Preschool Teachers
Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.
Technology Tools
Key Tasks
- Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
- Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
- Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
- Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and needs, determine their priorities for their children, and suggest ways that they can promote learning and development.
- Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
- Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them.
- Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems and discuss them with supervisors, parents or guardians, and child development specialists.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Read books to entire classes or to small groups.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to children.
- Teach proper eating habits and personal hygiene.
- Demonstrate activities to children.
- Arrange indoor and outdoor space to facilitate creative play, motor-skill activities, and safety.
- Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
- Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help.
- Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
- Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.
- Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.
- Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their ages and perceptual skills.
- Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.
- Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of preschool programs.
- Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guests, or other experiential activities and guide students in learning from those activities.
- Perform administrative duties, such as hall and cafeteria monitoring and bus loading and unloading.
- Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.
- Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.
- Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.
- Administer tests to help determine children's developmental levels, needs, and potential.
- Attend staff meetings and serve on committees as required.
Skills
Knowledge
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Abilities
Work Activities
Work Context
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
95%
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?
84%
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?
84%
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?
82%
Physical Proximity
To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks physically close to other people?
76%
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities
How important is it to coordinate or lead others (not as a supervisor or team leader) in accomplishing work activities in this job?
71%
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
66%
Spend Time Standing
How much does this job require standing?
66%
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?
65%
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
64%
Frequency of Decision Making
How often is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
64%
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable
How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
62%
Conflict Situations
How frequently are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
61%
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
59%
Written Letters and Memos
How frequently does your job require written letters and memos?
59%
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?
56%
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People
How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
54%
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions?
53%
Spend Time Walking or Running
How much does this job require walking or running?
53%
Consequence of Error
How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not easily correctable?
52%
Exposed to Disease or Infections
How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?
52%
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling
How much does this job require kneeling, crouching, stooping or crawling?
52%
Time Pressure
How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
52%
Health and Safety of Other Workers
How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
51%
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
50%
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body
How much does this job require bending or twisting your body?
49%
Telephone Conversations
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
44%
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers
How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
43%
Public Speaking
How frequently does your job require public speaking (one speaker with an audience)?
38%
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
38%
Level of Competition
To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?
37%
Duration of Typical Work Week
Number of hours typically worked in one week.
32%
How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?
32%
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance
How much does this job require keeping or regaining your balance?
28%
Spend Time Sitting
How much does this job require sitting?
27%
Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings
How often does this job require exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings?
26%
Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People
How frequently does this job require the worker to deal with physical aggression of violent individuals?
25%
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
How important are continuous, repetitive, physical activities (like key entry) or mental activities (like checking entries in a ledger) to performing this job?
25%
Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
How often does this job require working in very hot (above 90 F degrees) or very cold (below 32 F degrees) temperatures?
24%
Outdoors, Under Cover
How often does this job require working outdoors, under cover (like in an open shed)?
21%
Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions
How often does this job require working in extremely bright or inadequate lighting conditions?
16%
Degree of Automation
How automated is the job?
14%
Exposed to Contaminants
How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?
14%
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working in an environment that is not environmentally controlled (like a warehouse without air conditioning)?
12%
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
How often does this job require working in a closed vehicle or operate enclosed equipment (like a car)?
10%
Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions
How often does this job require working in cramped work spaces that requires getting into awkward positions?
4%
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
How often does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats or life-jackets?
3%
Exposed to Whole Body Vibration
How often does this job require exposure to whole body vibration (like operating a jackhammer or earth moving equipment)?
1%
Exposed to Hazardous Conditions
How often does this job require exposure to hazardous conditions?
0%
Exposed to Hazardous Equipment
How often does this job require exposure to hazardous equipment?
0%
Exposed to High Places
How often does this job require exposure to high places?
0%
Exposed to Radiation
How often does this job require exposure to radiation?
0%
In an Open Vehicle or Operating Equipment
How often does this job require working in an open vehicle or operating equipment (like a tractor)?
0%
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
How important is it to this job that the pace is determined by the speed of equipment or machinery? (This does not refer to keeping busy at all times on this job.)
0%
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles
How much does this job require climbing ladders, scaffolds, poles, etc.?
0%
Wear Specialized Protective or Safety Equipment such as Breathing Apparatus, Safety Harness, Full Protection Suits, or Radiation Protection
How often does this job require wearing specialized protective or safety equipment such as breathing apparatus, safety harness, full protection suits, or radiation protection?
0%
Work Schedules
How regular are the work schedules for this job?
0%
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Bachelor's degree
Some college, no degree
Interests
Social
Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
Artistic
Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts,
Conventional
Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or hum
Investigative
Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the f
Realistic
Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, t
Enterprising
Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertis
Work Styles
Work Values
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