Preschool, Elementary, Middle, Secondary, and Special Education Teachers

How to become a Kindergarten Special Education Teacher

Official title: Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten

Also called: Deaf Teacher, Emotional Disabilities Teacher, Hearing Impaired Itinerant Teacher (HI Itinerant Teacher), K-1 SPED Teacher (Kindergarten through First Grade Special Education Teacher), Kindergarten SPED Teacher (Kindergarten Special Education Teacher), Life Skills Teacher, Special Education Inclusion Teacher, Special Education Kindergarten Teacher, Special Education Resource Teacher, SPED Teacher (Special Education Teacher)

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.

Main tasks

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.
Prepare objectives, outlines, or other materials for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or school or state requirements.
Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.
Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, or social development.

How to become one

Special education teachers in public schools are required to have a bachelor's degree and a state-issued certification or license. Teachers in private schools typically need a bachelor's degree but may not be required to have a state license or certification.

Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

College: Education & Teaching degrees, Offered by 35 universities in the US
Licence: A licence is required in 44 states.

Pay · Outlook

About 259,100 people work in this job now, and about 258,100 are projected by 2035. (-0.4%)

Questions people ask

How do I become a Kindergarten Special Education Teacher?

Is a Kindergarten Special Education Teacher a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 259,100 people now and 258,100 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Kindergarten Special Education Teacher?

Usually. 90% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.