# Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

US SOC code 25-2011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-2011

Also called: Preschool teacher, Pre-k teacher, Early childhood educator, ECE teacher, Head start teacher.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **478,780** US preschool teachers (except special education), with median pay of **$38,140** a year. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten_in_the_United_States) of **5,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for preschool teachers: NYC universal pre-K + Brightwheel, 2014 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 4.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-2011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **31.1%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.0074** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35.

## Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1856
- Latest US employment: 478,780 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Latest US median pay: $38,140 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [13]
- Outlook: +4.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [25]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Australia** (ANZSCO 2411)
  - Employment, 2025: 76,900. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey [10]. ABS Labour Force Survey (Detailed), table EQ08: employed persons in ANZSCO 2411 Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teachers, national (summed across sex and state/territory), annual average of 4 quarterly estimates.
  - Median pay, 2025: A$99,112. Source: ABS Employee Earnings May 2025 [15]. Annualised (x52) from A$1,906 median weekly earnings. ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025: median pay for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax. Surfaced via the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile.

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 5,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Kindergarten in the United States [1] |
| 1935 | 25,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Living New Deal [2] |
| 1965 | 45,000 (estimate) | $3,500 (estimate) | Est., Head Start (program) [3] |
| 1990 | 250,000 (estimate) | $13,500 (estimate) | Est., NCES Digest of Education Statistics (employment) [4]; Est., Center for the Study of Child Care… (pay) [12] |
| 2000 | 357,220 | n/a | BLS OEWS 2000 [5] |
| 2003 | 368,870 | $19,820 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [6] |
| 2004 | 354,800 | $20,980 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [6] |
| 2005 | 348,690 | $21,990 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [6] |
| 2006 | 361,600 | $22,680 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2007 | 380,930 | $23,130 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [6] |
| 2008 | 392,170 | $23,870 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [6] |
| 2009 | 389,660 | $24,540 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [6] |
| 2010 | 369,380 | $25,700 | BLS OEWS (employment) [7]; BLS OEWS May 2010 (pay) [13] |
| 2011 | 349,430 | $26,620 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [6] |
| 2012 | 340,350 | $27,130 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [6] |
| 2013 | 352,730 | $27,570 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [6] |
| 2014 | 352,420 | $28,120 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 370,190 | $28,570 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [6] |
| 2016 | 385,550 | $28,790 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [6] |
| 2017 | 409,740 | $28,990 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [6] |
| 2018 | 424,520 | $29,780 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [6] |
| 2019 | 431,350 | $30,520 | BLS OEWS 2019 (employment) [8]; BLS OEWS May 2019 (pay) [13] |
| 2020 | 370,940 | $31,930 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [6] |
| 2021 | 391,670 | $30,210 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [6] |
| 2022 | 415,360 | $35,330 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [6] |
| 2023 | 430,240 | $37,130 | BLS OEWS May 2023 (employment) [9]; BLS OEWS May 2023 (pay) [13] |
| 2024 | 445,080 | $37,120 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [6] |
| 2025 | 478,780 | $38,140 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [6] |

## Sources (91)

### Employment series

1. [Kindergarten in the United States — Wikipedia (over 400 kindergartens by 1880; rapid expansion to public school absorption by 1900; Elizabeth Peabody and Susan Blow founding context)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
2. [Living New Deal — "WPA Nursery Schools: A Wonderful New Deal for Families" (1,900 schools, 76,000 children, 6,600+ workers by end of 1935)](https://livingnewdeal.org/wpa-nursery-schools-a-wonderful-new-deal-for-families/), Living New Deal / UC Berkeley
3. [Head Start (program) — Wikipedia (launched summer 1965; 500,000 children in 2,500 communities; only 10% of children enrolled in preschool at launch)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_%28program%29), Wikipedia
4. [NCES Digest of Education Statistics — Table 202.20: "Percentage of population 3 to 5 years old enrolled in preprimary programs" (historical enrollment trend data)](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_202.20.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
5. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [BLS OEWS Historical Tables — National employment and wage data (SOC 25-2011), accessed via BLS tables archive](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Preschool Teachers (pre-COVID employment baseline circa 2019; NIEER 2020 Yearbook: 34% of 4-year-olds in state pre-K; 44 states with programs)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/preschool-teachers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. [BLS OEWS — Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education (May 2023): employment 430,240](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes252011.htm), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
10. [ABS: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, table EQ08 (Employed persons by Occupation unit group, ANZSCO 2013), latest release](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release), Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Wage series

11. [Head Start (program) — Wikipedia (Head Start teacher compensation $21,000/year as of 2003; extrapolating backward to 1965 range of $3,000-$4,000 using wage inflation; below elementary school teacher average)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_%28program%29), Wikipedia / Head Start program documentation
12. [Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) — "Early Childhood Workforce Index 2024" (historical wage gap context between preschool and K-12 teachers; $13,500 consistent with documented ECE wage trajectories and childcare worker wages of $9,500-$11,000 for same era)](https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2024/the-early-childhood-educator-workforce/early-educator-pay-economic-insecurity-across-the-states/), Center for the Study of Child Care Employment / UC Berkeley
13. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
14. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
15. [Jobs and Skills Australia: Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teachers (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025)](https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/2411-early-childhood-pre-primary-school-teachers), Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Tool eras

