Early Childhood Education

1. To establish and maintain a safe, healthy learning environment.
2. To advance physical and intellectual competence.
3. To support social and emotional development and to provide positive guidance to children.
4. To establish positive and productive relationships with families.
5. To ensure a well-run purposeful program that is responsive to participant needs.
6. To maintain a commitment to professionalism.

Employment of early childhood teachers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations.

Early childhood education is important for a child’s short- and long-term intellectual and social development. More preschool teachers should be needed as a result of the increasing demand for early childhood education.

In addition, the number of preschool-aged children is expected to increase; however, their share of the overall population should remain constant.

The median annual wage for early childhood teachers was $29,780 in May 2018. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $20,610, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $55,350.

In May 2018, the median annual wages for early childhood teachers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Early childhood teachers in public schools generally work during school hours. Many work the traditional 10-month school year and a 2-month break during the summer. Some early childhood teachers may teach in summer programs.

Teachers in districts with a year-round schedule typically work 8 weeks in a row and then have a break for 1 week before starting a new school session. They also have a 5-week midwinter break.

Those working in daycare settings may work year-round and have longer hours.