Preschool Teacher

O*NET: Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education·25-2011.00

The Verdict:Preschool teaching demands real-time adaptation to young children's emotions, behaviors, and needs through play, care, and hands-on guidance. No AI replicates the trust, physical presence, and nuanced judgment parents expect for early development. Administrative tasks automate, freeing teachers for core interactions. Demand grows with enrollment over the next decade.

Resilience Score

/100

Highly Resilient

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$37k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

+4.1%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 2 of 34 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

Low exposure

Task Analysis

This role's core work is hard to automate.
23 of 34 tasks require human judgment, presence, or trust. The 26% that are AI-leverage offer an edge — professionals who learn these tools will outperform those who don't.

2exposed

9AI leverage

23human-essential

View all 34 tasks

AI Can Handle This2 tasks

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.

Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration.

AI Leverage9 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.

Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to children.

Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.

Confer with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons promoting learning, following approved curricula.

Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops to maintain and improve professional competence.

Collaborate with other teachers and administrators in the development, evaluation, and revision of preschool programs.

Select, store, order, issue, and inventory classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.

Administer tests to help determine children's developmental levels, needs, and potential.

Attend staff meetings and serve on committees as required.

Human Advantage23 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.

Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.

Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.

Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.

Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.

Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.

Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and needs, determine their priorities for their children, and suggest ways that they can promote learning and development.

Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.

Identify children showing signs of emotional, developmental, or health-related problems and discuss them with supervisors, parents or guardians, and child development specialists.

Assimilate arriving children to the school environment by greeting them, helping them remove outerwear, and selecting activities of interest to them.

Observe and evaluate children's performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.

Read books to entire classes or to small groups.

Arrange indoor and outdoor space to facilitate creative play, motor-skill activities, and safety.

Teach proper eating habits and personal hygiene.

Demonstrate activities to children.

Enforce all administration policies and rules governing students.

Prepare and implement remedial programs for students requiring extra help.

Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their ages and perceptual skills.

Plan and supervise class projects, field trips, visits by guests, or other experiential activities and guide students in learning from those activities.

Meet with other professionals to discuss individual students' needs and progress.

Supervise, evaluate, and plan assignments for teacher assistants and volunteers.

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

Perform administrative duties, such as hall and cafeteria monitoring and bus loading and unloading.

Resilience Landscape

Preschool Teacher lands in Stable, Lower Pay

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