Best Online Early Childhood Education Programs in Thousand Oaks, CA (2026)

Thousand Oaks, California has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $7,160 to $20,485 per year for indexed programs. Thousand Oaks has a population of about 125,676. Median household income is $134,367 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $101,780 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Thousand Oaks

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Thousand Oaks, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Thousand Oaks 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 Thousand Oaks. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 20.3 miles from Thousand Oaks BOC Score 75.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,115
Avg net price $7,021/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,458
Out‑of‑state$20,058
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 43

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

#2

American Jewish University

Los Angeles, CA 23.5 miles from Thousand Oaks BOC Score 81.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,954
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

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

#3

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA 23.8 miles from Thousand Oaks BOC Score 63.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,379
Avg net price $21,413/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

The Chicago School at Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 36.7 miles from Thousand Oaks BOC Score 32.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

California State University-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 41.4 miles from Thousand Oaks BOC Score 73.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,211
Avg net price $3,967/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,160
Out‑of‑state$19,760
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 33

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

#6

Pacific Oaks College

Pasadena, CA 41.5 miles from Thousand Oaks BOC Score 58.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,485
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

California State University-Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA 42.0 miles from Thousand Oaks BOC Score 70.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,162
Avg net price $8,615/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,449
Out‑of‑state$20,049
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 34

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

#8

Biola University

La Mirada, CA 53.0 miles from Thousand Oaks BOC Score 61.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,778
Avg net price $31,495/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Early Childhood Education Wages Near Thousand Oaks

Thousand Oaks is part of the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area (BLS area code 37100). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teacher$46,120Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$41,738
Kindergarten Teacher$101,780Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$92,109
Preschool and Childcare Center Director$64,410Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$58,290
Teaching Assistant$47,860Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$43,312

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.


Thousand Oaks at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population125,676Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$134,367Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+50.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)110.5 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Thousand Oaks-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Thousand Oaks. The closest is California State University-Northridge in Northridge, CA (20.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Los Angeles (41.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Thousand Oaks are: Kindergarten Teacher ($101,780), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($64,410), Teaching Assistant ($47,860). 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 Moorpark instead of Thousand Oaks?

Moorpark, CA is 6.5 miles from Thousand Oaks 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 Thousand Oaks an affordable place to study early childhood education?

Thousand Oaks’s median household income of $134,367 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Thousand Oaks 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 Thousand Oaks

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

Data verified: July 30, 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.