Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
SOC 25-2011 · 2024-2034
Instruct preschool-aged students, following curricula or lesson plans, in activities designed to promote social, physical, and intellectual growth.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $48,727per year
- Projected openings
- 80,570
- Projected change
- +13.1%
- Usually needs
- Associate's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Instructing
- Speaking
- Learning Strategies
- Active Listening
- Coordination
- Critical Thinking
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $50,529 | 6,120 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $50,529 | 4,770 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $50,529 | 680 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $49,530 | 4,640 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $48,123 | 240 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $47,846 | 510 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $47,815 | 580 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $47,240 | 640 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $46,613 | 410 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $46,603 | 5,740 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $46,552 | 140 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $46,552 | 250 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $46,552 | 1,000 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $46,480 | 490 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $46,418 | 700 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $46,119 | 5,530 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $45,853 | 380 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $45,794 | 14,860 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $45,514 | 380 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $44,908 | 4,660 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $44,888 | 1,260 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $44,877 | 1,340 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $44,775 | 1,000 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $44,662 | 380 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $44,569 | 430 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $44,312 | 1,690 |
| El Centro MSA (Imperial County) | $43,891 | 130 |
| Yuba City MSA (Sutter and Yuba Counties) | $43,809 | 190 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $43,398 | 3,810 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | $43,316 | 160 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $39,444 | 270 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $38,930
- A quarter earn under
- $45,139
- Half earn under
- $48,727
- Three quarters earn under
- $60,806
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $67,179
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | $84,861 | 7,710 | -2.8% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $102,439 | 96,800 | -1.7% |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool | $61,217 | 1,750 | 0% |
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | $103,889 | 7,850 | -1.7% |
| Childcare Workers | $41,034 | 135,490 | +1.5% |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $101,720 | 23,240 | -1.7% |
Programs that train for this job — 46
Early Childhood Education Certificate
Shasta College · Redding · $2,057
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
AS Degree Early Childhood Education: Montessori Education Preschool Teacher
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $3,326
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Cert. of Achievement Early Childhood Education: Associate Teacher-Preschool
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $1,138
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Cert. of Achievement Early Childhood Education: Associate Teacher-School Age Children
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $1,138
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
AS Degree Early Childhood Education
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $3,887
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Cert. of Achievement Early Childhood Education: Violence Intervention & Counseling
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $1,066
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Cert. of Achievement Early Childhood Education: Montessori Education-Preschool Teacher
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $1,854
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
AST Early Childhood Education
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $3,686
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Cert. of Achievement Early Childhood Education.
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $2,599
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Early Childhood Educator Apprenticeship Program
West Los Angeles College · Culver City · $2,311
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Child Development
Maxine Waters Employment Prep Center - LAUSD · Los Angeles · $1,585
- Working 6 months later
- 27%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $7,592
Early Childhood Education - Early Childhood Education AS Degree
Cabrillo College · Aptos · $5,857
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Early Childhood Education - ECE Administration Certificate of Achievement
Cabrillo College · Aptos · $5,755
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Special Education Assistant
Richard N. Slawson Occupational Center - LAUSD · Bell · $1,865
- Working 6 months later
- 58%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $7,592
Child Care Assistant
Richard N. Slawson Occupational Center - LAUSD · Bell · $1,550
- Working 6 months later
- 65%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $7,592
Early Childhood Education
Moreno Valley College CTE · Moreno Valley · $2,326
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Child Development: Family Childcare Certificate of Accomplishment
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $398
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
ECE Associate Teacher Certificate of Accomplishment
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $584
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Child Development: School-Age Care Certificate of Achievement
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $860
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Child Development: Pre-Teacher Certificate of Accomplishment
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $722
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
ECE Practitioner Certificate of Achievement
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $860
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Child Development
Lemoore College · Lemoore · $3,405
- Working 6 months later
- 100%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Child Development Associate Training
Loyola Marymount University - LMU Extension · Los Angeles · $2,095
- Working 6 months later
- 28%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $8,416
Early Childhood Education Associate Teacher (Online)
UCLA Extension · Los Angeles · $2,680
- Working 6 months later
- 35%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $10,500
Child Development/Family Relations Associate of Science Degree
Mendocino College · Ukiah · $4,728
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Early Childhood Montessori Teaching Certification
Christian Montessori Education Center of the East Bay · Concord · $6,296
- Working 6 months later
- 100%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Early Childhood Education Assistant
Westchester-Emerson Community Adult - LAUSD · Los Angeles · $1,805
- Working 6 months later
- 51%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $7,592
Bilingual Authorization - Spanish
University of California Merced · Merced · $1,675
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Child Development and Care
University of California Merced · Merced · $1,800
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Early Care & Education (ECE) Teacher
Early Care & Education Pathways to Success (ECEPTS) · Walnut Creek · $20,298
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Early Care & Education Lead Teacher
Early Care & Education Pathways to Success (ECEPTS) · Walnut Creek · $29,418
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Certificate of Achievement, Early Childhood Education
College of Marin · Greenbrae · $2,979
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
EARLY CHILDHOOD ED: TEACHER
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $3,482
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: ASSOCIATE in science degree
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $4,802
- Working 6 months later
- 100%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $9,013
EARLY CHILDHOOD ED: MASTER TEACHER
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $3,920
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Certificate of Achievement in Early Childhood Education - Basic
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $2,473
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Early Childhood Education: Associate Teacher - Certificate of Achievement
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $1,394
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Child Development Master Teacher Infant/Toddler- BC
Kern Community College District · Bakersfield · $4,150
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Child Development Associate Teacher- BC
Kern Community College District · Bakersfield · $1,605
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Child Development Master Teacher CC
Kern Community College District · Bakersfield · $3,498
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported