How to hire special education teachers, preschool
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, or changing their diapers. • Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement. • Develop individual educational plans (IEPs) designed to promote students' educational, physical, or social development. • Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities. • Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations. • Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play. • Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, or social skills, to preschool students with special needs. • Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree] • Strong active listening, critical thinking, learning strategies, monitoring, reading comprehension and speaking skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, education and training and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $64,830 a year. [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for special education teachers, preschool
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, or changing their diapers. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) designed to promote students' educational, physical, or social development. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- How do you teach yourself a new process, and how would you teach it to someone else?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What special education teachers, preschool do
- Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, or changing their diapers.
- Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement.
- Develop individual educational plans (IEPs) designed to promote students' educational, physical, or social development.
- Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.
- Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.
- Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, or social skills, to preschool students with special needs.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for special education teachers, preschool
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
- Job outlook: +2.4% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 2,000 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay special education teachers, preschool
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $99,070 |
| New Jersey | $92,060 |
| Washington | $86,580 |
| Colorado | $78,040 |
| Virginia | $77,570 |
| Florida | $58,240 |
| Louisiana | $56,890 |
| Arkansas | $35,580 |
See special education teachers, preschool pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Special Education Teachers, Middle School
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
- Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors
- Special Education Teachers, All Other
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
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Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.