Early Childhood Education · California

Early Childhood Education colleges in California

CampusPin lists 262 U.S. colleges in California that offer Early Childhood Education programs. Compare tuition, acceptance rate, and enrollment in the table below, every figure links back to the institution's official IPEDS data.

Early Childhood Education prepares you to teach and care for children from infancy through the early primary grades, focusing on play-based learning and developmental milestones.

Schools in California that offer Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education programs in California: by the numbers

A quick comparison of the 50 schools (of 262 total) listed above, drawn from each institution's published IPEDS data.

Schools listed

262

Public / private

15 / 35

Universities / 2-year

40 / 10

Cities represented

35

In-state tuition range

$1,124–$63,255

Median in-state tuition

$15,977

Lowest published in-state tuition

Antelope Valley Community College District

$1,124

Most selective

California Institute of Technology

3% acceptance

Largest by enrollment

California State University-Fullerton

41,793 students

Figures reflect the schools currently listed and each institution's most recent reported data. Verify current tuition and admissions details with the school before applying.

What you'll study in a Early Childhood Education program

  • Child development from infancy through the early primary grades
  • Play-based and developmentally appropriate teaching methods
  • Early literacy and emergent reading instruction
  • Foundations of early numeracy and math concepts
  • Observation, screening, and assessment of young learners
  • Classroom management and positive guidance strategies
  • Supporting dual-language learners and children with disabilities
  • Family engagement and partnering with caregivers
  • Supervised practicum and student teaching in early-childhood settings

Where a Early Childhood Education degree can lead

  • Preschool Teacher
  • Kindergarten Teacher
  • Childcare Center Director
  • Early Intervention Specialist
  • Head Start Teacher
  • Early Childhood Special Educator

Typical pay: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 preschool teachers, except special education median $37,120).

Early Childhood Education focuses on how very young children learn, develop, and grow, from infancy through roughly the early primary grades depending on your state's grade structure. Students study how language, thinking, movement, and social-emotional skills emerge in the first years of life, and how to design play-based and developmentally appropriate lessons that match those stages. Coursework blends child development theory with practical methods for teaching early reading, numeracy, and the arts, along with classroom management, observation and assessment of young learners, working with families, and supporting children with diverse needs and home languages. Compared with elementary education, this field concentrates on the earliest stretch of a child's schooling, where caregiving, family partnership, and developmental milestones are central to the work.

The credential path varies by role and setting. Many preschool and childcare positions can be entered with an associate's degree, while teaching young children in a public school classroom typically requires a bachelor's degree plus a state teaching license earned through a supervised student-teaching practicum and a passing score on state exams. Programs usually include observation hours and a culminating field placement in a real classroom, and some states layer on early-childhood-specific endorsements; aspiring teachers should verify their state's licensure rules and whether their program holds the relevant programmatic accreditation. Graduates work in preschools and pre-kindergarten programs, public and private schools, childcare and Head Start centers, early-intervention services for infants and toddlers, and family and community education programs.

In federal data for the closely related occupation of preschool teachers, except special education, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $37,120 and projects employment to grow about 4.1% from 2024 to 2034; an associate's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.

Early Childhood Education in other states

Other majors in California

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Use CampusPin's filter-first search to narrow 262+ Early Childhood Education programs in California by tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting.

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