Early childhood education is the specialized field of education providing especially for young children from birth to about age eight.
The best online early childhood education schools should possess either regional or national accreditation from an accrediting body that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
In addition, you can often recognize top online early childhood education schools based on:
In choosing the best online early childhood education school for you, you should consider the following factors:
The following levels of early childhood education degree online programs are available:
The amount of time it takes a student to earn an accredited online early childhood education degree depends on the level of early childhood education degree being pursued and the pace of the student.
Typically, the breakdown is as follows:
The most popular online early childhood education degrees and online early childhood education certificate programs offer a selection of courses aimed at preparing professional caregivers and educators. Common online early childhood education courses include:
This course promotes a family-centered approach wherein educators and parents work closely together to establish educational goals and methods.
Students learn about providing for the health and safety needs of young children and instilling positive habits in young learners.
This course provides ideas and approaches for developing safe and healthy programs for preschoolers that encourage cooperation and develop inclusive social skills.
A top online early childhood education school will train students in consulting with parents and other caregivers. A career in early childhood education entails much contact with children's families and this course prepares educators for such interaction.
Many jobs in early childhood education involve some amount of administrative duties. The best online early childhood education degrees prepare students to carry out these duties with a course in administrative skills and organizational techniques.
An online early childhood education degree program often offers the opportunity to specialize in a particular area or stage of early childhood development. Accredited online early childhood education schools may feature the following specializations as part of their online early childhood education training programs:
Many of the top online early childhood education degrees are actually themselves specializations within more general education programs. In these cases, students learn about educating a variety of age groups but focus on early childhood education.
Early childhood educator jobs are found in many different settings. Some of these are:
An early childhood educator guides very young students in developing their social and cognitive abilities.
Early childhood educators help provide young children with a foundation for their future studies and for social interactions. Experts believe that the earliest years in a person's life are the most influential and, as such, these educators play a crucial role in a person's development.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, child care workers earn an average hourly salary between $7.04 and $13.98. Growth in the industry is expected to remain steady through 2018. Aside from population increase, growing interest in providing excellent early education maintains the expansion of this field.
A top online early childhood education degree from a popular online early childhood education school is an ideal qualification for people that are committed to career success as an early childhood educator. Additionally, the path of how to become an early childhood educator requires official certification in first aid and as a teacher. Criminal background checks and other registry procedures may also be necessary.
| School | Certificate | Associates | Bachelors | Masters | PhD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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University of Phoenix-Online Campus
3157 E. Elwood Street
Phoenix, AZ, 85034 http://www.uopxonline.com
|
X | ||||
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Arizona State University
1151 S Forest Ave
Tempe, AZ, 85287 http://www.asu.edu/
|
X | ||||
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Miami Dade College
300 NE 2nd Ave.
Miami, FL, 33132 http://www.mdc.edu/main/
|
X | ||||
|
Houston Community College
3100 Main Street
Houston, TX, 77266 http://www.hccs.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Central Florida
4000 Central Florida Blvd
Orlando, FL, 32816 http://www.ucf.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Florida
355 Tigert Hall
Gainesville, FL, 32611 http://www.ufl.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Ashford University
400 N Bluff Blvd
Clinton, IA, 52733 http://www.ashford.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Northern Virginia Community College
4001 Wakefield Chapel Rd
Annandale, VA, 22003 http://www.nvcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Lone Star College System
5000 Research Forest Drive
The Woodlands, TX, 77381 http://www.lonestar.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Liberty University
1971 University Blvd
Lynchburg, VA, 24502 http://www.liberty.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Tarrant County College District
1500 Houston St
Fort Worth, TX, 76102 http://www.tccd.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
601 E John Street
Champaign, IL, 61820 http://www.illinois.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
New York University
70 Washington Sq South
New York, NY, 10012 http://www.nyu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Indiana University-Bloomington
