Preschool teachers educate and care for children younger than age 5 who have not yet entered kindergarten. They teach reading, writing, science, and other subjects in a way that young children can understand.

Preschool teachers work in public and private schools, childcare centers, and charitable organizations. Many work the traditional 10-month school year, but some work the full year.

Education and training requirements vary based on settings and state regulations. They range from a high school diploma and certification to a college degree.

Employment of preschool teachers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2014 to 2024, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Growth is expected due to a continued focus on the importance of early childhood education.

This occupation supported 438,200 jobs in 2012 and 441,000 jobs in 2014, reflecting an increase of 0.6%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 17.4% in 2022 to 514,600 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 453,400, compared with an observed value of 441,000, 2.7% lower than expected. This indicates current employment trends are worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 6.8% in 2024 to 470,600 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 529,800 jobs for 2024, 12.6% higher than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are much worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation.