Early Childhood Development/Education Degree

[MM27]

i'm surprised to read about the differences too-and that some states require a degree to teach preschool.

in the states that require a degree is there decent pay for preschool teachers? the two states i'm familiar with that don't require degrees (just what i consider a handful of college units) rarely pay much above minimum wage for a preschool teacher (and it does'nt increase your pay to have the full blown degree).

In NJ we have approximately 30 districts that fall into the category of Abbott Districts. There was a big court case in 1985, Abbott vs. Burke, that dealt with education in areas with low socioeconomic status as being substandard. Part of the resolution of the lawsuit was that for these 30 something districts, free preschool would be available for all 3 and 4 year olds. This is a part of the public schools in each of those districts. Other districts aren't required to have preschool programs, but many do. The teachers in these districts are on the same salary guide as the K-12 teachers and they must be certified by the state in order to teach.

 

[Mouseteacher]

I have a bachelor's degree in elementary ed with an early childhood major and a Master's degree in Education / School Administration and state certified in K-8 and school administration. I taught grade 2 for many years and am now an elementary principal.

 

[HunnyPots]

My daughter is finishing her last year of classes for her degree. In the fall, she will do her student teaching. Her degree will be a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies. Her certification will be EC-4 - early childhood through 4th grade.

 

[barkley]

In NJ we have approximately 30 districts that fall into the category of Abbott Districts. There was a big court case in 1985, Abbott vs. Burke, that dealt with education in areas with low socioeconomic status as being substandard. Part of the resolution of the lawsuit was that for these 30 something districts, free preschool would be available for all 3 and 4 year olds. This is a part of the public schools in each of those districts. Other districts aren't required to have preschool programs, but many do. The teachers in these districts are on the same salary guide as the K-12 teachers and they must be certified by the state in order to teach.

interesting.

see, in the states we've lived in, if an individual district had some kind of mandate to do preschool then they were only required to hold their staff to the same criteria as the state holds all other licensed preschools to (which is realy the criteria for college education driven by childcare laws, not teacher education laws). so-the teachers in those programs were'nt paid anywhere similarly to regular teaching staff, they could be earning little more than the amount paid to the classroom aides or those that were working in afterschool extended care programs-and with no benefits b/c they were contract staff).