Preschool education is growing in the US, leading to an increase in job vacancies for early childhood education teachers. Most states require at least an associate’s degree, with higher education classes in psychology, education, curriculum, child development, and classroom management. Starting as a teaching assistant can lead to becoming a regular teacher or leader. The salary scale may be low, and high energy and patience are essential for success. Several colleges offer courses and degree programs, with online and community college options available.
Preschool is one of the fastest growing facets of education in the United States due to the growing population of young children. Therefore, it is likely that vacancies for early childhood education teachers will increase over the next few years. If you enjoy working with very young children and have the patience, understanding and energy to commit to raising young children, then this is a job that may be right for you.
In the US, most states require applicants who want to become preschool teachers to have at least an associate’s degree, but some states require a bachelor’s degree. Either way, you’ll need to take some higher education classes, particularly in psychology, education, curriculum, child development, and classroom management. These lessons and more will be instrumental in helping you understand proven methods for teaching children to interact appropriately in social contexts and begin to build the foundations of learning.
Many preschool teachers begin their careers as teaching assistants, thus allowing the opportunity to shadow other, more experienced teachers and gain their own experience working with a young student population. Starting at the assistant teacher level, a preschool teacher can work as a regular teacher or a leader. In addition to experience and education, a teacher is expected to obtain CPR and First Aid certification to ensure classroom safety in the event of an emergency. He will also be responsible for obtaining fingerprints and submitting them to the local school district, as well as submitting to a criminal background check.
If you’re considering a career as a preschool teacher, be sure to consider several factors that will affect your performance: First, the salary scale might be a little low. Pay is usually less than $20 dollars an hour, which is why some people only teach part-time. Also, you must be excited to work with young children. High energy and patience are essential to becoming a successful teacher, and without these attributes you can become tired, stressed or frustrated when working with such a young population.
Several colleges offer courses and degree programs to become a preschool teacher. Online schools and community colleges are also a good option for getting the credits you need, and these institutions often work around your schedule to allow for flexible options for completing courses.
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