Early Childhood Education

Career and Major Information
Related Career Titles
Web Sites
Salary Information 

The Associate of Science degree at Walters State Community College in Early Childhood Education is designed to fulfill the freshman and sophomore requirements of a bachelor’s degree.  Specific course selection is dependent on the school to which the student transfers, and decisions about course selection should be make after consulting a faculty advisor.  The WSCC departmental link is: http://www.ws.edu/teched/earlychild.asp

 

 

Career and Major Information: 

 

Preschool children learn through play, so early childhood education teachers build their program around it.  A less structured approach is used to teach young children.  Well-designed games help them develop language and social skills and introduce them to mathematical and scientific concepts.  Art, dance, and music introduce children to creative development, and movement helps to develop large and small motor skills.  Letter recognition and numbers are taught in kindergarten.  Early childhood education licensure may be for preschool through grade three.  All 50 states require teacher licensure to teach in public schools.  Although state requirements vary, licensure is obtained by completion of a bachelor’s degree, admission to and completion of a teacher education program, and in many cases, a passing score on a competency test.  The job outlook for teachers over the next ten years is expected to be excellent.

 

 

Related Career Titles:

 

Preschool Administrator

Counselor

Childcare Worker

Education Administrator

Social Worker

Teacher Assistant

 

Web Sites:

 

National Association for the Education of Young Children

www.naeyc.org

 

Yahoo Education Directory

Early Childhood Education

http://dir.yahoo.com/education/early_childhood_education/

 

Child Development Website

http://childstudy.net/

 

Salary Information:

Median annual earnings of kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers ranged from $39,810 to $44,340 in 2002; the lowest 10 percent earned $24,960 to $29,850; the top 10 percent earned $62,890 to $68,530. Median earnings for preschool teachers were $19,270.

According to the American Federation of Teachers, beginning teachers with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $30,719 in the 2001–02 school year. The estimated average salary of all public elementary and secondary school teachers in the 2001–02 school year was $44,367. Private school teachers generally earn less than public school teachers.

Salary figures quoted are based on national figures. Local or regional salaries may be lower.

 

Citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition, Teachers—Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos069.htm