Early Childhood Education Careers: Where Will Your Future Take You?

Do you enjoy spending time with young children? Do you have a knack for relating to and connecting with kids? If so, then perhaps a career working with children could be in your future. 

There are many primary education careers to consider pursuing, including jobs teaching preschool or kindergarten. Before exploring your career options, you may also wish to consider why is early childhood education important? Let's dive into this question first.

In This Article:

• Why Is Early Childhood Education Important?
• Types of Jobs for Primary Education Teachers
• How To Pursue Early Learning Education Careers
• Salary Expectations for Primary Education Teachers
• Earn Your Degree in Early Education at GCU  

Why Is Early Childhood Education Important?

The first eight years of a child's life are characterized by significant brain development.¹ During this period, a child’s experiences can have lifelong impacts on their social, cognitive, emotional and physical development. While many factors comprise childhood experiences, such as parental relationships, primary education is undoubtedly a major influencer.²

When children have access to high-quality education, they are more likely to exhibit school readiness and have a stronger foundation for learning throughout life.¹ Early learning can support better test scores, lower school dropout rates and higher rates of college attendance.³

Access to early education can even influence a child’s lifelong health outcomes.² It's been demonstrated that people who participated in early childhood education programs later exhibited less risky behavior (e.g., drinking and smoking) and had fewer risk factors for chronic diseases in adulthood.² Better mental health and a reduced risk of teen pregnancy are other documented health benefits of early childhood learning programs.³

Types of Jobs for Primary Education Teachers

If you’re passionate about the importance of early learning and development and want to contribute toward better outcomes for the next generation, then you may wish to explore various early education jobs. There are many options to consider, including the following:

Teaching Assistant 

The job of a teacher’s aide or teaching assistant commonly involves working with young children, such as those in preschool or kindergarten, and supporting the work of the certified classroom teacher. They may take attendance, monitor student behavior, assist with lesson plan creation and generally provide support as students work to learn new skills and concepts. Some employers may require a minimum of a certificate or associate degree, although it’s not uncommon for bachelor’s degree students to work as a teaching assistant while training to become an early childhood educator.⁴

Preschool Teacher

Preschool provides a rich learning environment for young children, in which they will begin learning how to interact with their peers to develop key social skills. Preschool teachers can help young children work toward school readiness by building social skills and becoming accustomed to a structured environment. They may help guide children through arts and crafts activities, teach them about personal hygiene, correct undesirable behaviors and work toward emotional and behavioral self-regulation. Children often attend preschool to help them prepare to enter kindergarten and learn about the world around them.

Although preschool is a more structured environment than a typical daycare, preschoolers typically learn through play, peer interactions and experimentation. For example, rhyming games and storytelling can help teach children about language. Preschool teachers also teach children about shape, color, number and letter recognition, as well as fine motor skills, cultural awareness, empathy and compassion.

Typically, aspiring preschool teachers need at least an associate degree.⁵ However, preschool teachers in public school settings are generally required to have a bachelor’s degree and a state-issued teaching license.⁵

Kindergarten and Elementary School Teacher

An elementary teacher's role is to teach young students the basic academic skills they'll need to progress in subjects such as reading, math and science. Kindergarten teachers help prepare children for first grade and beyond by nurturing their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills and teaching them how to understand abstract concepts. At this level, students often learn by doing hands-on projects, like basic science experiments.

Elementary school teachers must practice careful classroom management, such as monitoring behaviors and redirecting or correcting them as needed. They connect with parents or guardians, providing updates and expressing any concerns noted with possible developmental issues or learning disorders.

A bachelor’s degree and a state-issued license or certification are usually the minimum requirement to become a kindergarten and elementary school teacher in either a private or public school.⁶ Some states may require teachers to get a master’s degree within a certain period of time after obtaining a teaching license.⁶

How To Pursue Early Learning Education Careers

Now that you have an idea of the type of careers that may be available to you, it’s time to consider potential career pathways.

If you’d like to be an educator who specializes in early childhood education, you’ll need to earn a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.⁶ Look for a teaching degree program that allows you to meet the licensure requirements for the state in which you plan to work.^5,6 While you’re working toward your bachelor’s degree, you might also consider gaining hands-on work experience as a teacher’s assistant or childcare provider.

Cultivating key qualities and skills can help early childhood educators be more effective in the classroom, including:^5,6 

• Communication skills
• Creativity
• Patience
• Organizational skills
• Physical stamina (working with young children requires a lot of physical energy.)
• Interpersonal skills
• Resourcefulness

Above all, you should have a passion for helping children develop a strong foundation for their future.

Salary Expectations for Primary Education Teachers

Salary expectations can vary widely depending on the type of career you pursue, your employer and your geographic location, among other factors. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states the median annual wage for kindergarten and elementary school teachers, except for special education, was $63,670 as of May 2023.⁸

Earn Your Degree in Early Education at GCU

Prepare to nurture and inspire young minds as a teacher in early education. Apply today for enrollment in Grand Canyon University’s Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education degree program, which can lead to initial teacher licensure.