Occupations/25-2011.00

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

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

Certificate or two-year

Usually a certificate, vocational program, or associate degree — not a bachelor’s.

AI automation risk

14%

More resilient

Human characteristics

76%

Strong human-characteristic mix

Task orientation

23%

More resilient

A day in this job

Mostly human
Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
Mostly human
Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
Mostly human
Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.

The tasks we can read here lean on people, judgment, or hands-on work. The AI risk number is still this job’s rank against other occupations.

Core tasks

01Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
02Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
03Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
04Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
05Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
06Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.

Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)

Repeating same tasks2.01
Degree of automation1.56
Time sitting2.06
Originality (ability)3.75
Conflict situations3.43
Hands-on objects/tools2.98
Outdoors / weather3.11
Disease exposure3.07
Decision freedom3.55

Top abilities

Speech Clarity4.00
Oral Expression4.00
Oral Comprehension4.00
Problem Sensitivity3.88
Originality3.75
Written Comprehension3.62
Speech Recognition3.62
Fluency of Ideas3.62

Essential skills

Reading Comprehension3.75
Active Listening3.88
Writing3.00
Speaking4.00
Mathematics2.00
Science1.62
Critical Thinking3.75
Active Learning3.12
Learning Strategies3.88
Monitoring3.75

CIP matches

13.0201Bilingual and Multilingual Education13.1206Teacher Education, Multiple Levels13.1207Montessori Teacher Education13.1208Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education13.1209Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching13.1210Early Childhood Education and Teaching13.1212International Teaching and Learning13.1401Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor13.1402Teaching French as a Second or Foreign Language13.1499Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language, Other19.0706Child Development19.0708Child Care and Support Services Management

Schools offering related programs

12 of 75 shown

Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.

Institution	Program	Tuition	Admit	Grad 6-yr	Earnings
CUNY Hunter College New York, NY · Public	Bilingual and Multilingual Education 13.0201	$7,400	48%	60%	1 yr $81,997 2 yr $81,702 Graduate certificate · CIP 13.02
San Jose State University San Jose, CA · Public	Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 13.1206	$8,200	77%	71%	1 yr $57,608 2 yr $54,769 Master's · CIP 13.12
Howard University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit	Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 13.1206	$33,200	53%	65%	1 yr $56,716 2 yr $53,001 Master's · CIP 13.12
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO · Public	Bilingual and Multilingual Education 13.0201	$13,600	81%	72%	1 yr $56,234 2 yr — Master's · CIP 13.02
Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 13.1206	$63,200	7%	91%	1 yr $46,087 2 yr $41,342 Bachelor's · CIP 13.12
City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College Chicago, IL · Public	Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 13.1206	$4,600	100%	27%	1 yr $42,728 2 yr — Bachelor's · CIP 13.12
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public	Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 13.1206	$17,500	45%	85%	1 yr $41,831 2 yr $39,880 Bachelor's · CIP 13.12
New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit	Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 13.1206	$60,400	12%	88%	1 yr $41,193 2 yr $44,928 Bachelor's · CIP 13.12
Georgia State University Atlanta, GA · Public	Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 13.1206	$9,200	67%	56%	1 yr $41,054 2 yr $41,268 Bachelor's · CIP 13.12
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public	Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 13.1206	$16,108	75%	81%	1 yr $40,792 2 yr $38,829 Bachelor's · CIP 13.12
University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 13.1206	$6,400	23%	89%	1 yr $40,605 2 yr $41,007 Bachelor's · CIP 13.12
Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI · Public	Teacher Education, Multiple Levels 13.1206	$4,900	100%	27%	1 yr $40,346 2 yr $40,017 Bachelor's · CIP 13.12