Kindergarten Teacher job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$62,680

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education (O*NET-SOC 25-2012.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students. importance 4.7 of 5
2. Prepare children for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks. importance 4.7 of 5
3. Instruct students individually and in groups, adapting teaching methods to meet students' varying needs and interests. importance 4.6 of 5
4. Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills. importance 4.6 of 5
5. Demonstrate activities to children. importance 4.5 of 5
6. Read books to entire classes or to small groups. importance 4.5 of 5
7. Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems or special academic interests. importance 4.5 of 5
8. Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health. importance 4.5 of 5
9. Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play. importance 4.5 of 5
10. Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help. importance 4.5 of 5
11. Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems and discuss them with supervisors, parents or guardians, and child development specialists. importance 4.4 of 5
12. Maintain accurate and complete student records and prepare reports on children and activities as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations. importance 4.4 of 5
13. Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to children. importance 4.3 of 5
14. Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate. importance 4.3 of 5
15. Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems. importance 4.3 of 5
16. Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, and storytelling. importance 4.3 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Thinking Creatively, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Developing Objectives and Strategies and Making Decisions and Solving Problems.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.

Knowledge areas: Education and Training, English Language, Psychology, Mathematics and Customer and Personal Service.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Bloomz. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a kindergarten teacher.

Most kindergarten teachers surveyed by O*NET (76%) name a bachelor's degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: Kindergarten Teacher
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Kindergarten Teacher to teach academic and social skills to kindergarten students.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Prepare children for later grades by encouraging them to explore learning opportunities and to persevere with challenging tasks.
- Instruct students individually and in groups, adapting teaching methods to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
- Demonstrate activities to children.
- Read books to entire classes or to small groups.
- Guide and counsel students with adjustment or academic problems or special academic interests.
- Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in social perceptiveness, instructing and active listening
- Working knowledge of Education and Training and English Language
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $62,680 in May 2025. BLS publishes annual wages only for this occupation, so no hourly figure is shown. BLS estimates about 108,870 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education to decline 0.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full kindergarten teacher salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real kindergarten teacher posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only kindergarten teacher work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (social perceptiveness and instructing); kindergarten teacher interview questions turns them into practice questions.