Early Childhood Education Jobs in Georgia

Aspiring and practicing early childhood educators, listen up: A career in Georgia’s early childhood education system may come with more opportunities than ever, thanks to the creation of the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning in 2017.

This nonprofit organization uses resources from public and private partners to improve Georgia’s early childhood education system. The Foundation represents yet another way the state is bringing together public and private partnerships and working toward ensuring that the earliest learners have access to improved and expanded preschool programs, regardless of location or income.

The move to improve accessibility to quality programs in the state is leading to varied opportunities and creating more jobs for Georgia’s early childhood educators, and the statistics coming out support this. In fact, the demand for early childhood educators in Georgia, as reflected in the projected increase in the number of jobs in the coming years, is expected to be about twice what’s being seen in most of the rest of the country.

Early Childhood Jobs in Georgia

Early 2019 came with good news from Georgia’s legislature: approval for educator salary raises across the board – with some districts now offering as much as 9% more than the year before! That’s great news for everyone from preschool and kindergarten teachers to school administrators working with the state’s youngest learners.

Occupation	Total Employed	Median Annual Salary	% of US Median
Childcare Workers	14,790	$21,810	89%
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	14,430	$30,910	90%
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	5,180	$55,160	87%
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	8,660	$41,040	82%
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	4,720	$54,080	93%
Education Administrators, Preschool and Childcare	1,690	$47,280	88%
Special Education Teachers, Preschool	220	$52,360	85%
= Salary below nat’l. avg.      = Salary above nat’l. avg.

Childcare Workers – There are 14,790 childcare workers in Georgia. These educational professionals earn an average salary of $21,810, just $3,000 shy of the national average. Employment among Georgia’s childcare workers should rise by 11.5% through 2026, which is higher than the national projected growth rate of 7% for these professionals.

Child, Family, and School Social Workers – There are 8,660 child, family, and school social workers employed in Georgia earning an average annual salary of $41,040. Jobs in this profession are expected to increase by 16% through 2026. Jobs among Georgia’s child, family, and school social workers are projected to increase by 14.1% through 2026.

Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education – Georgia is home to 4,720 kindergarten teachers. These professionals earn an average salary of $54,080 here. Kindergarten teacher jobs in Georgia are projected to increase by 15.1% through 2026 – or more than double the projected national growth rate of 7% among these educators.

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education – The state’s 14,430 preschool teachers earn an average salary of $30,910. The number of preschool teachers in the Peach State is more than triple that of kindergarten teachers here. Employment among Georgia’s preschool teachers is expected to increase by 13.6% through 2026 – much higher than the projected national growth rate of 10% for this profession.

Special Education Teachers – Kindergarten and Elementary School – There are 5,180 special education teachers in kindergarten and elementary settings in Georgia, compared to just 220 special ed teachers at the preschool level. The average salary for these dedicated professionals is $55,160. Jobs among kindergarten and elementary school special education teachers in Georgia are projected to rise by 14.5% through 2026, which is much higher than the national projected growth rate of 8%.

Education Administrators, Preschool and Childcare – The average salary among the 1,690 education administrators in Georgia’s preschools is $47,280. Jobs for Georgia’s preschool administrators are projected to rise by 14.5% through 2026 – much higher than the national projected growth rate of 11% for these early childhood education professionals.

Special Education Teachers, Preschool – There are 220 special education teachers employed in preschool settings in Georgia. These professionals earn an average salary of $52,360. Georgia’s special education teacher jobs in preschool settings should rise by 15.3% through 2026, or nearly double the national projected growth rate of 8% in this profession.

City-Level Job Stats

Salary disparities among early childhood educators in Georgia are nothing new. Taken as a statewide average, salaries for early childhood educators and related professions may come in below the overall national average, but in certain metro areas in the state salaries actually far exceed the national average.

For example, the average salary for Athens-Clarke County area preschool teachers is $42,430 – that’s $8,000 more than the national average. Similarly, the average salary for kindergarten teachers in the Augusta-Richmond County metropolitan region is $63,920 – or about $5,000 more than the national average.

Georgia is also home to metropolitan areas that rank among the top in the nation for their number of early childhood educators. For example, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan area is ranked eighth in the nation for its employment level of special education teachers in kindergarten and elementary settings, preschool teachers, and education administrators in preschool and childcare settings.

Preschool Teachers

• Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta – 9,770 licensed teachers with an average salary of $30,540
• Chattanooga, TN-GA – 340 licensed teachers with an average salary of $29,360
• Augusta-Richmond County -GA, SC – 500 licensed teachers with an average salary of $28,580
• Savannah – 480 licensed teachers with an average salary of $27,240
• Columbus – GA, AL – 450 licensed teachers with an average salary of $28,180
• Athens-Clarke County – 340 licensed teachers with an average salary of $42,430
• Macon – 270 licensed teachers with an average salary of $29,780
• Gainesville – 110 licensed teachers with an average salary of $34,540
• Albany – 160 licensed teachers with an average salary of $32,770
• Brunswick – 140 licensed teachers with an average salary of $33,630
• Valdosta – 250 licensed teachers with an average salary of $31,550
• Warner Robins – 480 licensed teachers with an average salary of $32,890
• Rome – average salary of $25,490
• Hinesville-Fort Stewart – average salary of $38,290

Kindergarten Teachers

• Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta – 2,630 licensed teachers with an average salary of $54,230
• Chattanooga, TN-GA – 80 licensed teachers with an average salary of $48,000
• Augusta-Richmond County -GA, SC – 270 licensed teachers with an average salary of $63,920
• Savannah – 160 licensed teachers with an average salary of $51,380
• Athens-Clarke County – 100 licensed teachers with an average salary of $53,090
• Macon – 120 licensed teachers with an average salary of $48,880
• Gainesville – 90 licensed teachers with an average salary of $47,830
• Albany – 160 licensed teachers with an average salary of $50,400
• Valdosta – 70 licensed teachers with an average salary of $52,110

Special Education Teachers – Preschool

• Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta – 100 licensed teachers with an average salary of $47,530

Special Education Teachers – Kindergarten and Elementary School

• Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta – 3,220 licensed teachers with an average salary of $54,800
• Chattanooga, TN-GA – 280 licensed teachers with an average salary of $50,580
• Augusta-Richmond County -GA, SC – average salary of $66,870
• Savannah – 160 licensed teachers with an average salary of $42,930
• Athens-Clarke County – 90 licensed teachers with an average salary of $55,800
• Macon – average salary of $62,380
• Albany – 60 licensed teachers with an average salary of $53,460
• Valdosta – 40 licensed teachers with an average salary of $55,500

Education Administrators – Preschool and Childcare  

• Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta – 1,150 licensed teachers with an average salary of $46,920
• Augusta-Richmond County -GA, SC – 80 licensed teachers with an average salary of $44,360
• Savannah – 60 licensed teachers with an average salary of $48,940
• Columbus – GA, AL – 50 licensed teachers with an average salary of $44,110
• Macon – 60 licensed teachers with an average salary of $42,650
• Warner Robins – 40 licensed teachers with an average salary of $42,450

2018 Occupational Employment Statistics sourced from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) [salary data accessed April 2019] https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ga.htm#25-0000

BLS salary data represents state and MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) average and median earnings for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries. Employment conditions in your area may vary.