Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

What the job really is

Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.

At a glance

• Sector: Education & Library
• O*NET-SOC code: 25-2011
• O*NET job zone: 3 — medium preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
• Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
• Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
• Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
• Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
• Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
• 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.
• Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.
• 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.
• Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them.
• Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.

Tools and technology

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word, Appletree, Bloomz, Children's educational software, ClassDojo, Common Curriculum, Compact digital cameras, Compact disk CD players, Desktop computers, EasyCBM

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
• Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten
• Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
• Special Education Teachers, Preschool
• Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
• Special Education Teachers, Elementary School
• Childcare Workers
• Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 3 (medium preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.