2023 Most Focused Associate Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education in the Plains States Region
34
Ranked Colleges
205
Degrees Awarded
$18,000
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region” 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 31,937 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.
Across the Plains States region, there were 1,473 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 205 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,161 and $15,228 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 34 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in early childhood education. That schools that top this list have a program in early childhood education in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Early Childhood Education Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region”.
Top 34 Most Focused Associate Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education in the Plains States Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cankdeska Cikana Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. This small school is located in Fort Totten, North Dakota, and it awarded 4 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Cankdeska Cikana Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rasmussen University - North Dakota. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region. Rasmussen University - North Dakota is a small school located in Fargo, North Dakota that handed out 5 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Rasmussen University - North Dakota
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeast Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Northeast Community College is located in Norfolk, Nebraska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 18 associates’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Northeast Early Childhood Education Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Alexandria Technical & Community College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region. Alexandria Technical & Community College is a small public school situated in Alexandria, Minnesota. It awarded 13 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full ATCC Early Childhood Education Report
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota State College Southeast landed the #5 spot on the list. Minnesota State College Southeast is located in Winona, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 6 associates’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 MSC Southeast
With a ranking of #6, South Central College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. North Mankato, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s child development degrees to 18 students in 2021-2022.
Full South Central College Early Childhood Education Report
Sitting Bull College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Fort Yates, North Dakota, this small public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified associates’s child development students in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Sitting Bull College Early Childhood Education Report
Rasmussen University - Minnesota did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #9. St. Cloud, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s child development degrees to 30 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Rasmussen University - Minnesota
Rasmussen University - Kansas came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Rasmussen University - Kansas is located in Topeka, Kansas and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 associates’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Rasmussen University - Kansas
Oglala Lakota College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #11. Oglala Lakota College is a small public school situated in Kyle, South Dakota. It awarded 14 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Oglala Lakota College
Western Nebraska Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Western Nebraska Community College is a public institution located in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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 more about Early Childhood Education at Western Nebraska Community College
Ridgewater College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #13. Ridgewater College is a public institution located in Willmar, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Ridgewater College
College of Saint Mary did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #14. Saint Mary is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 associates’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Saint Mary
Missouri Valley College ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Marshall, Missouri, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified associates’s child development students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Missouri Valley College
Dakota County Technical College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. DCTC is a small public school situated in Rosemount, Minnesota. It awarded 8 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Dakota County Technical College
Central Lakes College - Brainerd ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Central Lakes College - Brainerd is a small school located in Brainerd, Minnesota that handed out 0 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Central Lakes College Early Childhood Education Report
With a ranking of #18, Southeastern Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Southeastern Community College is located in West Burlington, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 5 associates’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Southeastern Community College
With a ranking of #19, Indian Hills Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Indian Hills Community College is a small school located in Ottumwa, Iowa that handed out 1 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at IHCC
Rochester Community and Technical College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small school located in Rochester, Minnesota that handed out 1 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Rochester Community and Technical College
With a ranking of #21, Saint Paul College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Saint Paul College is a public institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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 Saint Paul College Early Childhood Education Report
Washburn University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Washburn University is a medium-sized public school situated in Topeka, Kansas. It awarded 1 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Washburn University
Baptist Bible College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Baptist Bible College is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 associates’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Baptist Bible College
Ellsworth Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This small school is located in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 0 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Ellsworth Community College
Sinte Gleska University ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Sinte Gleska University is located in Mission, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 associates’s child development degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Sinte Gleska University
Iowa Central Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Iowa Central Community College is a public institution located in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Iowa Central Community College
Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #23. NHSC is a public institution located in New Town, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at NHSC
Marshalltown Community College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Marshalltown Community College is a public institution located in Marshalltown, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Marshalltown Community College
Hennepin Technical College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Hennepin Technical College is a public institution located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 associates’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Hennepin Technical College
Oak Hills Christian College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region list. Oak Hills Christian College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bemidji, Minnesota. It awarded 0 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at OHCC
Concordia University, Saint Paul did quite well in the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #23. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 4 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Concordia University, Saint Paul Early Childhood Education Report
Minnesota State Community and Technical College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Fergus Falls, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s child development degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Minnesota State Community and Technical College Early Childhood Education Report
Leech Lake Tribal College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Leech Lake Tribal College is located in Cass Lake, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 associates’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Leech Lake Tribal College
Eastern Iowa Community College District came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Child development Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Davenport, Iowa, and it awarded 1 associates’s child development degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Eastern Iowa Community College District
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
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