Best Early Childhood Education Schools Near Seaside, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Seaside, California has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $13,500 to $20,918 per year for indexed programs. Seaside has a population of about 31,964. Median household income is $82,303 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $82,550 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Seaside

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Seaside, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Seaside city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Seaside. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 49.5 miles from Seaside
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

California State University-Stanislaus

Turlock, CA 82.1 miles from Seaside
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,188
Avg net price $6,067/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 84.1 miles from Seaside
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 102

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

EDvance College

San Francisco, CA 86.8 miles from Seaside
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses

Stockton, CA 99.9 miles from Seaside
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
58.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,248
Avg net price $5,524/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,500
Out‑of‑state$13,500
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA 112.1 miles from Seaside
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
89.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $90,768
Avg net price $16,665/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

California State University-Fresno

Fresno, CA 115.6 miles from Seaside
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
78.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,244
Avg net price $7,000/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 96

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

California State University-Sacramento

Sacramento, CA 135.6 miles from Seaside
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
81.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 94%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,876
Avg net price $9,338/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,018
Out‑of‑state$20,618
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California early childhood education page.

Early Childhood Education Wages Near Seaside

Seaside is part of the Salinas, CA metro area (BLS area code 41500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teacher $47,280 Salinas, CA $43,376
Kindergarten Teacher $82,550 CA statewide $75,734
Preschool and Childcare Center Director $76,620 Salinas, CA $70,294
Teaching Assistant $48,030 Salinas, CA $44,064

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Seaside at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 31,964 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $82,303 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 27.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 109.0 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Seaside-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Seaside, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Seaside. The closest is San Jose State University in San Jose, CA (49.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Humphreys University-Stockton and Modesto Campuses (99.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near Seaside?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Seaside are: Kindergarten Teacher ($82,550), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($76,620), Teaching Assistant ($48,030). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Monterey instead of Seaside?

Monterey, CA is 4.0 miles from Seaside and has its own set of local early childhood education programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Seaside an affordable place to study early childhood education?

Seaside’s median household income of $82,303 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Seaside while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Early Childhood Education Programs

Other Programs Available in Seaside

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Seaside:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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