Careers in Early Childhood Education - Find Out About Options, Degrees & Jobs

If you enjoy working with young children, you should consider a career in early childhood education. Read on to learn more about what the career is like, what kind of training you need, and the career outlook for early childhood educators.

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WHAT IS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION?

Early childhood education focuses on the education from birth through preschool. Preschool teachers work with young children, teaching them in a way that is relatable and understandable to children under five-years-old. Because children learn through play, ECE teachers use that to their educational advantage. Blocks turn into buildable math problems, and the sandbox becomes a place to learn social skills. For an Early Childhood Educator, every moment of classroom time is a teachable moment, whether it’s basic academic or social. ECEs need to also look out for signs of emotional or developmental delays and issues so that they can inform the parents or guardians of the child.

IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES

Working with kids can be a fun career because it focuses on teaching them through play. Young minds are incredibly active, absorbing everything they learn. ECE provide students structure and to keep their students engaged in fun, age-appropriate activities that will meet them at their level.

Daily Duties

• Keeping law and order: Classroom management is vital to keep the kids safe and happy.
• Performance evaluator: You’ll evaluate your student’s academic, social, and emotional progress and share that information with parents and others invested in the academic performance of the student.
• Lesson planning: Teachers have to schedule out their lessons, either by day or week, whatever the school administration requires of their teaching staff.
• Preparation: A key responsibility of early childhood educators is to prepare their students to move on to the next grade.

BENEFITS OF BECOMING AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR

There are also other great benefits.

• Teaching little children is an active job. You can be sure you’ll be working actively with the kids all day long on your feet.
• As a teacher, you’ll get the same vacations your students. You’ll get spring, summer, winter breaks off, along with any other holidays that school isn’t in session.
• Every day is new and different working with children, and there's a lot of variety.

ARE YOU CUT OUT FOR THE JOB?

Here are some of the most important qualities to have as an early childhood educator:

• Communication: As an educator, you’re going to be talking throughout the day. You’ll be communicating with your students, administration, and parents. You need to be able to clearly articulate to each group through verbal and written form. Also, listening skills are vital to this job.
• Creativity: For the young ones to learn, the lessons need to be brought to them in a fun, creative way. The more age-appropriately creative the lesson, the better the students will learn.
• Patience: Working with young children requires patience. Children often need to be redirected. If you’re not a particularly patient person, you’ll find that working with small children is exhausting.
• Organized: A lot of work goes into teaching, from keeping a daily lesson plan to the day-to-day schedule of the class activities. You'll need to know each child, their personalities, and how to work with each one effectively.
• Stamina: Little kids are very active. To keep up with them, you’ll need to have the physical and mental stamina.

HOW TO BECOME AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR

Before enrolling in any Early Childhood Education program, you need to graduate high school or obtain your GED.

Steps to Take:

• Get your high school diploma or GED. Colleges and universities usually won’t accept applicants who haven’t graduated high school or obtained their GED.
• Gain experience working with young kids at places like nursery schools and summer camps. The more work experience you get, the better prepared you are.
• Earn your degree. Depending on your career goals and whether you want to work in a public or private preschool will determine the sort of Early Childhood Education degree you’ll need. Most public school programs such as Head Start require their ECEs to hold an associate’s degree in teaching, along with an ECE certification. Although, many programs prefer their teachers to have bachelor’s degrees. The more advanced your degree, the better job prospects you’ll have.
• Certifications: There are a couple of certifications available to Early Childhood Educators. Public schools require their educators to be licensed. Every state has their own set of rules and regulations. Most childcare centers will hire preschool teachers that have graduated high school and have an Early Childhood Education teaching certificate or diploma. Most states do require their educators to maintain their teaching license through continuing education courses. Another career condition that varies by state is the amount of childcare setting field experience necessary.

• Council For Professional Recognition offers the Childhood Development Associate credential. To be eligible, you must take the required courses, have work experience in the field of ECE, take a written exam, and pass a work observation. The CDA is valid for three years and must be renewed.
• National Early Childhood Program Accreditation is specifically for early childhood educators is the Certified Childcare Professional (CCP). This is a nationally recognized certification but is acknowledged in a few states as an approved Director or Teacher credential. To be suitable for this certification, you must be 18, have a high school diploma, have related work experience, take early childhood education classes, and pass the exam. This certification needs to be renewed every two years.

Important side note: Teachers must maintain a CPR and life-saving certification. There are also required memberships depending on if you’re working in public or private schools. And, there are professional development programs that must be attended to keep your licensing active. Those programs are usually scheduled by the school you’ll be working at.

JOB OUTLOOK

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the demand for early childhood educators is expected to increase 3 percent by 2032. This growth is as fast as that of the national average of all occupations. Early Childhood Educators who hold higher levels of degrees will have better job prospects than those who hold a certificate only. Also, as you gain experience, you are likely to be seen as more marketable for job applications.

SALARY

Preschool teachers work during school hours. Sometimes they need to arrive early and stay late, depending on if they have to meet with students, parents, or other teaching staff. Teachers often work ten months out of the year and can opt to be paid on a full year schedule or just the months worked. Daycare teachers may work longer hours and throughout the entire year.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the average salary for early childhood educators was $41,410 in 2023, with the top 10 percent making $60,900 or more.

States with the highest salaries in 2023