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Boston Career Explorer

Educational Instruction and Library

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.

Also called: Child Development Teacher, Early Childhood Teacher, Group Teacher, Infant Teacher, Montessori Preschool Teacher, Nursery Teacher

Median pay in Greater Boston
$46,030
$22.13/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
14,500
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+0.9%
1,700 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Associate's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$36,360$37,680$46,030$48,110$59,340

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure51 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 47
  • Language-model AIOE 55
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 51

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for preschool teachers is moderate, and little observed AI use has been seen in this job so far. AI tools could help with finding or adapting lesson ideas and materials. The core of the work is hands-on: guiding play, teaching social skills, keeping order, and serving meals to young children.

Likely to change

  • Finding and adapting lesson plan ideas
  • Matching activities to children's interests

Still relies on people

  • Guiding hands-on play and social skills
  • Keeping order and serving meals

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

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    You already adapt activities for different needs and watch learners closely. This job does the same with fitness classes, with higher Boston pay and 14.0% projected growth.

    Pay difference
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    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Bus Drivers, School

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  • Nursing Assistants

    Caring for people's daily needs, including hygiene, and responding to their needs carries over. It has lower AI exposure and 3.7% projected growth in Massachusetts.

    Pay difference
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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

42 programs near Boston (plus 26 graduate)

Related occupations

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