Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Also called: Child Development Teacher, Childcare Teacher, Childhood Development Teacher, Day Care Teacher, Daycare Teacher

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Varies

estimated salary

Preschool teachers, except special education, instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Teach proper eating habits and personal hygiene.
  • Demonstrate activities to children.
  • Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
  • Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Provide disabled students with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
  • Perform administrative duties, such as hall and cafeteria monitoring and bus loading and unloading.
Work Context
  • Contact With Others — 90% responded "Constant contact with others".
  • Work With Work Group or Team — 60% responded "Extremely important".
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 83% responded "Every day".
  • Face-to-Face Discussions — 72% responded "Every day".
  • Physical Proximity — 46% responded "Very close (near touching)".
  • Coordinate or Lead Others — 38% responded "Extremely important".
  • Spend Time Standing — 48% responded "More than half the time".
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Work Activities
  • Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
  • Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
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Detailed Work Activities
  • Set up classroom materials or equipment.
  • Provide for basic needs of children.
  • Teach life skills.
  • Establish rules or policies governing student behavior.
  • Read to students.
  • Plan educational activities.
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Knowledge

Education and Training
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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.
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Skills

Instructing
  • Teaching others how to do something.
Speaking
  • Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening
  • 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
  • Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
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Abilities

Oral Comprehension
  • The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Speech Clarity
  • The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Oral Expression
  • The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity
  • 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.
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Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Persistence
  • Initiative
  • Leadership
  • Cooperation
  • Concern for Others
  • Social Orientation
  • Self Control
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Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Data base user interface and query software
  • Data entry software Hot Technology
Spreadsheet software
  • Microsoft Excel Hot Technology
Office suite software
  • Microsoft Office Hot Technology
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