Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Special Education Teachers, Preschool salary by state
Special Education Teachers, Preschool is a professional role in the Educational Instruction and Library job family, focused on Special Education Teachers, Preschool work. Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Special Education Teachers, Preschools do
Typical education: Bachelor's Degree
Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement.
Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, or social skills, to preschool students with special needs.
Develop individual educational plans (IEPs) designed to promote students' educational, physical, or social development.
Top skills:SpeakingActive ListeningSocial PerceptivenessReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWriting
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Special Education Teachers, Preschool salary by industry
Educational Services
19,590 workers
$74,500
Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
18,010 workers
$76,500
Health Care and Social Assistance
9,150 workers
$89,500
Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS
740 workers
$75,500
State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
330 workers
$76,000
Other Services (except Public Administration)
30 workers
$50,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Special Education Teachers, Preschool pays 11% below the average across 64 roles in the Educational Instruction and Library job family (family average $88,500).
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