Shafter, California has 4 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $7,350 to $20,485 per year for indexed programs. Shafter has a population of about 20,618. Median household income is $67,989 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 10.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $78,330 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Shafter
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Shafter, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Shafter 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Shafter.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
94%
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,977
Avg net price
$4,564/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,093
Out‑of‑state$20,693
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 14
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California early childhood education page.
Early Childhood Education Wages Near Shafter
Shafter is part of the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area (BLS area code 12540). 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 | $45,880 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $45,471 |
| Kindergarten Teacher | $78,330 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $77,631 |
| Preschool and Childcare Center Director | $64,420 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $63,845 |
| Teaching Assistant | $38,930 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $38,583 |
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.
Shafter at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 20,618 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $67,989 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 10.7% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 100.9 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Shafter-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs
- Wasco, CA – 12.4 mi away (26,337 pop)
- Bakersfield, CA – 12.6 mi away (567,585 pop)
- Delano, CA – 20.3 mi away (54,030 pop)
- Arvin, CA – 28.6 mi away (21,380 pop)
- Porterville, CA – 41.5 mi away (76,512 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Shafter, CA?
Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Shafter. The closest is California State University-Bakersfield in Bakersfield, CA (10.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Fresno (97.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near Shafter?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Shafter are: Kindergarten Teacher ($78,330), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($64,420), Preschool Teacher ($45,880). 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 Wasco instead of Shafter?
Wasco, CA is 12.4 miles from Shafter 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 Shafter an affordable place to study early childhood education?
Shafter’s median household income of $67,989 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Shafter 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 Shafter
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Shafter:
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Shafter, CA
- Machine Learning programs in Shafter, CA
- Supply Chain Management programs in Shafter, CA
- Data Analytics programs in Shafter, CA
- Public Health programs in Shafter, CA
- Human Resources programs in Shafter, CA
- Project Management programs in Shafter, CA
- Special Education programs in Shafter, CA
- Homeland Security programs in Shafter, CA
- Marketing programs in Shafter, CA
- Finance programs in Shafter, CA
- Kinesiology programs in Shafter, CA
- Sports Management programs in Shafter, CA
- Elementary Education programs in Shafter, CA
- Biology programs in Shafter, CA
- Communications programs in Shafter, CA
- Graphic Design programs in Shafter, CA
- Human Services programs in Shafter, CA
- MBA programs in Shafter, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in Shafter, CA
- Nursing programs in Shafter, CA
- Business Administration programs in Shafter, CA
- Computer Science programs in Shafter, CA
- Psychology programs in Shafter, CA
- Education programs in Shafter, CA
- Engineering programs in Shafter, CA
- Technology programs in Shafter, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Shafter, CA
- Healthcare programs in Shafter, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Shafter, CA
- Accounting programs in Shafter, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Shafter, CA
- Social Work programs in Shafter, CA
- Counseling programs in Shafter, CA
Data verified: August 10, 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.
← Back to Best Online Early Childhood Education Programs in California (2026)
