- Many child care facilities require teachers to have at least some formal early childhood education classes before they hire them. As an associate degree holder that has taken some education courses, you have an advantage over job seekers who do not have any formal education. You can work as an infant and toddler teacher in child care facilities and use your knowledge of child development to assist babies and toddlers in your class develop.
- Some daycares and preschool programs may hire you as a preschool teacher with an associate in pre-teacher education. You have demonstrated a commitment to children’s education and teaching by earning the degree. A preschool classroom will provide some of the real-world teaching experience needed to work in a public or private school classroom if you decide to continue your education and become a licensed teacher.
- You might also work as a teacher’s assistant in a child care facility or preschool program. Teacher’s assistants help lead teachers with care of children in their classrooms. They work under the supervision and direction of the lead teacher. Although your salary will not be as high as that of a lead teacher in this position, you will still gain valuable teaching experience. Your lead teacher may serve as a mentor to help you develop your teaching and lesson planning skills.
- You may also work as a paraprofessional in a public school with a degree in pre-yeacher education. Paraprofessionals provide supervisory and instructional support for licensed teachers. Your degree meets the minimum education requirements required for paraprofessionals by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which requires paraprofessionals in schools receiving Title I federal funding to have an associate’s degree or to have passed a state or local basic skills competency exam prior to employment. Some states may require you to attend additional training and earn a certification to work as a paraprofessional, such as Georgia.
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