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The early period of a child's life is a time when his or her mind is ripe for learning, and the skills and knowledge learned during this time are widely accepted as having a substantial impact on the child's further social and intellectual development. As a kindergarten teacher, you can play a vital role in fostering this development, often being the first to introduce children to subjects, such as mathematics, language, science, and social studies.

Many kindergarten teachers work full-time during the traditional 10-month school year, with summer months off. However, work as a kindergarten teacher often requires putting in hours beyond the seven- or eight-hour school day, as some responsibilities cannot be completed while school is in session. Some daily tasks you can expect to perform as a kindergarten teacher include:

• Teaching concepts introduced in kindergarten, such as phonics, numbers, letter recognition, and an awareness of the natural world
• Using play and hands-on teaching to help develop social and intellectual skills
• Fostering healthy social habits through mediation of student interactions
• Communicating with parents about their child's progress
• Creation of materials needed for classroom bulletin boards, crafts, and hands-on activities

Kindergarten Teacher Salary: 2009 Data

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual kindergarten teacher salary in 2009 was $47,830 nationally, while some of the highest-paid kindergarten teacher jobs pay upwards of $75,210. The vast majority of kindergarten teachers in 2009 were employed by elementary schools, and these employers also ranked highly in annual wage offerings, with a mean wage of $51,430.

Several states in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the U.S. rank among those that pay the highest salaries nationwide, ranging from $59,210 to $67,720 annually, according to the BLS. These high-paying states include:

• Rhode Island
• New York
• Alaska
• Connecticut
• New Jersey

Specific metropolitan areas that pay kindergarten teachers particularly well include Nassau-Suffolk (NY), Yuba City (CA), and Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk (CT), offering mean annual salaries of $78,610, $72,150, and $70,790, respectively.

According to the BLS, states that employed the highest concentration of kindergarten teachers include Arkansa, Louisiana, California, West Virginia, and Georgia.

Kindergarten Teacher Training: Online and Beyond

The most common way to become a kindergarten teacher is to complete a bachelor's degree program and obtain a teaching license for early childhood grades (usually preschool through third grade). Requirements for licenses vary from state to state. However, private schools may be exempt from most public school licensing requirements.

If you're interested in continuing education or would like to advance into administrative or coordinator roles within your school, you can continue your kindergarten teacher training online through a number of online certification programs or online course offerings. In fact, many states require their teachers to participate in continuing education in order to keep their licenses current, and online options are often the most flexible.

Employment Outlook and Job Prospects for Kindergarten Teachers

Kindergarten teacher employment is expected to grow by about 13 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is about as fast as the national average across all occupations, the BLS reports. A large increase in federal funding for education for the hiring of teachers in low-income areas should help to fuel job opportunities in urban and rural areas.