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Education

Special Education Teachers, Preschool

Teach academic, social, and life skills to preschool-aged students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.

Median salary (BLS)

$64,830

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$46k – $130k

Job outlook

+1% (about average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $85,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Special Education Teachers, Preschool

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Education

Typical entry: Master's degree

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$64,100–$230,700

Time to qualify

6.3 yr

Renewal

$20/yr

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    Master's degree

    Degree

    Typically two years; average graduate tuition ≈ $20,000/yr at public universities (NCES).

    $24,000–$80,000 · 2 years source

  3. 3

    State teaching certification

    License

    Approved educator-prep program, pedagogy & subject exams, background check, and a state application.

    $100–$700 · 3 months · varies by state · renews every 5 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Special Education Teachers, Preschool" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Special Education Teachers, Preschool

    Entry / Junior

    $45,620

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Special Education Teachers, Preschool

    Established

    $64,830

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Special Education Teachers, Preschool

    Senior

    $97,435

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
  • •Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
  • •Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement.
  • •Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, or social skills, to preschool students with special needs.
  • •Develop individual educational plans (IEPs) designed to promote students' educational, physical, or social development.

Fields of study

Any field

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.