2025 Best Early Childhood Education Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Ranked #16 in popularity, early childhood education is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 2 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of early childhood education. Combined, these schools handed out 240 associate degrees in early childhood education to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to early childhood education students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of early childhood education students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized early childhood education related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for early childhood education students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Early Childhood Education Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Early Childhood Education in the Plains States Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for early childhood education students seeking a an associate degree.

Top Plains States Region Schools for an Associate in Child development

1

Rasmussen University - Minnesota
St. Cloud, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

41 Annual Graduates

Rasmussen University - Minnesota is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in early childhood education. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the small city of St. Cloud.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Rasmussen University - Minnesota

2

Northeast Community College
Norfolk, NE

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

31 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Northeast Community College if you want to pursue an associate degree in early childhood education. Northeast is a moderately-sized public college located in the remote town of Norfolk.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Northeast Community College

Best Early Childhood Education Colleges by State

Explore the best early childhood education colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Minnesota	299	85
Kansas	275	5
Missouri	210	1
Iowa	200	2
Nebraska	163	28
South Dakota	148	2
North Dakota	144	13

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Early Childhood Education Related Rankings by Major

One of 13 majors within the Teacher Education Grade Specific area of study, Early Childhood Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Most Popular Majors Related to Child development

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Elementary Education	259
Secondary Education	72
Teacher Development & Methodology	31
Teacher Education	20
Kindergarten/Preschool Education & Teaching	2

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Vgrigas. More about our data sources and methodologies.