Career summary

Details for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education


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.

Tasks

  • 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.

Interests

  • 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.

Education, training, experience

  • Education - Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
  • 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. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
  • 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.

Knowledge

  • English Language -Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Customer and Personal Service -Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Education and Training -Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills

  • Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

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