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Kindergarten Teacher Assistant Duties and Responsibilities

Kindergarten teacher assistants carry out a variety of different duties depending on where they work. Based on job listings we analyzed, theseduties typically include:

Prepare Daily Activities Kindergarten teacher assistants help the teacher with each day’s tasks and activities, such as setting up games, gathering supplies for craft sessions, and assisting with the preparation and facilitation of field trips.

Assess Student Needs Kindergarten teacher assistants assess each child’s emotional and developmental needs by evaluating their progress and speaking to parents at parent-teacher conferences so that they can give students tasks that suit their requirements.

Maintain a Clean Classroom A key part of this job is maintaining an organized and clean classroom to assist the teacher with their duties and ensure that children are learning in a safe and hygienic environment.

Supervise Children and Enforce School Policies Kindergarten teacher assistants monitor students at all times to ensure their safety and make sure that school policies are enforced throughout the day. This helps children learn to follow rules properly and stay safe.

Assist Students with Daily Tasks Kindergarten teacher assistants help children with their basic needs, such as helping them with eating or drinking, maintaining nap schedules, putting on their coats, and helping them with toileting.

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Kindergarten Teacher Assistant Skills and Qualifications

Kindergarten teacher assistants have a positive and enthusiastic personality. They are also resourceful, observant, and creative in finding new ways to help children learn. Typically, employers require an associate’s degree as well as the following abilities:

  • Creativity – working with children requires a level of enthusiasm and fun, so kindergarten teacher assistants find ways to make daily tasks interesting and enjoyable for children to help them learn new skills
  • Resourcefulness – to help students learn and to reinforce lessons, kindergarten teacher assistants explain information in a way that matches their learning style, so resourcefulness is advantageous to this position
  • Communication skills – this job requires communicating with people of all different ages, from parents and children to colleagues, so excellent communication skills are a must
  • Patience – kindergarten teacher assistants work with children of young ages and of different developmental backgrounds, which can be difficult and challenging, so they need patience to work with students of this age group and to remain calm and positive
  • Attention to detail – kindergarten teacher assistants must be observant to spot when a child is having difficulty with something or needs assistance
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Kindergarten Teacher Assistant Education and Training

The minimum requirement to become a kindergarten teacher assistant is an associate’s degree in a relevant subject, such as early childhood development, as well as practical experience looking after children. Most states require teacher assistants who work with special-needs students to pass a skills-based test. Kindergarten teacher assistants should demonstrate abilities to develop educational materials, observe students, and understand the teacher’s role in the classroom.

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Kindergarten Teacher Assistant Salary and Outlook

The median annual salary for kindergarten teacher assistants is nearly $24,000, according to PayScale. Kindergarten teacher assistants in the 10th percentile earn around $14,000 annually, while the highest paid earn close to $36,000 a year. Location and level of experience impact pay for this role, and many employers offer dental plans and medical insurance as part of their benefits package. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts this sector will grow 8 percent through 2026.

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Helpful Resources

We’ve collected some of the best resources to help you develop a career as a kindergarten teacher assistant:

Organising Play in the Early Years – Jane Drake highlights unique and interesting ways teachers and teacher assistants can help deliver the curriculum’s foundation stage to children through play. Her easy-to-follow guide has fun ideas, especially related to areas of provision, activity plans, outdoor play, and early learning goals

Planning for Play, Observation, and Learning in Preschool and Kindergarten – author Gaye Gronlund’s how-to guide teaches readers how to help children learn through play. It also provides frameworks to help teacher assistants bring engaging activities into the classroom

Collaboration in Preschool – this LinkedIn group is open to teachers, teacher assistants, parents, and anyone else influencing the early development of a child’s learning. The group’s goal is to share ideas on new and alternative ways to meet the diverse needs of children as they develop

Pre-K Pages – this blog is a useful resource for kindergarten teacher assistants that offers activities, printable lesson plans, and themes for learning in the classroom. It also offers a great setting for networking and sharing ideas with others in this job