Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Career Description: Instruct children (normally up to 5 years of age) in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth needed for primary school in preschool, day care center, or other child development facility. May be required to hold State certification.

Industry: Education, Training, and Library

Other Job Titles for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
• Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
• Teach basic skills such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
• Establish and enforce rules for behavior, and procedures for maintaining order.
• Read books to entire classes or to small groups.
• Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.
• Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
• Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems, and discuss them with supervisors, parents or guardians, and child development specialists.
• Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and needs, determine their priorities for their children, and suggest ways that they can promote learning and development.
• Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.
• Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
• Teach proper eating habits and personal hygiene.
• Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
• Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them.
• Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
• Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects, and communicate those objectives to children.
• Demonstrate activities to children.
• Arrange indoor and outdoor space to facilitate creative play, motor-skill activities, and safety.
• Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
• Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
• Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
• Organize and label materials, and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their ages and perceptual skills.
• Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
• Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
• Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.
• Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of preschool programs.
• Attend staff meetings, and serve on committees as required.
• Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
• Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guests, or other experiential activities, and guide students in learning from those activities.
• Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
• Provide disabled students with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities such as restrooms.
• Perform administrative duties such as hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading.
• Administer tests to help determine children's developmental levels, needs, and potential.
• Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help.
• Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.
• Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
• Provide disabled students with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities such as restrooms.
• Sponsor extracurricular activities such as clubs, student organizations, and academic contests.
• Write instructional articles on designated subjects.

Emerging Tasks

• Maintain and repair laboratory equipment.
• Write articles and books.
• Serve on committees or in professional organizations.
• Photograph objects for documentation.
• Compile data and create statistical reports on library usage.
• Help patrons find and use library resources, such as reference materials, audiovisual equipment, computers and other electronic resources, and provide technical assistance when needed.
• Maintain and troubleshoot problems with library equipment, including computers, photocopiers, and audiovisual equipment.
• Order all print and nonprint material for library, prepare order slips, check prices, figure costs, and make invoice payments.
• Plan and conduct children's programs, community outreach programs, and other specialized programs (e.g., library tours).
• Represent library or institution on internal and external committees.
• Review and evaluate materials using book reviews, catalogs, faculty recommendations, and current holdings to select and order print, audiovisual, and electronic resources.
• Supervise daily library operations, budgeting, planning, and personnel activities, such as hiring, training, scheduling, and performance evaluations.
• Teach library patrons basic computer skills, such as how to search for information using computerized databases.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• assess educational potential or need of students
• assist patient with dressing, undressing, grooming, or bathing
• communicate student progress
• communicate visually or verbally
• conduct field trips
• conduct parent conferences
• convert information into instructional program
• demonstrate physical activities
• design classroom presentations
• develop course or training objectives
• develop instructional materials
• develop teaching aids
• direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
• ensure correct grammar, punctuation, or spelling
• establish and maintain relationships with students
• maintain group discipline in an educational setting
• manage classroom activities (art, drama, music or related)
• monitor children to detect signs of ill health or emotional disturbance
• monitor student classroom activities
• monitor student progress
• organize educational material or ideas
• organize esteem building activities for children
• organize social behavior learning activities
• recognize student learning levels
• recognize student problems
• resolve behavioral or academic problems
• select teaching materials to meet student needs
• serve food or beverages
• supervise student extra-curricular activities
• teach correct eating habits
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use psychological assessment tools
• use public speaking techniques
• use teaching techniques
• use nursing practices or procedures
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use public speaking techniques
• use research methodology procedures in health care
• use sanitation practices in health care settings
• use teaching techniques
• write research or project grant proposals
• use library or online Internet research techniques
• weld together metal parts, components, or structures

Overall Experience
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.

Education
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.

Examples
These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include funeral directors, electricians, forest and conservation technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$11.12
• Average annual wage (2007) - $23,130.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 26.29%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 114,896
• Employment (2006): 437,088

• Dietetic Technicians
• Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
• Health Educators
• Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
• Orthotists and Prosthetists
• Personal and Home Care Aides
• Recreation Workers
• Social and Human Service Assistants
• Sociologists