Early Childhood Education - Early Childhood Education AS Degree
Cabrillo College · Aptos, CA
- Cost
- $5,857
- Length
- 81 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 66
- Finished the program
- 100%Based on 28 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Shrinking -0.4%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
Related work California expects more of
The U.S. Department of Labor lists these as related to the job above, and California projects growth in them rather than decline. Related is not the same as interchangeable: the training, the licenses and the pay can all differ, and this program does not train for these. It is a place to start asking, not a recommendation.
- Self-Enrichment Teachers$50,958 · +10.2% · 1 program here
- Tutors$46,362 · +6.8% · No programs here train for it
- Substitute Teachers, Short-Term$61,988 · +2.2% · No programs here train for it
Where California publishes a separate figure for Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County), it appears beneath the statewide one. Statewide stays the headline: people who train here do not necessarily work here.
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
Job ads may call this: Teacher · Group Teacher · Infant Teacher · Nursery Teacher
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, and social skills.
- Provide a variety of materials and resources for children to explore, manipulate, and use, both in learning activities and in imaginative play.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order.
- Adapt teaching methods and instructional materials to meet students' varying needs and interests.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Serve meals and snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines.
- Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, and changing their diapers.
- Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and needs, determine their priorities for their children, and suggest ways that they can promote learning and development.
- Organize and lead activities designed to promote physical, mental, and social development, such as games, arts and crafts, music, storytelling, and field trips.
What this pays in Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $39,691 | $49,118 | $75,424 |
| Across California | $38,930 | $48,727 | $67,179 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $48,727per yearSanta Cruz-Watsonville MSA: $46,480
- Projected openings
- 80,570Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA: 490
- Projected change
- +13.1%
- Usually needs
- Associate's degree
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- None
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
The Department publishes no description and no task list for this job. That is a gap in the federal record, not a sign that the work is unusual.
These figures describe a wider group of jobs
California publishes no separate pay or openings figures for the occupation this program trains for (25-9042). The federal classification it follows counts that work together with several related jobs under Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary, because they cannot be measured apart, so the pay, openings and projected change below belong to the combined group. Read them as the range this job sits inside, not as a figure for the job itself.
What this pays in Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $39,146 | $48,758 | $61,875 |
| Across California | $38,282 | $47,791 | $61,186 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $47,791per yearSanta Cruz-Watsonville MSA: $47,065
- Projected openings
- 208,890Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA: 1,260
- Projected change
- -0.4%
- Usually needs
- Not shown for this programCalifornia does publish a usual entry requirement for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary, but it is one answer for the whole group and can name a degree this program's own occupation never asks for. It is left out here rather than shown beside a program it may not describe. That is this site's decision, not something the provider failed to report.
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- None
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
Childcare Workers
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Caregiver · Daycare Worker · Infant Teacher · Child Caregiver
- Maintain a safe play environment.
- Observe and monitor children's play activities.
- Communicate with children's parents or guardians about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues.
- Support children's emotional and social development, encouraging understanding of others and positive self-concepts.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Care for children in institutional setting, such as group homes, nursery schools, private businesses, or schools for people with disabilities.
- Sanitize toys and play equipment.
- Dress children and change diapers.
- Keep records on individual children, including daily observations and information about activities, meals served, and medications administered.
What this pays in Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County)
Each bar runs from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. The darker middle is where half the people are, and the line is the median.
| Area | The lowest-paid tenth earn under | Half earn under | The highest-paid tenth earn over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $36,122 | $39,014 | $49,698 |
| Across California | $36,235 | $41,034 | $54,004 |
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) beside the same figures for the whole state. A region can sit well below or above the statewide spread, and the statewide number is the one most often quoted — so where they differ, the local row is the one that describes the work near this program.
- Typical pay in California
- $41,034per yearSanta Cruz-Watsonville MSA: $37,198
- Projected openings
- 135,490Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA: 1,230
- Projected change
- +1.5%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- Under a month
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
Program details
This program provides in-person instruction only.
A program that focuses on the intellectual social emotional and biological development of children and the planning and design of related human services. Includes instruction in parent-child relations parenting practices special needs of children parental and environmental influences on child development external support services and related public policy issues.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-09-18). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
Ask before you enroll, not after
The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
Capitola Career Center - America`s Job Center of California (AJCC)Affiliate site
Phone: 831-464-6286
2045 40th AvenueSuite BCapitola, CA 95010about 5.5 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm
Has a veterans' representative
SCCOE - Suenos Youth Program ServicesAffiliate site
Phone: 831-466-5672
229 Green Valley RoadSequoia SchoolsFreedom, CA 95019about 6.9 miles away
Hours: Monday-Friday 9a.m.-5p.m.
Santa Cruz County, Workforce, Watsonville Career CenterComprehensive center
Phone: 831-763-8933
500 Westridge DriveCounty of Santa Cruz, South County Government CenterWatsonville, CA 95076about 7.9 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm Closed 12:00 noon - 1pm
At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →