Kindergarten Teacher Career Assessment

2What is a Kindergarten Teacher?

A kindergarten teacher takes children who mostly cannot read and, in about nine months, gets most of them reading simple books. You teach letter sounds, blending sounds into words, sight words, writing letters and then sentences, counting, adding and subtracting small numbers, shapes, and patterns. Alongside all of that you are teaching a child how to be a student for the first time: how to walk in a hallway, how to open a milk carton, how to keep track of their own mittens, how to say sorry and mean it. You test each child at the start of the year, in the middle, and at the end, and you use those numbers to decide who needs extra help.

The Reality: Say this part out loud: on the first day, the children in your room will not be at the same place. One will already be reading chapter books. Another will not know a single letter and has never held a pencil. Two will cry for their mom for the first three weeks. One will not be toilet-trained reliably. All of them are yours, all year, and by June the state expects all of them to have moved. Nobody sorts them for you. That spread is the hardest part of the job, and it is bigger than it was twenty years ago.

Your Responsibilities:

• Teach letter sounds, blending, sight words, and early reading every single day
• Teach counting, adding and subtracting small numbers, shapes, and patterns
• Teach how to be a student: lining up, raising hands, sitting on the carpet, taking turns
• Test each child’s reading and math at the start, middle, and end of the year
• Plan lessons that work for a child who reads and a child who does not know letters
• Help with coats, boots, snow pants, zippers, shoes, and lunch trays
• Meet with parents about how their child is doing and what to work on at home
• Watch for children who need extra help and start the process to get it

You are the person who teaches a child to read. Almost nobody else gets to do that.

3A Day in the Life

7:30 AM — In before the buses. Write the morning message on the board, set out name cards, put today’s books at each table.

8:15 AM — Buses unload. Coats, boots, snow pants, and backpacks into cubbies. Two children need help with zippers. One forgot their lunch.

8:30 AM — Morning meeting on the carpet. Calendar, weather, a song, and a look at the plan for the day so everyone knows what is coming.

9:00 AM — Reading block. Whole group letter sounds, then small groups. You pull four children who do not know their letters while the rest work at centers.

10:30 AM — Math on the carpet with counting bears and ten-frames. Then a quick brain break, because they are done sitting.

11:15 AM — Lunch and recess duty. You open eleven milk cartons and cut up a hot dog. Then snow pants on for recess, which takes twenty minutes.

12:30 PM — Quiet rest time, then writing. Each child writes one sentence about their weekend. You sit with the two who cannot start on their own.

2:45 PM — Coats on, bus tags checked, everyone on the right bus. Then an hour of grading, testing notes, and planning after they leave.

Constant motion, constant talking, and a room that has to be reset three or four times a day.

4Training in North Dakota

This is a four-year degree and a state teaching license. There is no short version. Here is the part people get wrong. In North Dakota, the plain elementary education license covers grades 1 through 8. It does not automatically cover kindergarten. To teach kindergarten you need either an early childhood education degree, which licenses you for birth through grade 3, or an elementary education degree plus a separate Kindergarten Endorsement from the state board. Ask any program you are looking at which one you will walk out with.

Training Pathways:

• Early childhood education degree (4 years): A bachelor’s in early childhood education from an approved program gets you a birth through grade 3 license. That covers preschool, kindergarten, first, second, and third grade in one license. If kindergarten is what you want, this is the cleanest route.
• Elementary education degree plus the Kindergarten Endorsement (4 years plus): A bachelor’s in elementary education licenses you for grades 1 to 8. Then you add the endorsement. ESPB lists two ways to earn it: four courses — Intro to Early Childhood, Early Language and Literacy, Kindergarten or EC Methods, and Observation and Assessment for Kindergarten/EC — plus student teaching in kindergarten or a year teaching PreK, K, or grade 1 in ND; or challenge the Early Childhood Praxis test, in which case you do not have to student teach in kindergarten.
• Start at a two-year college, then transfer (4 years total): Take your general education and early childhood credits at a North Dakota two-year college or tribal college, then move to a four-year school for the teaching courses and student teaching. This costs much less at the start and keeps you closer to home.

Where to Train in North Dakota:

• University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) — Early Childhood Education, B.S.Ed., 125 to 128 credits, 100% online. UND says it prepares teachers for birth through grade 3 and leads to ND licensure with a 2.75 GPA, the state exams, and a background check — und.edu/programs/early-childhood-education-bsed
• Minot State University (Minot) — Early Childhood Education, B.S.Ed., 120 credits, about four years, on campus. Minot State says it readies you for the birth to grade 3 North Dakota teaching license — minotstateu.edu/enroll/programs/early-childhood-education.shtml
• Mayville State University (Mayville) — Early Childhood Education, B.S.Ed. Mayville State says graduates are eligible to apply for a birth to third grade teaching license, and the program leans heavily on online and distance learning — mayvillestate.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/early-childhood
• University of Mary (Bismarck) — Early Childhood Education, B.A. or B.S., birth through grade 3, accredited by the ND Education Standards and Practices Board, with a fully online B.S. option — umary.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/early-childhood-education
• University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) — Elementary Education, B.S.Ed., 125 credits, on campus or 100% online. UND says it licenses you for grades 1 to 8 in North Dakota, and it offers an Early Childhood Education minor you can pair with it — und.edu/programs/elementary-education-bsed
• Valley City State University (Valley City) — Elementary Education, B.S., 120 to 135 credits, grades 1 to 8. VCSU lists a Kindergarten endorsement and an Early Childhood option students add on. The program requires over 150 hours of field experience before a twelve-week student teaching placement — catalog.vcsu.edu/undergraduate-catalog/programs/majors/elementary-education
• Dickinson State University (Dickinson) — Elementary Education, with Early Childhood Education available as a concentration. DSU says elementary licensure entitles the holder to teach in the regular elementary classroom for grades one through eight — dickinsonstate.edu/academics/fields-of-study/soe/education/teacher-education-program/concentrations-licensures
• Mayville State University (Mayville) — Elementary Education, B.S.Ed., built for working adults through evening and online coursework. Mayville State is clear that this is not entirely online: some classes meet live by desktop conferencing — mayvillestate.edu/msu-online/programs/bsed-elementary-education
• Turtle Mountain College (Belcourt) — Elementary Education, B.S. — tm.edu/academics
• United Tribes Technical College (Bismarck) — Elementary Education, A.S. and Elementary Education, B.S. — ted.uttc.edu/degrees
• Bismarck State College (Bismarck) — Education Foundations: Early Childhood and Elementary, a program certificate that comes with a Title I Paraprofessional Certificate and a North Dakota Substitute Teacher License, and stacks into BSC’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Foundations of Teaching and then into a licensure program at a partner school — bismarckstate.edu/academics/programs/educationfoundationsearlychildhoodelementary
• North Dakota State College of Science (Wahpeton) — Liberal Arts (Elementary Education Transfer), Associate in Arts, 61 credits. NDSCS says students finish this two-year degree and then transfer to another college or university to take their education courses and student teach — catalog.ndscs.edu/liberal-arts/associate-in-arts/liberal-arts-elementary-education-transfer
• Cankdeska Cikana Community College (Fort Totten) — Early Childhood Education, Associate of Arts, 66 credits, with a bachelor’s in early childhood education available on campus through Mayville State — littlehoop.edu/academics/early-childhood-education
• Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates) — Early Childhood Education, Associate of Science, with a path on to a bachelor’s — sittingbull.edu/academics/programs/early-childhood-education-associate-of-science

Before You Start: A high school diploma or GED to start college. You do not need heavy math, but you do need to write clearly and read a lot. Teacher preparation programs have their own gate partway through: UND, for example, asks for at least a 2.75 GPA. You also need to be able to pass a fingerprint background check, because you cannot be licensed or placed in a classroom without one.

