Help Wanted: Assistant Teacher Policies in State-Funded Preschool

Most state-funded preschool programs require two adults in each classroom, typically a lead teacher and an assistant teacher. Assistant teachers are an integral part of the early childhood classroom and take on many responsibilities, including planning and implementing educational activities and supporting individual children and small groups. In addition, they often bring linguistic, cultural, and racial/ethnic diversity to the classroom teaching team. As such a critical part of the preschool teaching team, assistants should be valued for their role in the classroom, appropriately qualified to support children’s learning and development, and adequately compensated.

In this report, using data from NIEER’s 2024 State of Preschool Yearbook, we summarize the state preschool policies related to assistant teacher qualification requirements, strategies to meet those requirements, compensation policies, and professional development (PD) supports available to (and required for) assistant teachers. We also identify and explore the ways some states have addressed pay and health benefit equity that are inclusive of assistant teachers in state-funded preschool programs. Finally, we offer recommendations for state policymakers, such as state legislators or early childhood preschool administrators, to consider when developing and amending preschool assistant teacher policies.