107 South Indiana Ave.
Bloomington, IN, 47405 http://www.iub.edu
|
X | ||||
|
College of Southern Nevada
6375 W. Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV, 89146 http://www.csn.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Purdue University-Main Campus
Hovde Hall of Administration
West Lafayette, IN, 47907 http://www.purdue.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Walden University
155 Fifth Ave S Suite 100
Minneapolis, MN, 55401 http://www.waldenu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Austin Community College District
5930 Middle Fiskville Rd
Austin, TX, 78752 http://www.austincc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of South Florida-Main Campus
4202 East Fowler Ave
Tampa, FL, 33620 http://www.usf.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Florida State University
211 Westcott Bldg
Tallahassee, FL, 32306 http://www.fsu.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Florida International University
11200 S. W. 8 Street
Miami, FL, 33199 http://www.fiu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Broward College
225 E las Olas Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33301 http://www.broward.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of Houston
212 E. Cullen Building
Houston, TX, 77204 http://www.uh.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Riverside Community College
4800 Magnolia Avenue
Riverside, CA, 92506 http://www.rcc.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
California State University-Fullerton
800 N State College Blvd
Fullerton, CA, 92831 http://www.fullerton.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Pima Community College
401 North Bonita Avenue
Tucson, AZ, 85709 http://www.pima.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
East Los Angeles College
1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez
Monterey Park, CA, 91754 http://www.elac.edu/index.htm
|
X | X | |||
|
American River College
4700 College Oak Dr
Sacramento, CA, 95841 http://www.arc.losrios.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
California State University-Northridge
18111 Nordhoff St
Los Angeles, CA, 91330 http://www.csun.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of North Texas
Chestnut Ave.
Denton, TX, 76203 http://www.unt.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Georgia
125 Cedar St.
Athens, GA, 30602 http://www.uga.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Grand Canyon University
3300 W Camelback Rd
Phoenix, AZ, 85017 http://www.gcu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Brigham Young University
Main Campus
Provo, UT, 84602 http://www.byu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
City College of San Francisco
50 Phelan Ave
San Francisco, CA, 94112 http://www.ccsf.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Dr
San Diego, CA, 92182 http://www.sdsu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Santa Monica College
1900 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA, 90405 http://www.smc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Capella University
225 South 6th Street 9th Floor
Minneapolis, MN, 55402 http://www.capella.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Boston University
One Silber Way
Boston, MA, 2215 http://www.bu.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Wayne State University
656 West Kirby Street
Detroit, MI, 48202 http://www.wayne.edu
|
X | ||||
|
American Public University System
111 W Congress St
Charles Town, WV, 25414 http://www.apus.edu
|
X | ||||
|
San Jose State University
1 Washington Sq
San Jose, CA, 95192 http://www.sjsu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Missouri-Columbia
105 Jesse Hall
Columbia, MO, 65211 http://www.missouri.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Santa Ana College
1530 W. 17th Street
Santa Ana, CA, 92706 http://www.sac.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Texas State University-San Marcos
601 University Dr
San Marcos, TX, 78666 http://www.txstate.edu
|
X | ||||
|
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA, 94132 http://www.sfsu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Tidewater Community College
121 College Place
Norfolk, VA, 23510 http://www.tcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis
425 University Blvd
Indianapolis, IN, 46202 http://www.iupui.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Portland Community College
12000 SW 49th Avenue
Portland, OR, 97219 http://www.pcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Mt San Antonio College
1100 N Grand Ave
Walnut, CA, 91789 http://www.mtsac.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Cuyahoga Community College District
700 Carnegie Ave
Cleveland, OH, 44115 http://www.tri-c.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Troy University
University Avenue
Troy, AL, 36082 http://www.troy.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
St Petersburg College
14025 58th Street North
Clearwater, FL, 33760 http://www.spcollege.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of Kansas
Jayhawk Dr
Lawrence, KS, 66045 http://www.ku.edu
|
X | ||||
|
California State University-Sacramento
6000 J St
Sacramento, CA, 95819 http://www.csus.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Nova Southeastern University
3301 College Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33314 http://www.nova.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
4505 S Maryland Pky
Las Vegas, NV, 89154 http://www.unlv.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Iowa
101 Jessup Hall
Iowa City, IA, 52242 http://www.uiowa.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
103 South Bldg Cb 9100
Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 http://www.unc.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University at Buffalo
3435 Main Street
Buffalo, NY, 14214 http://www.buffalo.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Florida State College at Jacksonville
501 W State St
Jacksonville, FL, 32202 http://www.fscj.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Utah Valley University
800 W University Parkway
Orem, UT, 84058 http://www.uvu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
The University of Alabama
739 University Blvd
Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487 http://www.ua.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Tower Dr
Baton Rouge, LA, 70803 http://www.lsu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Columbus State Community College
550 E Spring St
Columbus, OH, 43215 http://www.cscc.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of South Carolina-Columbia
514 Main St
Columbia, SC, 29208 http://www.sc.edu/
|
X | X | X | ||
|
El Paso Community College
919 Hunter Drive
El Paso, TX, 79915 http://www.epcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Oakland Community College
2480 Opdyke Rd
Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48304 http://www.oaklandcc.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Palm Beach State College
4200 Congress Ave
Lake Worth, FL, 33461 http://www.palmbeachstate.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Central New Mexico Community College
525 Buena Vista SE
Albuquerque, NM, 87106 http://www.cnm.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Iowa State University
137 Lynn Ave
Ames, IA, 50011 http://www.iastate.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Portland State University
724 SW Harrison
Portland, OR, 97201 http://www.pdx.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Long Beach City College
4901 E. Carson St.
Long Beach, CA, 90808 http://www.lbcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Northeastern University
360 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA, 2115 http://www.northeastern.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Palomar College
1140 W. Mission
San Marcos, CA, 92069 http://WWW.PALOMAR.EDU
|
X | X | |||
|
Central Michigan University
1200 S Franklin St # 121
Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859 http://www.cmich.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of New Mexico-Main Campus
1700 Lomas Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM, 87106 http://www.unm.edu
|
X | ||||
|
El Camino Community College District
16007 Crenshaw Blvd
Torrance, CA, 90506 http://www.elcamino.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Sacramento City College
3835 Freeport Blvd
Sacramento, CA, 95822 http://www.scc.losrios.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL, 60137 http://www.cod.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
San Jacinto Community College
8060 Spencer Hwy
Pasadena, TX, 77501 http://www.sjcd.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Hillsborough Community College
39 Columbia Drive
Tampa, FL, 33606 http://www.hccfl.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Pasadena City College
1570 E Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA, 91106 http://www.pasadena.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
South Texas College
3201 W Pecan
McAllen, TX, 78502 http://www.southtexascollege.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of Kentucky
175 Funkhouser Dr
Lexington, KY, 40506 http://www.uky.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Montgomery College
40 W. Gude Drive Suite 220
Rockville, MD, 20850 http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Mesa Community College
1833 W Southern Ave
Mesa, AZ, 85202 http://www.mc.maricopa.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Akron Main Campus
302 Buchtel Common
Akron, OH, 44325 http://www.uakron.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
660 Parrington Oval
Norman, OK, 73019 http://www.ou.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Santa Rosa Junior College
1501 Mendocino Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA, 95401 http://www.santarosa.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Fresno City College
1101 E. University Ave
Fresno, CA, 93741 http://www.fresnocitycollege.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Orange Coast College
2701 Fairview Road
Costa Mesa, CA, 92626 http://www.orangecoastcollege.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA, 95014 http://www.deanza.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Middle Tennessee State University
1301 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN, 37132 http://www.mtsu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Kent State University Kent Campus
Campus Center Dr
Kent, OH, 44242 http://www.kent.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
DePaul University
55 E Jackson
Chicago, IL, 60604 http://www.depaul.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Collin County Community College District
4800 Preston Park Blvd.
Plano, TX, 75093 http://www.collin.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Suffolk County Community College
533 College Rd
Selden, NY, 11784 http://www3.sunysuffolk.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Auburn University Main Campus
Auburn Alabama
Auburn, AL, 36849 http://www.auburn.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Western Michigan University
1903 West Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI, 49008 http://www.wmich.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Northern Illinois University
1425 W. Lincoln Hwy.
DeKalb, IL, 60115 http://www.niu.edu
|
X | X |