Tip: Start with financial aid and scholarships. Fill out the FAFSA, ask the school’s financial aid office what you qualify for, and ask an employer whether they help pay for school. That is where the money starts. After that, a career counselor or Job Service North Dakota may be able to help with what is left over, like tuition, books, a laptop, or exam fees. What can be paid for depends on the program and on your own situation, so ask before you enroll rather than after. Worth asking about specifically: two-year degrees that train you for a job, like civil engineering technology, land surveying, mechatronics, electronics, or instrumentation. North Dakota two-year colleges also cost far less than a university. Ask about paid summer internships too — engineering firms, plants, and survey crews hire students while they are still in school.

5Certification & Licensing

North Dakota licenses you personally, through the Education Standards and Practices Board. ESPB issues and renews every North Dakota teaching license. The important thing to know for this job: the plain elementary license starts at grade 1. Kindergarten needs either the birth to grade 3 early childhood license or an added Kindergarten Endorsement.

The License Ladder in North Dakota:

• Initial In-State License (two years) — ESPB says it is issued to first-time applicants who have met all of the ND requirements for licensure: the degree from an approved program, the required Praxis tests, and a background check (nd.gov/espb)
• Kindergarten Endorsement — for someone already licensed in elementary education. Four courses (Intro to Early Childhood, Early Language and Literacy, Kindergarten or EC Methods, Observation and Assessment for Kindergarten/EC) plus student teaching in kindergarten or a year teaching PreK, K, or grade 1 in ND. Or challenge the Early Childhood Praxis test, which skips the kindergarten student teaching. You apply through your ND Teach account; the fee is $80. If you are not finished, ESPB can add it to your license for two years while you complete the coursework (nd.gov/espb)
• Two-Year Renewal License — for an educator with less than 18 months of contracted teaching in North Dakota, or who has finished probationary requirements (nd.gov/espb)
• First Five-Year License — granted after you teach successfully for 18 months full-time equivalent in North Dakota (nd.gov/espb)
• Five-Year Renewal License — requires at least 30 days under contract and six semester hours of continuing education (nd.gov/espb)
• Alternate Access License (one year at a time, up to three years) — the route for someone who already holds a bachelor’s degree in something else. It is for documented shortage areas. ESPB asks for a degree in the content area, or at least 30 credits in that area or a closely related one, plus a plan to finish. It renews only if you show progress and the school asks in writing. If you go the American Board route instead of college coursework, ESPB says it must be finished in your first year on the license (nd.gov/espb)
• 40-Day Provisional License — ESPB issues this when you have been offered a job and finished the whole application except the background investigation, so you can start while it clears (nd.gov/espb)
• 25-Year Life License — for teachers who have held a North Dakota license for 25 years (nd.gov/espb)

The Exams: North Dakota requires all three Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests: Reading (5713, qualifying score 156, minimum 149), Writing (5723, qualifying score 160, minimum 153), and Math (5733, qualifying score 150, minimum 143). ESPB also accepts a composite score of 466 as long as no single score is below that test’s minimum. On top of Core you take a subject test for your licensure area. ESPB does not publish those subject codes and cut scores on its testing page, so confirm the exact early childhood or elementary test and required score with ESPB before you register (nd.gov/espb/licensure/testing-information).

Cost: From the ESPB fee list: initial application $30, fingerprinting $44.50, Initial In-State two-year license $85, two-year renewal $65, five-year license $140, endorsements $80 each, Alternate Access License $165, 40-Day Provisional $65, transcript review $175, and a $100 late fee if your license lapses. A $5 maintenance charge is added to new applications. Your four-year degree is the real cost.

Keeping It Current: ESPB renews the five-year license when you have at least 30 days under contract and six semester hours of continuing education. Most districts also pay you more for graduate credits and a master’s degree, so many teachers take classes in the summer for both reasons at once.

