# Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/preschool-teachers-except-special-education
- SOC code: 25-2011.00
- Career family: Education
- Median annual pay: $38,140 (10th percentile $28,990, 90th percentile $61,390)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +4.5%
- Openings a year: 66,700
- Typical entry education: Associate's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SAC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 32 |
| Investigative (I) | 29 |
| Artistic (A) | 50 |
| Social (S) | 100 |
| Enterprising (E) | 25 |
| Conventional (C) | 44 |

## What you'd do

- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 81/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 76/100)
- Getting Information (importance 76/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 69/100)
- Thinking Creatively (importance 67/100)
- Developing and Building Teams (importance 65/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 63/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 61/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 61/100)
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (importance 60/100)

## Skills

Instructing, Speaking, Active Listening, Learning Strategies, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation

## Knowledge

Education and Training, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology, Administration and Management, Administrative, Sociology and Anthropology, Therapy and Counseling, Mathematics

## Also called

After School Teacher, Child Care Assistant Teacher, Child Development Teacher, Childcare Teacher, Childhood Development Teacher, Day Care Teacher, Daycare Teacher, Early Childhood Educator, Early Childhood Teacher, Group Teacher

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1312) (CIP 1312, 1,830 colleges)
- [Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1907) (CIP 1907, 1,004 colleges)
- [Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1314) (CIP 1314, 438 colleges)
- [Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1302) (CIP 1302, 189 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [College of Staten Island CUNY](https://www.collegesref.com/college/college-of-staten-island-cuny-621) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $46,195 | $75,637 | not reported |
| [CUNY Hunter College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-hunter-college-739) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $46,784 | $73,857 | not reported |
| [Monroe College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/monroe-college-1752) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $63,150 | $73,537 | not reported |
| [University of Virginia-Main Campus UVA](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-virginia-main-campus-uva-3072) | Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $46,352 | $71,638 | $19,500 |
| [St. John's University-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/st-john-s-university-new-york-2579) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | not reported | $69,439 | $27,000 |
| [University of the Pacific](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-the-pacific-3061) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $44,998 | $69,342 | not reported |
| [CUNY City College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-city-college-736) | Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | $56,145 | $68,614 | not reported |
| [CUNY York College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-york-college-749) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $60,692 | $67,862 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/kindergarten-teachers-except-special-education): $62,680 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-kindergarten): $65,120 median pay
- [Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/elementary-school-teachers-except-special-education): $63,970 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Preschool](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-preschool): $64,830 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Secondary School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-secondary-school): $74,260 median pay
- [Special Education Teachers, Elementary School](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/special-education-teachers-elementary-school): $65,120 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.