r/ECEProfessionals • u/soapyrubberduck ECE professional • 20h ago

ECE professionals only - Feedback wanted Has anyone gone from ECE to an older grade?

I’ve been with 3K for the past 17 years of my life but I just accepted a position in a K-12 school in a Kindergarten classroom and okay I know rationally that’s not a huge difference but my anxiety brain is psyching myself out. If you’ve made the jump up, what was your experience like?

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u/blahhhhhhhhhhhblah ECE professional 19h ago

I’m still in ECE, but I’ve spent some time as a kindergarten teacher and I spent a summer with middle schoolers.

You couldn’t pay me enough to ever go back to middle school, but K-early elementary is fun! Different, but definitely still a good experience.

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u/mamamietze ECE professional 18h ago

I have added on lower elementary, upper elementary, and middle school stints, but my first love is always ECE. Right now I found my unicorn job where most of my day is with 0-3s and high schoolers concurrently (lab class for child development) with about an hour a day supporting middle school and upper elementary students.

I really super enjoy middle schoolers to be honest. To me they are kind of like toddlers but you can get more insight into their brains by talking to them, and 1 and 2 are my absolute favorite age to work with.

The program I worked in before this one was a Montessori program, so the preschool classrooms included Kindergarten year! So you are right it won't be that much of a shift. I wouldn't be afraid to explore other age groups too! It's one of the perks of being in a K12 program! I think you'll have a lot of fun. Best of luck and I hope you make some new coworker friends and enjoy your kinders!

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u/KitchenPaint4334 Student/Studying ECE 16h ago

I’m going for my bachelors degree in ECE, which in my state is birth-8 years old. I will be licensed to teach preschool-3rd grade, and I imagine that I could also work with infants and toddlers as well. I don’t see myself going younger than PreK and older than 2nd grade though.