How to hire a preschool teacher's assistant

How to hire a preschool teacher's assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step preschool teacher's assistant hiring guide:

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

What does a preschool teacher's assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your preschool teacher's assistant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a preschool teacher's assistant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a preschool teacher's assistant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a preschool teacher's assistant that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of preschool teacher's assistants.

   Type of Preschool Teacher's Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Preschool Teacher's Assistant	Preschool 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.	$11-18
   Infant Teacher	Infant teachers provide care to infants and a safe environment for them to develop. They are teachers that specialize in giving an educational environment to preschool babies and toddlers... Show more	$10-17
   Toddler Teacher	A toddler teacher is responsible for teaching young learners by administering physical care and monitoring their social and mental development. Toddler teachers prepare fun and engaging activities for the children and evaluate their behaviors and assess how they interact with the environment... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Open Communication
   • Child Development
   • Child Care
   • Compassion
   • CPR
   • Art Projects
   • Classroom Management
   • Creative Curriculum
   • Classroom Environment
   • Social Development
   • Preschool Program
   • Pre-K
   • Preschool Classroom
   • Parent-Teacher Conferences

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Design and apply activities to help children in achieving their goals and objectives in accordance with IFSP 's
   • Require to be CPR certify.
   • Assist with teaching children pre-k education.
   • Translate for parents and teachers when need to such as IEP and parent conferences
   • Work with a variety of special needs, including cerebral palsy and autism.
   • Serve as lead teacher in 500+ clinically supervise hours in a NAEYC accredit educational facility.

   More preschool teacher's assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your preschool teacher's assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A preschool teacher's assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, preschool teacher's assistants' average salary in alabama is 49% less than in vermont.
   • Seniority. Entry-level preschool teacher's assistants 41% less than senior-level preschool teacher's assistants.
   • Certifications. A preschool teacher's assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a preschool teacher's assistant's salary.

   Average preschool teacher's assistant salary

   $14.54hourly

   $30,249 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level preschool teacher's assistant salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

   Average preschool teacher's assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$33,419	$16
   2	California	$32,170	$15
   3	Minnesota	$31,817	$15
   4	Illinois	$31,426	$15
   5	New Jersey	$31,324	$15
   6	Maryland	$30,177	$15
   7	Colorado	$29,381	$14
   8	Virginia	$29,030	$14
   9	Utah	$28,462	$14
   10	Arizona	$27,755	$13
   11	Texas	$27,531	$13
   12	Iowa	$27,453	$13
   13	Kansas	$27,129	$13
   14	Arkansas	$26,403	$13
   15	Georgia	$25,074	$12
   16	Nevada	$24,093	$12
   17	North Carolina	$23,881	$11
   18	Indiana	$23,234	$11
   19	Florida	$21,704	$10
   20	South Carolina	$21,526	$10

   Average preschool teacher's assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Archdiocese of Philadelphia	$37,575	$18.06	46
   2	Lennox School District	$34,426	$16.55	2
   3	Central Lakes College	$33,986	$16.34
   4	Council Bluffs Community School District	$33,892	$16.29	14
   5	Millhill Child & Family Development	$32,778	$15.76
   6	Legacy Traditional Schools	$32,540	$15.64	18
   7	Children's Home Society of Washington	$32,014	$15.39	1
   8	Children's Home Society of NC	$31,485	$15.14
   9	Lindsay	$31,455	$15.12	1
   10	Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency	$31,443	$15.12	7
   11	Children's Home Society of Florida	$31,440	$15.12	2
   12	POOL	$31,287	$15.04
   13	Emory Healthcare	$31,087	$14.95	3
   14	Emory University	$30,957	$14.88	3
   15	University of Montevallo	$30,850	$14.83	1
   16	Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties	$30,691	$14.76
   17	Catholic Charities Health and Human Services	$30,385	$14.61
   18	Eagan Insurance Agency	$30,361	$14.60
   19	AHRC New York City Foundation	$30,181	$14.51	14
   20	Howard County Government	$30,139	$14.49

4. Writing a preschool teacher's assistant job description

   A preschool teacher's assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a preschool teacher's assistant job description:

   Preschool teacher's assistant job description example

   Are you a socially conscious, dedicated individual who is committed to building a better future for children, families, and their communities? If so, join us as we support early childhood education programs across the country to create positive outcomes for the children and families served.
   
   Working as an Assistant Preschool Teacher at Acelero Learning will give you the opportunity to gain valuable experience and transferable skills towards a remarkable and rewarding career path. You will work collaboratively with the Preschool Teacher to ensure the successful operation of a Head Start classroom of 3-5 year-old children. Are you ready to join forces and make a difference?
   Why Acelero Learning or Shine Early Learning? Ability to make an impact in the lives of the children, families, and partners we serve Career growth and professional development opportunities Supportive working environment Average of 5 weeks of paid time off during 1st year of employment Comprehensive benefits, including 401K matching and 100% vesting program
   Qualifications:
   To be successful and to thrive in this role, you should have great communication and written skills that encompass effective practices in the following areas:
   •CLASS teacher-child interactions
   •Learning environment
   •Curriculum
   •Child assessment
   •Meeting all children's needs
   •Working with families
   •Professional growth and collaboration
   
   Job Requirements:
   •The commitment and passion to work with children
   •CDA credential OR enrolled to complete the CDA within one year of hire OR enrolled in a program that will lead to an associate or baccalaureate degree
   •An eagerness to adopt our values: Embracing Diversity, Teamwork & Community, Data-Informed Learning, Open Communication, and Follow-Through. This position is full-time, year-round, and earns $11.30 - $17.38 hourly. This position earns up to 11.30 Hourly Why Acelero Learning or Shine Early Learning?
   - Ability to make an impact in the lives of the children, families, and partners we serve
   - Career growth and professional development opportunities
   - Supportive working environment
   - Average of 5 weeks of paid time off during 1st year of employment
   - Comprehensive benefits, including 401K matching and 100% vesting program
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and healthy work place. Still have questions about this role or our company? Submit an anonymous question by copying and pasting this link, , into your browser. Or feel free to contact . Thank you for considering employment with us!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find preschool teacher's assistants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any preschool teacher's assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level preschool teacher's assistants with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your preschool teacher's assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit preschool teacher's assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit preschool teacher's assistants, your first interview needs to engage 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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's assistant

   Once you've selected the best preschool teacher's assistant 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 you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new preschool teacher's assistant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • 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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How much does it cost to hire a preschool teacher's assistant?