Top 12 Head Start Teacher Skills to Put on Your Resume
Crafting a compelling resume as a Head Start Teacher means showing a rare blend: deep knowledge of early childhood development, plus the instincts to build a warm, well-structured space where small learners bloom. The skills below zero in on what matters most—day-to-day practice that fuels milestones, family trust, and a sturdy launchpad for school and life.
Head Start Teacher Skills
- Child Development
- Lesson Planning
- Classroom Management
- Early Literacy
- Special Education
- Parent Communication
- Creative Curriculum
- Teaching Strategies GOLD
- Behavior Modification
- CPR/First Aid
- Montessori Method
- STEM Integration
1. Child Development
Child development encompasses the physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional growth from birth through early childhood. For a Head Start Teacher, this is the heartbeat of practice—tailoring experiences that nurture the whole child.
Why It's Important
Understanding developmental progression helps you plan experiences that fit each child’s zone of growth. It strengthens readiness, promotes well-being, and supports equity—meeting children where they are and moving them forward with intention.
How to Improve Child Development Skills
Focus on approaches that bring out curiosity, connection, and competence.
Create a stimulating environment: Use sensory-rich centers, open-ended materials, and safe spaces for exploration and calm.
Promote social-emotional growth: Embed routines, feelings check-ins, and visuals; use frameworks like the Pyramid Model to teach skills proactively.
Prioritize active play: Daily movement indoors and outdoors. Build fine and gross motor skills with climbing, threading, dancing, and tools.
Strengthen cognition: Offer puzzles, storytelling, patterning, sorting, pretend play, and problem-solving provocations.
Support emotional safety: Coach self-regulation, validate feelings, model empathy, and provide predictable routines.
Engage families: Share simple at-home activities, invite observations, and co-set goals that reflect family priorities.
Keep learning: Follow research and guidance from organizations like NAEYC and the National Head Start Association; join workshops and communities of practice.
Small, consistent moves compound over time—growth you can see and measure.
How to Display Child Development Skills on Your Resume
2. Lesson Planning
Lesson planning in Head Start blends developmentally appropriate practice with joyful, purposeful play. It aligns activities to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework and the interests you see in front of you.
Why It's Important
Planning keeps learning intentional, inclusive, and responsive. It clarifies goals, supports diverse learners, and sets routines that help children feel secure and ready.
How to Improve Lesson Planning Skills
Know your learners: Use observations and checkpoints to tailor small-group, center, and outdoor experiences.
Set clear, bite-sized goals: Keep them specific and meaningful; link to developmental domains.
Blend methods: Play-based exploration, storytelling, music, movement, hands-on STEM, and guided lessons—rotate and differentiate.
Use tech with care: Choose brief, age-appropriate tools that extend—not replace—hands-on learning.
Build in assessment: Plan what to observe, how to document, and when to scaffold or extend.
Reflect and adjust: After each cycle, tweak timing, materials, and grouping based on what stuck and what fizzled.
Collaborate: Co-plan with aides and specialists; share insights with colleagues to refine strategies.
How to Display Lesson Planning Skills on Your Resume
3. Classroom Management
Classroom management in preschool is less about control and more about design—clear routines, visual supports, engaging tasks, and warm relationships that guide behavior.
Why It's Important
A predictable, caring environment lowers stress, increases engagement, and lets learning unfold. Safety, belonging, and focus—built in.
How to Improve Classroom Management Skills
Set simple rules: State positively, teach them explicitly, and practice with role-play.
Stick to routines: Visual schedules, songs for transitions, and calm-down spaces work wonders.
Reinforce what you want: Catch prosocial behavior early and often; use specific praise and tangible tokens sparingly.
Design for attention: Minimize clutter, define centers, and rotate materials to keep curiosity high.
Communicate with families: Share expectations and strategies so children hear the same messages everywhere.
Grow your toolkit: Seek training on PBIS, trauma-informed care, and social-emotional learning.
How to Display Classroom Management Skills on Your Resume
4. Early Literacy
Early literacy is the groundwork for reading and writing—oral language, vocabulary, phonological awareness, print concepts, and a love of stories.
Why It's Important
Strong early literacy changes trajectories. It narrows gaps, boosts confidence, and fuels learning across every domain.
How to Improve Early Literacy Skills
Read aloud daily: Diverse, culturally responsive books; expressive voices; repeated reads for depth.
Talk, then talk more: Use open-ended questions, expand on children’s words, and build background knowledge through conversation.
Play with sounds: Rhymes, syllable claps, first-sound hunts—short, joyful bursts.
Grow alphabet knowledge: Name letters in context, trace, build with blocks, and connect letters to children’s names.
Create a print-rich space: Labels, charts, child-made books, writing tools in every center.
Partner with families: Send home story prompts, book bags, and simple tips to keep reading routines alive.
How to Display Early Literacy Skills on Your Resume
5. Special Education
Special Education in early childhood means adapting instruction, environments, and supports so children with disabilities or delays can participate, learn, and thrive alongside peers.
Why It's Important
Equity begins early. Tailored supports unlock access, independence, and progress during a pivotal window of brain development.
How to Improve Special Education Skills
Build inclusive settings: Universal design, visual cues, sensory breaks, and flexible materials for all learners.
Use individualized plans: Align goals, accommodations, and data collection with each child’s IEP or IFSP.
Coordinate services: Collaborate with specialists and related service providers; embed strategies into daily routines.
Empower families: Co-create goals, share progress in plain language, and celebrate wins, big and small.
Leverage assistive tools: Picture exchange systems, adaptive seating, switches, and simple AAC as needed.
Keep current: Ongoing professional development in inclusive practices, behavior supports, and accessible technology.
How to Display Special Education Skills on Your Resume
6. Parent Communication
Parent communication is the continuous, two-way exchange that aligns home and school—updates, questions, insights, and shared strategies.
