Salary
Average Salary: $27,130
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $1,133,000
If you're just starting out, you could volunteer at your own child's school, but then you're not really getting the same break as other parents. Just in case you really can't get enough time with monosyllabic poop monsters, here's your chance.
You can expect to make about $12 an hour as a regular employee and with an annual income of about $25,000 (source), you can make a living, but you'll probably need roommates or a partner with a second income to make a career of preschool teaching. One advantage to this modest wage is that you can live in higher-income communities. Every family needs preschool. Federally-funded schools like Head Start will pay minimum wage, but you can earn more in private or religious schools.
With more education and certifications, you'll earn more (source). Special education and second languages will increase your income, and the best job is to run a day care or preschool center. In that case, you can expect to earn about $40,000 to $50,000 a year (source).