Preschool is the only school environment where play and creativity are more important than worksheets and homework. Preschool teachers use play time and story time to encourage social development and teach problem-solving skills. The supplies of a preschool teacher are quite different from those of other teachers. They use crayons and puzzles instead of dry-erase markers and overhead projectors. They host story time and monitor sandbox play but don’t assign homework or act as detention monitors. If you choose this field, you’ll probably hear plenty about Paw Patrol and Bluey. You’ll come home covered in glue and papier-mache, but without papers to grade. Regardless of how infantile your days may seem, your investment in this career will be just as meaningful as the time elementary, middle and high school teachers spend with their students.

Preschool teachers come up with imaginative ways to engage their young audience and prepare them for the structure of future school years. They employ what might seem like a simple curriculum to assess the social and mental development of their students, and they help both children and their parents prepare for the school years that lie ahead. Most preschool teachers work with kids ages 3 to 5, but they’re trained to relate to children from infancy to age 8.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 3.4% employment growth for preschool teachers between 2022 and 2032. In that period, an estimated 17,200 jobs should open up.

Hours of babysitting children could increase your comfort level in the preschool classroom. Formal education and additional experience will also help you land a job, including experience as a child care worker or a teacher assistant. In child care centers, preschool teachers need at least a high school diploma and a certificate in early childhood education to get a job, but many preschool programs require teachers have at least a bachelor’s degree. Those hired for Head Start programs will need at least an associate degree. In public schools, preschool teachers generally need to have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.

Previous experience working as a nanny or family child care provider is common among budding preschool teachers, since a few states require instructors to have experience in a child care setting. This experience could also help an aspiring teacher hoping to obtain a certificate in early childhood education.