, including those with Individualized Education Plan's (IEP), behavioral support or health plans and English language learners, helping them develop socially, intellectually, physically, and emotionally in a developmentally appropriate manner toward the overall goal of social competence and school readiness, as outlined in the Head Start Performance Standards, the 2007 Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act and Early Learning Essentials' policies and procedures and ensures services support the agency's school readiness plan.

Position is full-time with 177 days; a typical work week is Monday - Friday with an expectation of no more than 40 hours per week (part-time is a minimum expectation of no more than 25 hours per week). For weeks with less than five working days, daily hours only apply.

Position offers full benefits, including: Health, Dental, Life, HSA Contributions, 401K, and EAP counseling.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Must have a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or enrolled in a CDA credential program that will be completed within two (2) years. Early Learning Essentials may assist with the cost of obtaining a CDA as long as funds are available. Experience working with preschool children or preschool lab work leading to a degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE) from a recognized institution is preferred. DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: An Associate or Baccalaureate degree (in any area) from a recognized institution or be enrolled in a program leading to a degree; or An Associate or Baccalaureate degree in ECE, Elementary Education, Child Development, or other closely related field from a recognized institution is preferred. Official or unofficial transcript which shows the award or confer date of the degree must be attached to the employment application. Bilingual Spanish-speaking is desirable. Job Posted by ApplicantPro

5
Post A Job

To find the right preschool teacher for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

  • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
  • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with preschool teachers they would recommend.
  • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit preschool teachers who meet your education requirements.
  • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

To find preschool teacher candidates, you can consider the following options:

  • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
  • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
  • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6
Interview Process

To successfully recruit preschool teachers, your first interview needs to be all about engaging with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

You should also ask about candidates' special skills and talents to see if they match with the ideal candidate profile you came up with earlier. Candidates who are good enough for the next step can then move on to the technical interview.

The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7
Send A Job Offer And Onboard Your New Preschool Teacher

Once you've selected the best preschool teacher candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks that you're offering the candidate. It's essential to ensure that your offer is competitive, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it's important to be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

To prepare for the new preschool teacher first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources needs to make sure that a new employee file is created for internal recordkeeping.

8
Go Through The Checklist For The Hiring Process

  • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
  • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
  • Define job responsibilities and requirements
  • Establish budget and timeline
  • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
  • Write job description
  • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
  • Promote the job internally
  • Process applications through applicant tracking system
  • Review resumes and cover letters
  • Shortlist candidates for screening
  • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
  • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
  • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
  • Conduct background checks on top candidates
  • Check references of top candidates
  • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
  • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
  • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
  • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
  • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
  • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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Hiring Preschool Teachers FAQs

How Much Does A Good Preschool Teacher Cost?

A good preschool teacher costs $16.15 an hour in the US. However, it can vary based on factors such as the preschool teacher experience, abilities, industry, and the specific requirements of your business.

What Are The Duties Of A Preschool Teacher?

The duties of a preschool teacher are:
  • Implement and manage data for daily in-home ABA program for students with autism.
  • Design and apply activities to help children in achieving their goals and objectives in accordance with IFSP 's
  • Create creative curriculum to keep the kids learning and meet school, state, and federal educational guidelines.

Should I Hire A Preschool Teacher With No Experience?

Yes, you should hire a preschool teacher with no experience. Hiring an entry-level preschool teacher with no experience offers versatility for your team. They may lack some qualifications, but are adaptable and have not yet formed problematic habits. However, more training may be required compared to experienced.

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