NC Institute for Child Development Professionals

Early Childhood Special Education / Exceptional Children Teacher

Job Overview: Special education teachers oversee the education of students with physical, emotional, mental, and learning disabilities. They collaborate with families and professionals to design and deliver learning experiences geared towards the individual needs and capabilities of the students under their supervision. They promote policies and practices that strive to enhance and ensure optimal outcomes and development of young children with disabilities and their families.¹

Places of Possible Employment: • Child care centers • Private preschool programs • Head Start programs • Publicly-funded Pre-Kindergarten programs (ex. NC PreK programs and Public School Preschool Special Education Programs) •Easter Seals ¹

Minimum Education: 
• Bachelor’s degree/ B-K License in Early Childhood Development specialized in Special Education

Recommended Education¹
• Master’s degree in Special Education.

Salary Range:  $36,890 – $82,960 per year ¹

Professional Standards: In addition to NAEYC’s Professional Standards and Competencies and the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, the following standards from the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) are specific to the role of a Special Education Teacher (EC Pre-k)2

Standard 1: Child Development and Early Learning
Standard 2: Partnering with Families
Standard 3: Child Observation, Documentation, and Assessment
Standard 4: Assessment Processes
Standard 5: Application of Curriculum Frameworks in the Planning and Facilitation of Meaningful Learning Experiences
Standard 6: Using Responsive and reciprocal Interactions, Interventions, and Instructions
Standard 7: Professionalism and Ethical Practice

Additional Resources:

References

^{1 Child Care Services Associations. Careers in Early Childhood: A North Carolina Directory. https://www.childcareservices.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/NC-ECE-Career-Directory-051419.pdf} ^{Child Care Services Associations. Careers in Early Childhood: A North Carolina Directory.}

^{^{^{2 Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children. Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education Standards 2020. https://d4ab05f7-6074-4ec9-998a-232c5d918236.filesusr.com/ugd/95f212_6e8952cda15f48b3935a7729dddcb50d.pdf}}}