Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between toddler teachers and head start teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a toddler teacher and a head start teacher. Additionally, a head start teacher has an average salary of $33,865, which is higher than the $30,703 average annual salary of a toddler teacher.
The top three skills for a toddler teacher include child care, CPR and customer service. The most important skills for a head start teacher are kids, math, and CPR.
| Toddler Teacher | Head Start Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $30,703 | $33,865 |
| Hourly rate | $14.76 | $16.28 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 67,810 | 67,747 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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. They create lesson plans that adhere to the learners' appropriate curriculum, such as teaching them how to speak and count. A toddler teacher must comply with the safety guidelines to keep and promote a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
A head start teacher is responsible for organizing lectures and monitoring classroom operations for students with financial difficulties. Head start teachers have the same roles as regular teachers, such as preparing lesson plans, conducting assessments to test the students' knowledge, documenting their progress, and planning group activities to observe their personal and social behaviors. They also coordinate with the students' parents to share the child's difficulties and strategize methods to enhance capabilities. A head start teacher must have excellent communication skills, especially in attending to students for their needs and encouraging them to reach their maximum potentials.
Toddler teachers and head start teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Toddler Teacher | Head Start Teacher | |
| Average salary | $30,703 | $33,865 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $39,000 | Between $23,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Columbia University in the City of New York | Topeka Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Education |
There are a few differences between a toddler teacher and a head start teacher in terms of educational background:
| Toddler Teacher | Head Start Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Early Childhood Education | Early Childhood Education |
| Most common college | Fairfield University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between toddler teachers' and head start teachers' demographics:
| Toddler Teacher | Head Start Teacher | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 8.6% Female, 91.4% | Male, 7.9% Female, 92.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |