The best preschool teacher interviews ask candidates to describe what they actually did in a classroom, then let you watch them with children. Use the questions below as a starting point, and listen for specific examples over general answers.
Introduction
The best preschool teacher interviews ask candidates to describe what they actually did in a classroom, then let you watch them with children. Use the questions below as a starting point, and listen for specific examples over general answers.
1. Tell me about the age group you’ve worked with most. What did a typical day look like?
Listen for: concrete detail about routines, transitions, and ratios.
2. Why do you want to work in early childhood education?
Listen for: genuine interest in children’s development, beyond needing a job.
3. What made you leave, or want to leave, your last position?
Listen for: honesty, and whether the reasons would repeat at your school.
4. Walk me through an activity you planned that went well. How did you adapt it for different children?
Listen for: planning tied to learning goals and adjustments for individual needs.
5. How do you track a child’s progress?
Listen for: observation notes, portfolios, or assessment tools such as Teaching Strategies GOLD.
6. What does play-based learning look like in your classroom?
Listen for: specific examples, especially if your school uses a play-based curriculum.
7. A child bites another child during free play. What do you do, step by step?
Listen for: caring for the hurt child first, calm redirection, documentation, and telling both families.
8. How do you handle a child who keeps disrupting circle time?
Listen for: positive guidance, looking for the cause, and no punishment-based responses.
9. How do you make sure you know where every child is during outdoor time or a transition?
Listen for: name-to-face counts, clear positioning, and awareness of ratios.
10. A parent is upset that their child came home with a scratch. How do you respond?
Listen for: empathy, facts from the incident report, and looping in the director.
11. How do you share a child’s progress with families?
Listen for: regular, positive communication alongside concerns.
12. Tell me about a disagreement with a co-teacher and how you resolved it.
Listen for: direct, respectful communication and a focus on the children.
After the sit-down interview, invite the candidate into a classroom for 30 to 60 minutes. Watch whether they get down to children’s eye level, how they speak to children, and whether they jump in or wait to be told. Follow your state’s rules on supervision and background checks for visitors in the classroom.
Still building your applicant pool? See how to find preschool teachers when you’re short-staffed.
A short classroom observation tells you more than a long sit-down interview.
Book a call with Hire Up Recruiting. As a daycare recruiting agency that works only in early childhood education, we phone-screen every candidate and send you resumes with recruiter notes, so your interviews start with qualified people.
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