2025 Best Early Childhood Education Schools in the Plains States Region
40
Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,473
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.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 40 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Early Childhood Education Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,473 degrees in early childhood education annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Early Childhood Education School
The child development program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Early Childhood Education rankings. 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.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Early Childhood Education Rankings by Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Early Childhood Education Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Plains States Region
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.
10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Child development
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In MN
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in early childhood education. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.
There were about 28 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In IA
46
Child development Degrees Awarded
Every student who is interested in early childhood education has to look into University of Northern Iowa. UNI is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Cedar Falls. A Best Colleges rank of #270 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.
There were roughly 46 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Northern Iowa
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In MO
65
Child development Degrees Awarded
It is difficult to beat Missouri State University - Springfield if you want to pursue a degree in early childhood education. Missouri State is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Springfield. A Best Colleges rank of #575 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Missouri State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 65 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Missouri State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Missouri State University - Springfield
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In IA
Iowa State University is a good choice for students interested in a degree in early childhood education. Iowa State is a very large public university located in the city of Ames. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 23 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Iowa State University
Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #131 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.
There were roughly 20 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Missouri - Columbia
Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #330 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Winona State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 11 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Winona State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Winona State University
Concordia University, Nebraska is a small private not-for-profit university located in the town of Seward. This university ranks 8th out of 19 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nebraska.
There were roughly 30 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Nebraska in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Concordia University, Nebraska
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
8th
Most Popular In MN
MLC is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of New Ulm.
There were about 15 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at MLC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Martin Luther College
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In KS
Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 14 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Kansas
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In MN
Located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead, MSU Moorhead is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 30th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.
There were about 19 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at MSU Moorhead in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Minnesota State University - Moorhead
