Preschool Teacher Assistant Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

By | September 23, 2023
Preschool Teacher Assistant Job Description
Preschool teacher assistants must ensure a safe and conducive environment for the children to play and learn.

This post presents detailed information on the preschool teacher assistant job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to meet to be hired for the preschool teacher assistant role by most recruiters/employers.

What Does a Preschool Teacher Assistant Do?

A preschool teacher assistant is responsible for maintaining a clean work environment and safe play area.

The preschool teacher assistant job description entails preparing classroom materials, equipment and resources for use during teaching sessions.

It also involves ensuring that learning materials are in proper condition before and after use.

The preschool teacher assistant’s duties also include helping the teacher with daily lesson plans; they prepare books, calendars, charts, and other teaching materials as needed by the teacher.

Using positive encouragement, such as praise, smile, and hugs to enhance the learning progress of students from time to time is a key part of their duties.

They are in charge of measuring, mixing and pouring substances for projects and activities.

Preschool teacher assistants help the teacher in distributing supplies to students as needed during lesson time.

They assist in cleaning or organizing the classroom, tables and chairs after each session to make sure that there is a safe environment for children to play in.

The preschool teacher assistant work description also involves serving meals directly to students and making sure that they consume all the meal before they are dismissed from the table.

It also entails taking care of the medical needs of children (assisting other staff members if necessary).

A good preschool teacher assistant will remove toys that are not needed anymore and store them in a proper place.

One of their duties involves helping other teachers by assisting them with what they need during their lesson time.

Additionally, the preschool teacher assistant will assist teachers in making sure that all students have their personal items, belongings, and other needs met during or after the teaching day.

Preschool Teacher Assistant Job Description Example/Sample/Template

The preschool teacher assistant job description consists of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:

  • Assist teachers in transporting children to and from school or school activities
  • Help with after-school sports activities
  • Assist teachers with health, safety and supervision
  • Help with classroom duties like cleanliness, such as wiping down tables and chairs
  • Assist school administration
  • Greet parents and visitors to the classroom
  • Assist in parent conferences, home visits, and choosing appropriate play materials
  • Facilitate parent-teacher conferences when needed
  • Assist teachers in the classroom
  • Ensure children are busy during the day
  • Mark attendance for student check-in at the end of each day
  • Help in the supply room as needed
  • Provide clerical support to teachers
  • Perform other miscellaneous duties as assigned by the administrative team.

Preschool Teacher Assistant Job Description for Resume

If you have worked before as a preschool teacher assistant or are currently working in that role and are making a new resume or CV, then you can craft a compelling Professional Experience section for your resume by utilizing the above preschool teacher assistant job description sample.

You can express the duties and responsibilities you have carried out as a preschool teacher assistant in your resume’s Professional Experience by utilizing the ones provided in the sample preschool teacher assistant job description above.

This will show to the recruiter/employer that you have been effective performing the preschool teacher assistant job, which can greatly enhance your chances of being hired for the new job that you are seeking, especially if it requires someone with some preschool teacher assistant work experience.

Preschool Teacher Assistant Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

Here are important requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the preschool teacher assistant job:

  • Graduate of an accredited school for early childhood education; or must hold a high school diploma
  • Must hold a valid driver’s license
  • Previous experience in childcare is required or is preferred. If not, you need to be at least 18 years old and must pass background checks, medical exams, fingerprinting as required by law for working with children in this setting
  • Previous experience working with children
  • Must be creative as you will need to come up with fun projects and ideas every now and then
  • Possess ability to read, write, and speak English well
  • Good listening skills as you will most likely hear children sing, chant or talk about whatever you can imagine
  • Must be organized as you will need to keep track of the supplies for the classroom for activities each day
  • Ability to pay attention to detail as the children are very curious and will ask you a million questions
  • Be patient as you will need to give each child individual attention
  • Flexible and able to work with different personalities and different ages of children
  • Be passionate as you will be an advocate for the children
  • Possess a sense of humor as you will be in a very positive setting and will look forward to spending your time with children
  • Be emotionally available as you will be the first person the child sees when they return home
  • Ability to earn trust as you are dealing with young children and they may or may not trust new people they meet
  • Good organizational skills as you will keep track of all the paperwork for each classroom that needs attention
  • If working at home, it is preferred that you own a computer and phone line for continuous communication with parents, school administration and teachers.

Preschool Teacher Assistant Salary

In the United States, the average yearly pay for preschool teacher’s assistants is $30,901 according to Comparably.

Conclusion

This post is helpful to individuals interested in the preschool teacher assistant career.

They will be able to learn all they need to know about what preschool teacher assistants do to decide if it’s the right job for them.

It is also useful to recruiters/employers in making a detailed job description for the preschool teacher assistant position for use in hiring for the role.