Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten

What the job really is

Teach academic, social, and life skills to kindergarten students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.

At a glance

• Sector: Education & Library
• O*NET-SOC code: 25-2055
• O*NET job zone: 4 — considerable preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Administer standardized ability and achievement tests to kindergarten students with special needs.
• Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, or teacher training workshops to maintain or improve professional competence.
• Collaborate with other teachers or administrators to develop, evaluate, or revise kindergarten programs.
• Confer with other staff members to plan, schedule, or conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
• Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, or social development.
• Confer with parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, or administrators to resolve students' behavioral or academic problems.
• Control the inventory or distribution of classroom equipment, materials, or supplies.
• Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
• Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
• Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
• Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment or materials to prevent injuries and damage.
• Instruct students with disabilities in academic subjects, using a variety of techniques, such as phonetics, multisensory learning, or repetition to reinforce learning and meet students' varying needs.

Tools and technology

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Adaptive paint brushes, Adaptive scissors, Alternative computer keyboards, American Sign Language Browser, Braille label makers, Braille note-taking systems, Braille rulers

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Special Education Teachers, Elementary School
• Special Education Teachers, Middle School
• Special Education Teachers, Preschool
• Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
• Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors
• Teaching Assistants, Special Education
• Adapted Physical Education Specialists
• Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 4 (considerable preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.