Quick answer: Kentucky employs about 2,450 kindergarten teachers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing runs through your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings. Programs, the careers this degree opens, and what they pay are below.
Compare early childhood education programs enrolling now:
Licensing and Credentials in Kentucky
Two systems govern this field. Public school classrooms require a bachelor’s from a state-approved program, student teaching and the state teaching license. Child care and preschool settings run through the state early learning agency, where training hours, the CDA credential and degree tiers step up with each quality rating level.
Requirements are set at state level and are amended periodically. Before you enroll in any program, confirm with your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings that the specific program you are considering satisfies the education requirement, and ask what it accepts from any training you have already completed. Get the answer in writing.
Earning the Degree While You Work
Most people reading this already have a job in the field, and the practical question is whether the credential can be earned without leaving it. Programs designed for working adults deliver the academic portion online or in the evening, while any labs, clinical hours or supervised field experience happen in person and locally. Prior college credit, military training, apprenticeship coursework and industry certifications can all shorten the path, so request a written transfer credit evaluation before you commit to any school.
Schools Near You
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 6 schools
within 201 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
6 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
What Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education Earn in Kentucky
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education in Kentucky earn a median $60,280 per year, below the national median of $62,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Early Childhood Education Pay and Employment in Kentucky at a Glance
Metric
Kentucky
National
Source
Median annual wage
$60,280
$62,680
BLS OEWS, May 2025
10th percentile
$44,980
$46,990
BLS OEWS, May 2025
25th percentile
$49,130
$52,180
BLS OEWS, May 2025
75th percentile
$65,070
$79,910
BLS OEWS, May 2025
90th percentile
$79,920
$101,830
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Employment
2,450
108,870
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Location quotient
1.75
1.00
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected change (2024-34)
not published by state
-1.6%
BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34
How Kentucky Pay Compares to the Rest of the Country
The Kentucky median of $60,280 sits below the national median of $62,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Percentiles matter more than the midpoint when you are deciding whether a degree pays for itself: the 10th percentile is roughly where people start, and the 90th is what the top of the local market looks like after years of experience.
A location quotient of 1.75 puts Kentucky well above the national average, so the work is noticeably more common here than in the typical state. That usually means a deeper job market and more room to change employers without relocating (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The measure compares how concentrated the occupation is here against the national average of 1.00.
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Early childhood employment tracks families: districts, Head Start grantees and licensed centers hire everywhere, with density following population.
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education Wages by Metro Area in Kentucky
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics ( OES data), kindergarten teachers, except special education wages in Kentucky vary by metro area.
Metro Area
Employment
Median Annual Wage
Avg. Annual Wage
Entry Level (10th pctile)
Experienced (90th pctile)
Cincinnati
680
$62,150
$61,930
$42,160
$82,530
Louisville/Jefferson County
560
$61,630
$67,290
$48,450
$92,860
Lexington-Fayette
300
$63,950
$64,310
$48,750
$82,660
Huntington-Ashland
170
$58,200
$56,850
$44,670
$71,110
Bowling Green
110
$61,720
$59,000
$49,690
$65,510
Owensboro
70
$65,430
$61,190
$46,470
$74,860
Paducah
60
$61,530
$60,730
$42,770
$73,280
Clarksville
40
$59,400
$50,310
$34,480
$60,530
Wages reflect survey data and vary based on experience, credentials, employer, and local market conditions. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May .
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do kindergarten teachers make in Kentucky?
The median annual wage for kindergarten teachers in Kentucky is $60,280, below the national median of $62,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle of the range runs from $49,130 at the 25th percentile to $65,070 at the 75th.
How many kindergarten teachers work in Kentucky?
Kentucky holds about 2,450 early childhood teacher jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Nationally the occupation employs 108,870, and BLS projects about 12,800 openings per year through 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
Do I need a license to work as a early childhood teacher in Kentucky?
Two systems govern this field. Public school classrooms require a bachelor's from a state-approved program, student teaching and the state teaching license. Child care and preschool settings run through the state early learning agency, where training hours, the CDA credential and degree tiers step up with each quality rating level. Requirements are set at the state level and change periodically, so confirm the current rules with your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings before you enroll in any program.
Can I earn an early childhood education associate or bachelor's online while working in Kentucky?
Often yes. Programs built for working adults deliver coursework online or in the evenings, though any required labs, clinical hours or supervised field experience are completed in person. Confirm that the program's accreditation satisfies your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings.
What is the highest-paying area of Kentucky for kindergarten teachers?
Among Kentucky metro areas with published data, Owensboro reports the highest median at $65,430 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is Kentucky a good state for kindergarten teachers?
On pay, the state median of $60,280 sits below the national $62,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A location quotient of 1.75 means the occupation is more concentrated here than in the average state. Weigh that against cost of living and how concentrated the work is near where you actually want to live.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education (SOC 25-2012), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
