Preschool Teacher Requirements
Working with children can often be its own reward; it is so fun to watch them learn. However, first we have to complete the requirements to become a preschool teacher. They can vary some from state to state, so you should check your local education office or even the school you are applying to work at to double-check, but these are the basic requirements to educate young children.
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Degree
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Some schools or child care centers will hire you with an associate's degree, but most places are starting to require that their teachers have a bachelors degree in early childhood education, which focuses on teaching children up to 6 years old.
Curriculum
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Early childhood education majors will be introduced to a very specialized curriculum for working with young children. You will learn how to incorporate children's literature in the classroom through both reading and creative play. You will learn the skills needed to notice and help a special needs child, and communicate concerns to his parents.
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Experience
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Some schools or settings may prefer to start you as an assistant teacher so you can get some experience in the classroom and they can see how you interact with the children and whether you take an active role. In several states, you must have at least 960 hours of classroom experience before you can be a lead teacher.
Training
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If you are going to become a preschool teacher, make sure your CPR and first aid training is current because that is one of the first things employers will look for.
Openness for Continuing Education
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Depending on where you work, some schools have a set amount of hours in training you must complete each year, ranging from 18-24 hours. These usually include topics such as child abuse and neglect, communication and documentation of incident reports.
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