Optional · 1 of 3

What raises your pay

• A state teaching license

  The route into a public school district and the biggest single raise available.

• Special education endorsement

  Early childhood special education roles are short-staffed almost everywhere and paid better.

• Bilingual certification

  Districts and Head Start programs pay stipends for it.

• Montessori certification

  A separate training route, typically one to two years, that Montessori schools require and pay for.

• Director credential

  Running a center. More money, more paperwork, fewer hours on the carpet.