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Special Education Teachers, Preschool Salary in CA

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Special Education Teachers, Preschool in CA have a median annual salary of $59,550, with 2,510 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $38,050 at the 10th percentile to $117,700 at the 90th percentile.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22

Salary overview

Median annual salary

$59,550

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

—

Employment

2,510

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$38,050
10th
$48,400
25th
$59,550
Median
$83,370
75th
$117,700
90th

Local compared with national

CA

$59,550

Median annual · 2025

United States

$64,830

Median annual · 2025

The CA median is 8.1% below the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $5,280).

Top skills

  1. 1.Reading ComprehensionImportance 4.0
  2. 2.Active ListeningImportance 4.0
  3. 3.SpeakingImportance 4.0
  4. 4.Critical ThinkingImportance 4.0
  5. 5.Learning StrategiesImportance 4.0
  6. 6.MonitoringImportance 4.0
  7. 7.Social PerceptivenessImportance 4.0
  8. 8.Active LearningImportance 3.9
  9. 9.InstructingImportance 3.9
  10. 10.WritingImportance 3.8
  11. 11.Service OrientationImportance 3.6
  12. 12.Complex Problem SolvingImportance 3.4

Career information

Education and experience

Experience
None
Job zone
4

Technology used

  • American Sign Language Browser
  • Children's educational software
  • Drawing software
  • Email software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Screen magnification software
  • Screen reader software
  • Web browser software

Common tasks

  • Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
  • Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement.
  • Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.
  • Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
  • Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, or changing their diapers.
  • Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, or social skills, to preschool students with special needs.
  • Develop individual educational plans (IEPs) designed to promote students' educational, physical, or social development.
  • Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.
  • Meet with parents or guardians to discuss their children's progress, advise them on using community resources, or teach skills for dealing with students' impairments.
  • Modify the general preschool curriculum for students with disabilities.

Related careers

Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.

Special Education Teachers, Preschool salary in other locations

Other occupations in CA