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A preschool teacher is a professional educator and caretaker of children ages three to four-years-old. Providing a program that's educational focus and goal is to promote positive developmental learning. Helping children develop their social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive skills using developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) to prepare them for kindergarten and schooling beyond.

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In this video the instructor shares how she sets up the room for the first day of school.

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In this video the instructor shares how she sets up the room for the first day of school.

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We also get to observe the children playing and how they interact with the activities set up by the instructor. There's also a chance to see story time and how she makes it interactive for the children.

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Toddler and Preschool First Day of School

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The reason that I am interested in this as a career for myself is that I truly enjoy children the most at this stage of their development. They are more stable in their physical activities such as running, jumping, and balancing. Their fine motor skills have improved to be able to use scissors and draw simple pictures of people that are more refined. Their cognitive and language skills are stronger and they are able to organize and group objects by size, color, and shape. They begin to understand and use plurals. Socially and emotionally they share and take turns, and begin understanding that others have their own thoughts, feelings, ideas, and memories.

I want to have an influential impact on their lives, being a safe and positive reinforcing person to them. Someone who shows them that they can be whoever they want to be, and that will always have their best interest at heart. I want them to look at me and know that I will always support them no matter what because unfortunately a lot of children do not have that at home.

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Isabel Faith asks if it's the "right" path.

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Isabel Faith asks if it's the "right" path.

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In this video she goes over questions to ask yourself before going into the ECE career and if you're okay with the pay.

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Is a Career in Early Childhood Education right for me?

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Something that I learned about the preschool teacher career that I didn’t realize before was the comparatively low compensation. According to indeed.com the average wage for a preschool teacher is $12.60 per hour in the United States of America. The average annual salary for the state of California is $17.44 per hour for teachers working in the early childhood education field. I genuinely do not understand how this country puts so little care or emphasis on the importance of early childhood education and pay the educators what they deserve.

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average annual salaries according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Indeed.com

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Early Childhood Education Salary... or lack there of.

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Early Childhood Education Salary... or lack there of.

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California: $17.44 per hour

How are you supposed support yourself on that? This job really is a labor of love because it is a grossly underpaid career.

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The first years of life from conception to five years of age are the most important time for a child developmentally, and the people who choose to dedicate their lives to educating them should be paid more than a living wage. I actually make more per hour, not including tips, working for an event coordinator. This job does not even require a high school diploma and I am earning $20 per hour. In the state of California to even be able to petition for your Child Development Associate(CDA) you have to have a high school diploma or equivalent and complete six units of early childhood education or child development course work. This is the lowest teaching permit and you are required actual college for it, the higher the permit wanted the more schooling goes into achieving that permit. For someone who does not have the financial ability the extra schooling becomes even more difficult. Not to mention the amount of time that is needed to dedicate to said extra schooling. The TEACH Grant is a viable option for those entering the early childhood education field, but you have to be 100% sure that it is the way you want to go into being an educator because you are locked into a signed agreement of four years service at a low income school and if you do not fulfill the agreement for any reason within eight years then the grant is converted into a Direct Unsubsidized Loan that you are required to pay in full, with interest. You can always apply for the Free Application for  Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) but it is a needs-based financial aid program and you are not guaranteed any amount of financial aid support. That being said, I am still very interested in this as a career for myself even though I am one of those people who does not qualify for any federal financial aid assistance and I have to pay for all of my enrollment fees, tuition, textbooks, supplies, and everything in between. I believe that I have the drive, motivation, and personality that would thrive as a preschool educator. After completing this research I still have interest in this career path because I believe it will be fulfilling for me in years to come.

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adding a few videos that helped with this project in the following slides

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adding a few videos that helped with this project in the following slides

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In this video preschool teachers share stories of experiences from the classroom.

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In this video preschool teachers share stories of experiences from the classroom.

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Silly video showing how you never know what to expect when working in a preschool.

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Silly video showing how you never know what to expect when working in a preschool.

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Teachers and former teachers play the game never have I ever.

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Preschool Teachers Play Never Have I Ever

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In this video the instructor shares wonderful insights and tips on how to handle classroom transitions with the least amount of hassle.

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In this video the instructor shares wonderful insights and tips on how to handle classroom transitions with the least amount of hassle.

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Isabel Faith. (2022, March 10). Is a Career in Early Childhood Education right for me?. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g50i1La2uPU

BuzzFeedVideo. (2020, January 22). Preschool Teachers Play Never Have I Ever. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIz4dwBXk1A

U.S. Department of Education. (2022, September). Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH Grant) Program. TEACH Grant Initial and Subsequent Counseling . https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/teachCounselingGuide.pdf

Indeed Editorial Team. (2024, July 12). Early childhood teachers and salaries by State | indeed.com. Early Childhood Teachers and Salaries by State. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pay-salary/how-much-do-preschool-teachers-make

Haidee Hernandez. (2018, November 12). 5 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BEING A PRESCHOOL TEACHER. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUcyhgPREw4

Cooper, S. (2022, September 10). Toddler and Preschool First Day of School. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKibOIc2xuM

BuzzFeedVideo. (2019, December 19). Preschool Teachers Share Life Lessons. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANKUbBQrMsc

Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds. (2021, September 25). Handling Classroom Transitions. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz2VL3r-CEI

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, August 29). Preschool teachers. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/preschool-teachers.htm#tab-2

Feeney, S., Moravcik, E., & Nolte, S. (2023). Who Am I in the Lives of Children?: An introduction to early childhood education (12th ed.). Pearson.

Child Development Permit Matrix. https://www.childdevelopment.org. (n.d.). https://www.childdevelopment.org/docs/default-source/permit-documents/permit-matrix-2-2023.pdf?sfvrsn=2863b4af_3