Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Experience
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Education
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Examples
These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $21K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $26K
Median Salary: $31K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $42K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $58K
Demand
Core Tasks
Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and needs, determine their priorities for their children, and suggest ways that they can promote learning and development.
Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them.
Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems and discuss them with supervisors, parents or guardians, and child development specialists.
Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.
Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
Read books to entire classes or to small groups.
Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to children.
Arrange indoor and outdoor space to facilitate creative play, motor-skill activities, and safety.
Demonstrate activities to children.
Teach proper eating habits and personal hygiene.
Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.
Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help.
Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their ages and perceptual skills.
Provide disabled students with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of preschool programs.
Perform administrative duties, such as hall and cafeteria monitoring and bus loading and unloading.
Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guests, or other experiential activities and guide students in learning from those activities.
Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.
Administer tests to help determine children's developmental levels, needs, and potential.
Attend staff meetings and serve on committees as required.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Education and Training
80%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English Language
76%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Public Safety and Security
66%
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Customer and Personal Service
64%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Psychology
62%
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Administration and Management
54%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Clerical
52%
Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Sociology and Anthropology
49%
Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
Therapy and Counseling
48%
Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Mathematics
47%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Top 10 Skills
Instructing
80%
Teaching others how to do something.
Speaking
80%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening
78%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Learning Strategies
78%
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Coordination
75%
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking
75%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
75%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension
75%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Social Perceptiveness
75%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation
73%
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Comprehension
80%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Speech Clarity
80%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Problem Sensitivity
78%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Originality
75%
The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Fluency of Ideas
73%
The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Speech Recognition
73%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Comprehension
73%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Deductive Reasoning
70%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Information Ordering
65%
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Top 10 Work Activities
Assisting and Caring for Others
85%
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
81%
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Getting Information
81%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Training and Teaching Others
76%
Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
Thinking Creatively
74%
Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
Developing and Building Teams
73%
Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
71%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
69%
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
69%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
68%
Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
Detailed Work Activities
Teach life skills.
Establish rules or policies governing student behavior.
Modify teaching methods or materials to accommodate student needs.
Set up classroom materials or equipment.
Provide for basic needs of children.
Discuss student progress with parents or guardians.
Plan educational activities.
Monitor student behavior, social development, or health.
Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
Maintain student records.
Monitor student performance.
Evaluate student work.
Read to students.
Develop instructional objectives.
Arrange childcare or educational settings to ensure physical safety of children.
Apply multiple teaching methods.
Enforce rules or policies governing student behavior.
Develop strategies or programs for students with special needs.
Collaborate with other teaching professionals to develop educational programs.
Attend training sessions or professional meetings to develop or maintain professional knowledge.
Display student work.
Prepare reports detailing student activities or performance.
Plan experiential learning activities.
Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
Distribute instructional or library materials.
Order instructional or library materials or equipment.
Evaluate performance of educational staff.
Supervise student research or internship work.
Administer tests to assess educational needs or progress.
Serve on institutional or departmental committees.
Assist students with special educational needs.
Supervise school or student activities.
Work Context
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Frequency of Decision Making
How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
Physical Proximity
To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
Frequency of Conflict Situations
How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
Coordinate or Lead Others
How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
Deal With External Customers
How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
Education
Majors
Major
Interests
Social
100%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Artistic
81%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Enterprising
48%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Investigative
39%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Conventional
29%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Realistic
29%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Top 10 Work Styles
Integrity
95%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Dependability
94%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Self Control
94%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Concern for Others
93%
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Adaptability/Flexibility
92%
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Cooperation
92%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Stress Tolerance
91%
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Independence
87%
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Attention to Detail
86%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Initiative
86%
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Work Values
Relationships
91%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Achievement
67%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Independence
62%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Support
53%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Working Conditions
53%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Recognition
43%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
