Becoming A
Preschool Teacher

“A preschool teacher affects eternity; she can never tell where her influence stops.”

~Henry Brooks Adams

The author who wrote the words above hit the mark, don’t you think? What tremendous power we hold, just by promising to educate the children of our future.

You do not need to be a certified teacher with 20 children in her class to affect eternity either. Perhaps your influence is mainly your child at home. But think of how that child will affect the next generation, and so forth.

The decision to teach preschool (anywhere from 1 to 1000 children) should not be made lightly. We have a great responsibility to give these children the best possible start to their school careers.

Preschool Teacher Career Options

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If you want to work with young children, you have many career options available to you. It really comes down to looking at what type of environment you want to work in, what kind of career advancement opportunities you'd like to have, and what your salary expectations are.

Assistant Teacher (Day Care or School)
Being an assistant to the preschool teacher at a daycare or school is often the first step that many take in their career in early childhood. Assistant teachers (also known as co-teachers) serve in a position for which a certified teacher has the ultimate responsibility for the teaching that occurs in the classroom.

Lead Teacher (Day Care Center)
A lead preschool teacher's responsibility is to instruct children (normally up to 5 years of age) in activities designed to promote social, physical, emotional, and intellectual development needed for primary school in a day care center or facility.

Day Care Center Director
Center directors are responsible for planning, directing, and/or coordinating the academic and nonacademic activities of preschool and child care centers or programs. They usually have a lot of child care experience, certificiation, and/or a degree in early childhood.

Preschool Teacher (School)
A school-based preschool teacher varies from a daycare teacher only in the setting in which they teach. They teach preschool-aged students in public or private schools basic academic, social, and other formative skills.

Other Organizations
Many other public and private organizations employ early childhood educators. Examples of these organizations are: Child & Family Services, Religious Organizations, Head Start programs, and Civic & Social Services.

Child Care Provider (Home-based)
Home-based child care providers attend to children in private households. They perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play of young children.

Homeschool Teacher
Parents who wish to formally educate their children at home are another type of early childhood educator. They may have a variety of reasons why they decide to educate at home, but homeschooling parents will teach the same skills as the teachers in school settings. The requirements are to homeschool your own children are not typically as stringent as other careers.

Early Childhood Degree

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There are several paths that you can take to become an early childhood teacher. If you are interested in teaching preschool at home, you simply make the decision, do your research, gather your materials, and begin.

The next path would be if you want to be a teacher at a child care center. Often, these facilities will hire lead teachers with a great deal of child care experience and a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential.

If you are looking for this kind of employment, you will need to check with a few local centers to double-check their hiring requirements. Make sure you have copies of your teaching resume to leave with them.

Of course, the last path is to attend a four-year college and major in early childhood education or elementary education. When you have graduated, you can apply for your state’s teaching certificate.

You could also consider earning your degree online. Many reputable universities have programs that can fit your needs. Visit this Online Education Program Directory to find a school that will work for you.

This path would provide you with the most flexibility as far as employment opportunities, but college is certainly not for everyone. In the end, you have to weigh the pros and cons of each path and decide on the best one for you.

Finding a Preschool Teacher Job

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Once you have decided which early childhood educator career is right for you, and you have completed the necessary requirements, you will need to create a preschool teacher resume and apply to open positions.

There are many places that you can begin your search for preschool teaching jobs.

Soon enough you will be getting your first job!

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