6Salary & Job Outlook

North Dakota Kindergarten Teacher Pay (May 2025) — yearly contract pay:

• Starting out (bottom 10–25%): $47,490–$49,470 a year
• Middle (median — half earn more, half earn less): $59,420 a year
• Experienced (top 25–10%): $62,070–$77,890 a year

What that means: Teachers are paid on a yearly contract, not by the hour, so the numbers above are yearly pay. Your district’s salary schedule is what tells you exactly what each step and each year of experience pays. The middle North Dakota kindergarten teacher earns about $59,420 a year. That is below the national middle of $62,680, so yes, ND pays less than the country on this job. The bottom is close — ND $47,490 against the U.S. $46,990 — but the top is where ND falls behind badly: the top tenth here earn about $77,890 while the top tenth nationally earn about $101,830. What that means in plain terms is that ND starting pay is competitive, but the ceiling is low. You get raises for years taught and for graduate credits, and that is most of it. Also remember this is contract pay for a school year, not twelve months of work.

Jobs in North Dakota: About 520 people do this work in ND today. By 2034, that should be about 550 (about 6% growth). Expect about 60 job openings every year in ND from growth and people retiring or changing jobs. Across the U.S., the change is about 2% decline.

Outlook: Fair, and this is the thinnest job in this group. O*NET shows North Dakota going from about 520 kindergarten teachers in 2024 to about 550 in 2034, roughly 6% growth, with only about 60 openings a year statewide. Nationally the job is shrinking about 2%. Sixty openings across all of North Dakota is not many, and the good kindergarten jobs in Bismarck, Fargo, and Grand Forks get a lot of applicants. If you want more doors, look hard at elementary school teaching: O*NET shows about 310 ND openings a year there, five times as many. Because the licenses overlap, you can aim at elementary and add the Kindergarten Endorsement, which leaves both doors open instead of one.

Who Hires in ND: Public school districts across North Dakota, tribal and Bureau of Indian Education schools, Catholic and other private schools, and a small number of charter and lab schools. Small rural districts hire steadily and are often where a new teacher gets their first classroom.

Work Setting: One classroom that is yours, with a carpet area, low tables, cubbies, and usually your own bathroom. You are on the school calendar: roughly late August to late May, with holidays, and summers off unless you teach summer school or take another job. You share hallway, lunch, and recess duty with the other teachers, which means going outside in ND winter. Most kindergarten teachers work well past the bell and take planning home.

Physical Demands: High for a teaching job. You are standing, walking, and kneeling most of the day, because you have to get down to eye level constantly. You will help with dozens of zippers, boots, and snow pants a day in winter. You lift and carry children sometimes. Your voice is a tool and it gets tired. You will catch a lot of colds, especially your first couple of years.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (SOC 25-2012); North Dakota and U.S. long-term employment projections 2024–2034, via O*NET OnLine. Numbers are rounded.

7Where This Leads

Path 1: Kindergarten Teacher — Your own classroom, year after year.

Path 2: Grades 1 to 3 Teacher — The birth to grade 3 license already covers these.

Path 3: Reading Specialist — Add a reading credential; work with the children who struggle most.

Path 4: Early Childhood Special Education — Work with the youngest children who need extra help.

Path 5: Instructional Coach — Help other teachers teach reading better.

Path 6: Elementary Principal — Add a master’s degree and lead a building.

8The Real Talk

What's Great:

• You teach children to read — the single biggest thing that happens all year
• Five-year-olds are funny, loving, and still excited to be at school
• One group of children, all day, all year — you really know them
• A school calendar, a real benefits package, and a pension
• Small ND districts hire new teachers and let them build fast
• Your license covers more grades than just kindergarten, so you have options

What's Hard:

• Only about 60 openings a year in all of North Dakota
• The spread between your highest and lowest child is enormous and it is all on you
• ND pay tops out well below the national top — about $77,890 against $101,830
• Coats, boots, snow pants, and zippers eat a real part of every winter day
• Testing and reading benchmarks now reach all the way down into kindergarten
• Planning and grading follow you home most nights

Be Honest: Can you teach a child to read starting from nothing, and do it again with a child who is already reading, in the same hour? Can you handle twenty five-year-olds crying in September and still be warm about it in October? Can you take on the coats-and-boots reality of a North Dakota winter without resenting it? And can you accept that there may only be a handful of kindergarten openings in your part of the state in a given year?

9Part 1: What Attracts You?

10Part 2: Are You Ready?

11Part 3: Your Next Move

Your Kindergarten Teacher Assessment Results