16. [Froebel gifts — Wikipedia (Froebel gifts and occupations; kindergarten method 1837; influence on US early childhood education)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froebel_gifts), Wikipedia
17. [Kindergarten in the United States — Wikipedia (Margarethe Schurz 1856, Elizabeth Peabody 1860, Susan Blow first public kindergarten 1873)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
18. [Maria Montessori — Wikipedia (Casa dei Bambini 1907 Rome; Montessori method reaches US 1912; child-directed learning in a prepared environment)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori), Wikipedia
19. [Living New Deal — "WPA Nursery Schools: A Wonderful New Deal for Families" (1,900 schools, 76,000 children, 6,600+ workers; curriculum and daily routine)](https://livingnewdeal.org/wpa-nursery-schools-a-wonderful-new-deal-for-families/), Living New Deal / UC Berkeley
20. [Head Start (program) — Wikipedia (1965 founding; 500,000 children first summer; comprehensive services model; 1975 Performance Standards; parental employment design)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_%28program%29), Wikipedia
21. [NIEER — "State of Preschool Yearbooks" (state pre-K program history; Georgia 1995, Oklahoma 1998; 40+ states with programs by 2010; quality benchmark data)](https://nieer.org/state-preschool-yearbooks), National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)
22. [Brightwheel — "Brightwheel: The Best Childcare Management Software" (founded 2014; childcare communication, billing, attendance for preschool and childcare centers)](https://mybrightwheel.com/), Brightwheel
23. [American Academy of Pediatrics — "Media and Young Minds" (2016 Council on Communications and Media policy statement: no screen media under 18-24 months; limited supervised use ages 2-5)](https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/138/5/e20162591/60321/Media-and-Young-Minds), American Academy of Pediatrics
24. [Gallup / Walton Family Foundation — "Teaching for Tomorrow: Unlocking Six Weeks a Year With AI" (2025): teachers using AI weekly save 5.9 hrs/week](https://news.gallup.com/poll/691967/three-teachers-weekly-saving-six-weeks-year.aspx), Gallup / Walton Family Foundation

### Forecasts and exposure studies

25. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 25-2011 Preschool teachers, except special education (2025: 583.2 thousand; 2035: 609.4 thousand; +4.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-2011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 25-2011 Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education: probability 0.0074, rank 37 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
27. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-2011.00, human-rated β 0.311)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

28. [Kindergarten in the United States — Wikipedia (Schurz 1856, Peabody 1860, Blow 1873, National College of Education founded 1886 for teacher training)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
29. [NAEYC — "About NAEYC" (National Association for Nursery Education founded 1926; became NAEYC; professional association for early childhood educators)](https://www.naeyc.org/about-naeyc), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
30. [Head Start (program) — Wikipedia (1965 launch; only 10% enrolled in preschool at founding; 500,000 children first summer; community hiring design)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_%28program%29), Wikipedia
31. [NIEER — "State of Preschool Yearbooks" (Georgia 1995 first universal pre-K; Oklahoma 1998; lottery funding model; state-by-state expansion documentation)](https://nieer.org/state-preschool-yearbooks), National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)
32. [BLS National Employment Matrix — 25-2011 Preschool Teachers (2024-34: +4.1%; 65,500 annual openings); CSCCE Workforce Index 2024 (41% of preschool teacher families on safety net programs; wage gap with K-12 context)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-2011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics / CSCCE

### Predecessors & successors

33. [Kindergarten in the United States — Wikipedia (Margarethe Schurz 1856, Elizabeth Peabody 1860, Susan Blow 1873; teacher training institutes for Froebel method)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
34. [Head Start (program) — Wikipedia (deliberately employing low-income parents as teachers, aides, family advocates from program's 1965 launch)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Start_%28program%29), Wikipedia
35. [O\*NET 25-2021.00 — Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers (wage comparison and career pathway context)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-2021.00), O\*NET / BLS
36. [O\*NET 11-9031.00 — Preschool and Childcare Center Directors](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-9031.00), O\*NET / BLS

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education (25-2011.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-2011.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OES May 2023 — Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education (25-2011): median annual wage $33,960](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes252011.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Preschool Teachers: employment projections and job outlook (2024-25 edition)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/preschool-teachers.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NAEYC — Technology and Young Children: updated guidance on developmentally appropriate AI and screen use for ages 3-5 (2025)](https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/technology-and-media), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NAEYC — Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) in Early Childhood Programs (3rd ed., 2022)](https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Zero to Three — AI and child development: implications for early childhood educators (2025)](https://www.zerotothree.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [RAND — Teachers and AI: A Survey of Teacher Perspectives on AI Tools in K-12 Education (2024)](https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA956-21.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Brightwheel — Product overview: 150K+ child care programs; AI-assisted daily reports, parent messaging, and billing automation (2025)](https://mybrightwheel.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [HiMama / Lillio — Product overview: 8,000+ childcare centers; automated activity logging, parent updates, and daily report generation (2025)](https://www.lillio.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Teaching Strategies GOLD — AI-assisted checkpoint documentation for preschool developmental assessment; Head Start and state PreK mandated adoption (2025)](https://teachingstrategies.com/product/gold/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Head Start Program Performance Standards — 45 CFR Part 1302.33: individualized child observation, developmental screening, and family partnership requirements](https://headstart.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-33-child-screenings-assessments?redirect=eclkc), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ISTE — AI in Education: guidance for early childhood educators on developmentally appropriate AI use (2025)](https://iste-ascd.org/ai), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Procare Solutions — AI scheduling and center management: dominant child care management platform for licensed centers; AI-assisted staff scheduling and parent communication drafts (2025)](https://www.procaresoftware.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [MagicSchool AI — Preschool lesson plan templates and activity generators: NAEYC-aligned activity frameworks for ages 3-5 (2025)](https://www.magicschool.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.