Why It's Important
When families and teachers pull together, children feel it. Consistency grows. Trust deepens. Progress speeds up.
How to Improve Parent Communication Skills
Choose clear channels: Newsletters, texts, or a class app like Brightwheel or ClassDojo—simple and consistent.
Share regular snapshots: Brief notes on learning, photos of work, and reminders about what’s next.
Invite dialogue: Ask for observations; provide easy ways to respond. Make feedback normal, not rare.
Make conferences count: Prepare samples, data, and concrete home strategies; check for understanding.
Offer learning sessions: Short workshops or handouts on topics like emotion coaching or early literacy routines.
Honor culture and language: Use translation, flexible scheduling, and culturally responsive materials.
Lead with strengths: Start with what’s working before tackling what’s tough.
How to Display Parent Communication Skills on Your Resume
7. Creative Curriculum
Creative Curriculum is a research-based system that blends project work, intentional teaching, and rich environments to support whole-child development.
Why It's Important
It maps well to Head Start standards, promotes inquiry and play, and offers structure without stifling curiosity.
How to Improve Creative Curriculum Skills
Deepen family ties: Extend projects into home activities; invite family expertise into the classroom.
Strengthen cultural responsiveness: Reflect children’s languages, histories, and identities in materials and themes.
Keep play central: Use dramatic play, construction, and art to explore big ideas and practice new skills.
Use ongoing assessment: Observe, document, and adjust plans to target emerging skills.
Blend tech thoughtfully: Short, purposeful use that supports exploration or documentation.
Invest in PD: Seek training on implementation, interest areas, and project-based learning.
How to Display Creative Curriculum Skills on Your Resume
8. Teaching Strategies GOLD
Teaching Strategies GOLD is an observation-based assessment system that tracks development and learning across domains to inform individualized instruction.
Why It's Important
It turns everyday moments into actionable data, helping you plan with precision and show growth clearly.
How to Improve Teaching Strategies GOLD Skills
Know the objectives: Study the developmental progressions so your observations hit the mark.
Observe consistently: Short, frequent notes with context; collect work samples and photos.
Engage families: Invite home observations and share progress in accessible language.
Plan from data: Use checkpoints to group children, scaffold skills, and seed next steps.
Use the platform well: Log evidence promptly; tag accurately; review reports before planning.
Collaborate: Calibrate with colleagues to strengthen interrater reliability.
How to Display Teaching Strategies GOLD Skills on Your Resume
9. Behavior Modification
Behavior modification uses evidence-based strategies—teaching expectations, reinforcing desired behaviors, and responding calmly to missteps—to build self-regulation and social skills.
Why It's Important
Early patterns stick. Skillful shaping of behavior protects learning time and nurtures confidence.
How to Improve Behavior Modification Skills
Reinforce immediately: Specific, timely praise tied to the behavior you want repeated.
Teach expectations: Model, practice, and revisit routines; use visuals and social stories.
Be consistent: Predictable responses help children understand cause and effect.
Model the model: Show respect, patience, and repair—children mirror what they see.
Listen actively: Validate feelings; problem-solve together; reduce power struggles.
Design for success: Structured spaces, choice-making, and smooth transitions reduce challenging behavior.
How to Display Behavior Modification Skills on Your Resume
10. CPR/First Aid
CPR and First Aid skills prepare you to respond to breathing, choking, cardiac events, injuries, and sudden illness until professional help arrives—child-focused, calm, and effective.
Why It's Important
Safety is nonnegotiable. Quick, competent action can prevent complications and save lives.
How to Improve CPR/First Aid Skills
Renew regularly: Keep certifications current (typically every two years) through recognized providers.
Drill scenarios: Practice with manikins and realistic role-play to build muscle memory.
Review updates: Stay current on guideline changes from authoritative organizations.
Use checklists: Maintain stocked kits; audit monthly; know your emergency roles and routes.
Train the team: Align procedures with aides and administrators; run periodic drills.
Prep your mindset: Rehearse steps mentally; use stress-management techniques to stay steady.
How to Display CPR/First Aid Skills on Your Resume
11. Montessori Method
The Montessori Method centers on self-directed, hands-on learning in a carefully prepared environment, emphasizing independence, concentration, and respect.
Why It's Important
Its principles mesh well with Head Start’s aims: child choice, practical life skills, and rich sensory exploration that scaffolds deep learning.
How to Improve Montessori Method Skills
Curate materials: Real, child-sized tools; sequential activities; clear order on shelves.
Guide, don’t hover: Give precise lessons, then step back; observe before intervening.
Partner with parents: Share simple ways to support independence at home—putting on shoes, setting the table, caring for plants.
Honor diversity: Rotate cultural materials and stories that mirror your classroom community.
Go outdoors: Nature walks, gardening, and sensory exploration extend Montessori principles beautifully.
Assess through observation: Track concentration, repetition, and mastery to inform next lessons.
How to Display Montessori Method Skills on Your Resume
12. STEM Integration
STEM Integration weaves science, technology, engineering, and math into playful, hands-on experiences that feel natural to young children.
Why It's Important
It sparks inquiry, strengthens problem-solving, and builds early numeracy and scientific thinking—accessible to every child, every day.
How to Improve STEM Integration Skills
Use play as the engine: Build ramps, compare weights, mix colors, code with simple bots—short, engaging challenges.
Mine daily moments: Snack counts, weather charts, block stability tests—STEM hides in plain sight.
Invite families in: Share easy home STEM ideas using household items; celebrate family contributions.
Keep growing: Seek training in early math, inquiry science, and engineering design for preschoolers.
Use technology wisely: Choose tools that prompt exploration or documentation, not passive watching.
How to Display STEM Integration Skills on Your Resume
