Overview
People with careers in early childhood education nurture and teach children. They provide services in childcare centers, nursery school, preschools, private households, family child care centers, before-and-after school programs, and elementary schools.
Credentials
Each state has its own licensing requirements that regulate training, ranging from a high school diploma to technical college programs to a college degree in early childhood education or elementary education. In addition to being knowledgeable in their subject, teachers and trainers must have the ability to communicate, inspire trust and confidence, motivate learners, as well as understand their educational and emotional needs. Teachers must be able to recognize and respond to individual differences in diverse learners and employ different teaching/training methods that will result in higher learner achievement.
Employment Outlook
Preschool teachers held 457,200 jobs in 2008 in Wisconsin. They are most often employed in child day care services (65 percent), and public and private educational services (15 percent). Employment of preschool teachers is expected to grow by 19 percent from 2008 to 2018, which is faster than the average for all occupations. Continued emphasis on early childhood education is increasing the demand for preschool teachers. Some States are instituting programs to improve early childhood education, such as offering full day and universal preschool. These programs, along with projected higher enrollment growth for preschool age children, will create new jobs for preschool teachers.
Employment of kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers is expected to grow by 13 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Pay depends on the educational attainment of the worker and the type of establishment. Median annual wages of preschool teachers were $23,870 in May 2008; the middle 50 percent earned $18,840 to $31,430; the bottom 10 percent earned less than $16,030 and the top 10 percent earned more than $41,660.
Median annual wages of kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers ranged from $47,100 to $51,180 in May 2008; the lowest 10 percent earned $30,970 to $34,280; the top 10 percent earned $75,190 to $80,970.