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2024 Best Early Childhood Education Schools

486 Colleges in the United States
32,920 Child development Degrees Awarded
Ranked #34 in popularity, early childhood education is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 486 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for early childhood education students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 32,920 degrees in early childhood education during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Early Childhood Education School

Best Early Childhood Education Schools Your choice of early childhood education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for early childhood education schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Early Childhood Education Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Child development
Bachelor's Degrees in Child development
Master's Degrees in Child development
Doctor's Degrees in Child development

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Early Childhood Education Schools list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Early Childhood Education in the United States

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the child development degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Child development

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In NY
38 Child development Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in early childhood education has to take a look at Teachers College at Columbia University. Located in the large city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #12 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Teachers College is a great university overall.

There were approximately 38 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Teachers College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Teachers College at Columbia University

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NJ
41.7% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in early childhood education needs to take a look at The College of New Jersey. Located in the large suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 5th out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were approximately 24 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at TCNJ in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from The College of New Jersey

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In IL
12.5% Growth in Graduates

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 16 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IN

Indiana University - Bloomington is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in early childhood education. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were roughly 11 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Indiana University - Bloomington

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In GA
170 Child development Degrees Awarded

Located in the midsize city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #72 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 170 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Georgia

6
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In NY
31 Child development Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were about 31 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from New York University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In WA
41.2% Growth in Graduates

WWU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bellingham. This university ranks 5th out of 51 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 17 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Western Washington University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
23rd Most Popular In IL

Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 5 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Loyola University Chicago

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In WA

Located in the distant town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 7th out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 17 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at CWU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Central Washington University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In MN
33 Child development Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 33 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In DE
49 Child development Degrees Awarded

UD is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Newark. This university ranks 1st out of 4 colleges for overall quality in the state of Delaware.

There were about 49 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Delaware

12
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In PA
233 Child development Degrees Awarded

WCUPA is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of West Chester. This university ranks 15th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 233 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at WCUPA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania

13
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WA
116 Child development Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 116 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

14
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IN
21.7% Growth in Graduates

Purdue is a very large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were roughly 23 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Purdue University - Main Campus

15
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IA
33 Child development Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 4th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 33 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Northern Iowa

16
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In UT

BYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Provo. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means BYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 24 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at BYU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Brigham Young University - Provo

17
Towson crest
Towson University
Towson, MD
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MD
96 Child development Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Towson, Towson is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 36 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were roughly 96 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Towson in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Towson University

18
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NC
115 Child development Degrees Awarded

UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were approximately 115 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

19
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In AZ
66 Child development Degrees Awarded

ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tempe. This university ranks 2nd out of 26 colleges for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were about 66 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Arizona State University - Tempe

20
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IA

Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were about 24 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Iowa State University

21
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In FL
103 Child development Degrees Awarded

UCF is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Orlando. This university ranks 7th out of 77 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were about 103 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UCF in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Central Florida

22
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
94 Child development Degrees Awarded

Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 94 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Illinois State University

23
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In UT

Located in the city of Logan, USU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were approximately 21 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at USU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Utah State University

24
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, SC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In SC
35 Child development Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #107 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Clemson is a great university overall.

There were about 35 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Clemson in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from Clemson University

25
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In OH
71 Child development Degrees Awarded

UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Dayton. This university ranks 6th out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were about 71 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UDayton in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Dayton

Rest of the Top Best Early Childhood Education Schools

26
27
28
29
30
31
32

33
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, NY

34
35
36
37
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, NY
38
39
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
40
41

42

43
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
44
45
Rowan crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ
46
47
48
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
49
50
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

 

Remaining Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Early Childhood Education Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 486 different United States early childhood education schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
52 Rasmussen University - Florida Ocala, FL
53 University of West Alabama Livingston, AL
54 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
54 Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT
55 Martin Luther College New Ulm, MN
56 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
57 National Louis University Chicago, IL
58 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
59 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
60 Fordham University Bronx, NY
61 Bank Street College of Education New York, NY
62 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD
63 Winona State University Winona, MN
64 Wichita State University Wichita, KS
65 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
66 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
67 Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA
68 Boston University Boston, MA
69 Widener University Chester, PA
70 Mercer University Macon, GA
71 Concordia University, Chicago River Forest, IL
72 Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL
73 American University Washington, DC

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Early Childhood Education Schools award.

Rank College Location
73 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
74 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
75 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
76 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
77 Messiah University Mechanicsburg, PA
78 Delaware Technical Community College - Terry Dover, DE
79 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
80 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
81 College of Charleston Charleston, SC
82 Concordia University, Nebraska Seward, NE
83 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
84 Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA
85 Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI
86 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
87 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
88 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
89 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
90 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
91 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
92 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
93 University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA
94 National University San Diego, CA
95 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
96 Worcester State University Worcester, MA
97 Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL

Early Childhood Education by Region

View the Best Early Childhood Education Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Early Childhood Education is one of 13 different types of Teacher Education Grade Specific programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Child development

Related Major Annual Graduates
Elementary Education 43,003
Secondary Education 10,547
Teacher Education 9,949
Teacher Development & Methodology 6,165
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education & Teaching 3,517
Kindergarten/Preschool Education & Teaching 2,450
Adult & Continuing Education 1,074
Montessori Teacher Education 252
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods 140
College/Postsecondary/University Teaching 105

View All Child development Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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