College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid

492 Ranked Colleges
32,920 Degrees Awarded
$6,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Early Childhood Education is the 34th most popular major in the country with 32,920 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

This year’s “Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 492 colleges that offered a degree in early childhood education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent early childhood education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the early childhood education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Child development Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Early Childhood Education (With Aid)

1
Hunter crest
Hunter College
New York, New York

Out of the 492 schools in the Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Hunter College landed the #1 spot on the list. Hunter is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 86 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Hunter also did well on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $2,158 for child development students with aid per year to attend Hunter.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Hunter Early Childhood Education Report

2
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brooklyn College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Brooklyn College is located in Brooklyn, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 146 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

Brooklyn College also claimed a top spot on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. It costs about $3,067 for Child development students with aid per year to attend Brooklyn College.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Brooklyn College

3
Lehman crest
Lehman College
Bronx, New York

Out of the 492 schools in the Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Lehman College landed the #3 spot on the list. Lehman College is located in Bronx, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 43 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $2,614 for Child development students with aid per year to attend Lehman.

Full Lehman Early Childhood Education Report

4
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Queens College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid. Queens College is located in Queens, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, QC is also in the top of our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. It costs about $3,469 for child development students with aid per year to attend Queens College.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at QC

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 384 students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $3,302 for child development students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Early Childhood Education Report

6
CCNY crest
The City College of New York
New York, New York

The City College of New York came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 69 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for The City College of New York is $2,805 for child development students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full CCNY Early Childhood Education Report

7

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 116 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our child development students with aid list, UW Seattle has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $12,017 for child development students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

8
CNM crest
Central New Mexico Community College
Albuquerque, New Mexico

With a ranking of #8, Central New Mexico Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it awarded 58 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, CNM also did well on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Central New Mexico Community College is $3,322 for child development students with aid.

Full CNM Early Childhood Education Report

9
South Texas College crest
South Texas College
McAllen, Texas

South Texas College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. South Texas College is located in McAllen, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 270 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend South Texas College is $1,504 for Child development students with aid.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at South Texas College

10
WGU crest
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, Utah

Western Governors University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Western Governors University is a large school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 4 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, WGU is also in the top of our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for WGU is $9,969 for child development students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Western Governors University Early Childhood Education Report

11

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 115 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $12,469 for child development students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

12
Urban College of Boston crest
Urban College of Boston
Boston, Massachusetts

Urban College of Boston came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Urban College of Boston is a small school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 101 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, Urban College of Boston is in the top on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Urban College of Boston is $12,714 for Child development students with aid.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Urban College of Boston

13

University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Tampa, Florida, this large public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on this list, USF Tampa is in the top on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. It costs about $8,346 for Child development students with aid per year to attend USF Tampa.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at USF Tampa

14
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, Texas

El Centro College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. El Centro College is a large school located in Dallas, Texas that handed out 252 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $4,739 for child development students with aid per year to attend El Centro College.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at El Centro College

15

University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 103 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

UCF also took the #14 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Central Florida is $8,618 for Child development students with aid.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Central Florida Early Childhood Education Report

16
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our child development students with aid list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Bloomington is $14,619 for child development students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Early Childhood Education Report

17

California State University - Fullerton came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 511 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Cal State Fullerton also did well on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $8,003 for child development students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at California State University - Fullerton

18

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $14,321 for child development students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

19

Florida International University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. FIU is a public institution located in Miami, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 240 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

On top of its placing in this ranking, FIU also did well on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for FIU is $5,298 for child development students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Florida International University

20
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 16 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Early Childhood Education Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UF is $5,135 for Child development students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at University of Florida

21

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 400 students in 2020-2021.

CSUN excels when it comes to child development quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $8,523 for child development students with aid per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at CSUN

22
Ivy Tech Community College crest
Ivy Tech Community College
Indianapolis, Indiana

Ivy Tech Community College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it awarded 601 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Ivy Tech Community College is $7,669 for child development students with aid.

Full Ivy Tech Community College Early Childhood Education Report

23
Indian River State College crest
Indian River State College
Fort Pierce, Florida

Indian River State College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Fort Pierce, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s child development degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Indian River State College is $3,786 for Child development students with aid.

Full Indian River State College Early Childhood Education Report

24

Brigham Young University - Idaho ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Brigham Young University - Idaho is a large school located in Rexburg, Idaho that handed out 37 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $6,698 for child development students with aid per year to attend BYU - I.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Brigham Young University - Idaho

25

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Bakersfield is a fairly large public school situated in Bakersfield, California. It awarded 142 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $7,454 for child development students with aid.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at CSUB

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana
27
28
Atlanta Area Tech crest
Atlanta Technical College
Atlanta, Georgia
29
Palm Beach State College crest
Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, Florida
30
31
32
Albany Technical College crest
Albany Technical College
Albany, Georgia
33
UNF crest
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
34
35
36
UMSL crest
University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri
37
Central Piedmont Community College crest
Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, North Carolina
38
FTCC crest
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Fayetteville, North Carolina
39
CGTC crest
Central Georgia Technical College
Warner Robins, Georgia
40
CWU crest
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington
41
42
UNI crest
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa
43
44
45
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
46
47
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
48
Pima County Community College District crest
Pima Community College
Tucson, Arizona
49
SPC crest
St Petersburg College
Clearwater, Florida
50
Palo Alto College crest
Palo Alto College
San Antonio, Texas

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Child development Schools For Those Getting Aid

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Miami Dade College Miami, FL
52 University of Phoenix - Arizona Tempe, AZ
53 Georgia Northwestern Technical College Rome, GA
54 Georgia Military College Milledgeville, GA
55 Utah State University Logan, UT
56 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
57 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
58 Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI
59 Stanly Community College Albemarle, NC
60 Holmes Community College Goodman, MS
61 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
62 Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Salisbury, NC
63 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
64 Towson University Towson, MD
65 Northeast Community College Norfolk, NE
Rank College Location
66 West Georgia Technical College Waco, GA
67 Quinsigamond Community College Worcester, MA
68 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC
69 University of Delaware Newark, DE
70 Northwest Vista College San Antonio, TX
71 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
72 University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK
73 University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA
74 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options