Preschool Teacher Jobs in Tucson, AZ
Preschool teachers in Tucson get three- and four-year-olds ready for kindergarten in Head Start classrooms, charter preschools and national chain centers across the metro. Posted pay runs about $17 to $21 an hour. Current openings are below, followed by who hires and the credentials that move you up.
Current Preschool Teacher Openings in Tucson, AZ
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Preschool Teacher Work in Tucson
Head Start is a big part of the picture here. Child-Parent Centers, based on E. 22nd Street, runs Head Start and Early Head Start for Southern Arizona, and its preschool teachers work with classes of 17 to 20 children. Charter schools run preschools too: Leman Academy runs preschools at its Central Tucson campus on E. Pima Street and at its East Tucson, Marana and Oro Valley campuses, with full or half days from 7 am to 6 pm.
The rest of the work sits in private and community centers: KinderCare's Skyrise School campuses on Old Spanish Trail and Golf Links Road on the east side, Ina KinderCare on the northwest side, the Tucson J's early childhood program and the YMCA. Tucson Unified also posts early childhood teacher jobs, and district teaching jobs call for a state teaching certificate. The split matters: a center job needs a fingerprint card and experience, while a public school early childhood job needs a bachelor's degree and certification.
Top Tucson Employers for Preschool Teachers
These Tucson-area employers hire preschool teachers:
- Child-Parent Centers - the regional Head Start agency, posting preschool teacher openings through ARIZONA@WORK Pima County and hiring toddler teachers and co-teachers.
- Leman Academy of Excellence - charter school network with preschools at its Central Tucson, East Tucson, Marana and Oro Valley campuses, each class led by a teacher with an instructional assistant.
- KinderCare - four centers in Tucson and Oro Valley, including the two Skyrise School preschools on the east side.
- Tucson J - the Tucson Jewish Community Center's early childhood education program, focused on kindergarten readiness.
- YMCA of Southern Arizona - early childhood teachers and assistant teachers for its preschool at the Holsclaw branch.
Preschool Teacher Salaries in Tucson
- Entry level (assistant or co-teacher): roughly $16 to $18 an hour.
- Experienced (lead teacher with a CDA or credits): roughly $18 to $21 an hour.
- Senior (degreed Head Start or lead teacher, 3+ years): roughly $20 to $24 an hour.
These are estimates that vary by employer and experience. Recent Tucson postings ran from $17.34 to start at Leman Academy and $17.75 to $21.25 for a YMCA early childhood teacher to $19.10 to $20.21 for a Child-Parent Centers preschool teacher. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics put Tucson's 1,370 preschool teachers at a mean of $35,010 a year in May 2023. An associate degree in early childhood is the biggest lever, along with Head Start's degree requirements and bilingual family work.
How to Become a Preschool Teacher in Tucson
In a licensed center, the Arizona Department of Health Services sets the floor: a teacher-caregiver must be 18 with six months of child care experience plus a high school diploma or GED, or hold an early childhood degree or a CDA, and every staff member needs an Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card. Head Start raises the bar; Child-Parent Centers asks lead preschool teachers for an associate degree in early childhood education, or a related associate degree plus 18 early childhood credits. Pima Community College offers the Child Development Associate Certificate (one semester, at the Desert Vista, East or West Campus or online), the Early Childhood Assistant Educator Certificate and the Early Childhood Studies AAS. To teach public school pre-K you need the Standard Professional Early Childhood Education Certificate from the Arizona Department of Education, which covers birth through grade 3; the University of Arizona's Bachelor of Arts in Education in Early Childhood Education on the main campus leads to it.
What the Job Involves
You plan and lead a day of circle time, small-group lessons, art, music, outdoor play, meals and rest. You teach early literacy, counting and social skills through play, watch each child's progress against a curriculum or assessment tool, write observations, meet with parents, and keep the classroom safe, clean and within state ratios while directing an assistant.
Skills Employers Look For
- A current Arizona DPS fingerprint clearance card
- A CDA credential or college credits in early childhood education
- Lesson planning around kindergarten readiness goals
- Classroom management with groups of up to 20 children
- Child observation and assessment, with clear notes for parents
- Spanish and English, which Child-Parent Centers requires for some family roles
- CPR, first aid and a food handler card
Career Path and Advancement
The Tucson ladder usually runs assistant or co-teacher, lead teacher with a CDA, then lead teacher with an associate degree. From there, teachers move to assistant director or center director, to Head Start education coordinator roles, or finish a bachelor's degree and certification to teach pre-K through grade 3 in Tucson Unified and other districts.
Related Careers in Tucson
These Tucson guides cover the closest alternatives for preschool teachers:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a degree to be a preschool teacher in Tucson?
Not in most centers. Arizona's child care rules accept six months of experience plus a high school diploma, or a CDA, for a teacher-caregiver. Head Start lead teachers need an associate degree in early childhood, and public school pre-K teachers need a bachelor's degree and state certification.
How much do preschool teachers make in Tucson?
Most earn roughly $17 to $21 an hour, with degreed Head Start and senior lead teachers reaching about $24. Recent postings ranged from $17.34 at Leman Academy to $19.10 to $20.21 at Child-Parent Centers.
What certificate do you need to teach pre-K in a Tucson public school?
The Standard Professional Early Childhood Education Certificate from the Arizona Department of Education, which covers birth through grade 3. It requires a bachelor's degree, an approved early childhood teacher preparation program, the Arizona Teacher Proficiency Assessment and a fingerprint clearance card.
How fast can I get a CDA in Tucson?
Pima Community College's Child Development Associate Certificate takes one semester full time or two part time, in person at the Desert Vista, East or West Campus or online. It prepares you to apply for the national CDA credential and meets state training requirements.
Which Tucson employers hire the most preschool teachers?
Child-Parent Centers posts multiple preschool teacher openings at a time for its Head Start classrooms. Leman Academy, KinderCare, the Tucson J and the YMCA of Southern Arizona also hire preschool teachers across the metro.
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