Top 20 Online Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education Programs for 2019
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the number of jobs available in early childhood education are projected to grow by 7% between 2014 and 2024. Online early childhood education degree graduates are qualified to enter the field in numerous positions, which include teaching and directing. Early childhood educators play a vital role in society, as they influence our children and help shape their future.
WHAT ARE THE BEST ONLINE BACHELOR'S IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS?
Top 20 Online Bachelors in Early Childhood Education Programs for 2019
Established in 1905, Concordia University's Portland location has since adapted to address the needs of nontraditional students. CU-Portland offers seven online degrees in the fields of education, law, business, and homeland security. The school's bachelor's in early childhood education (ECE) program is well-suited for adult learners and prepares graduates for careers working with young children between the ages of zero and five years old.
The program requires a total of 124 credit hours to graduate. Students can take most courses asynchronously. Each class lasts approximately 7.5 weeks and the entire program is typically completed in five semesters. During their final semester, students complete an internship where they work with young children. If students already work with children at their current job, this experience can count towards the internship requirement. New students can transfer credit hours from other accredited universities or build upon an associate degree that they earned at CU-Portland.
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How to Choose an Online Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education Program
Students considering earning their early childhood education degree online should consider many factors as they compare various programs, including curriculum content, classroom setting requirements, and how the program supports online students.
WHAT WILL I LEARN IN THIS PROGRAM?
Course content can vary between programs, and students should seek programs that offer courses in subject matter that aligns with their career and individual interests. Core courses cover the various learning styles of children and teaching methodologies that meet a wide range of needs and abilities. It's important to know your intended career path, as online schools for early childhood education focus on different aspects of the field and better prepare students for certain careers.
WILL I GET TO WORK IN A CLASSROOM IF I ATTEND AN ONLINE PROGRAM?
Students who plan to pursue teaching licensure after they complete their accredited online early childhood education degree should verify that the program they wish to attend includes a clinical component, which is required by state licensure commissions. This means that degree candidates are offered opportunities to learn and apply their knowledge in a classroom environment under the supervision of a licensed instructor, who acts as a mentor and oversees the development of their teaching skills.
HOW DOES THIS PROGRAM SUPPORT ONLINE STUDENTS?
Online schools for early childhood education vary in the level of support they provide to online students. Some universities help students secure a classroom student teaching position. Schools often provide mentors and other online resources for distance learners, such as career services and interview preparation. Mentors supply degree candidates with helpful strategies for managing difficult students and balancing the demands of parents with government-mandated curricula.
Accreditation for Early Childhood Education Programs
Accreditation is awarded after a school has passed inspection by an accreditation agency. National accreditation agencies generally accredit vocational, career, and trade schools; it is seen as less prestigious than region accreditation. Regionally accredited graduate schools typically require applicants to have an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Regional accreditation means that a school's program has met the high standards applied by one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the United States. Students may want to look for program accreditation that's awarded by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The NAEYC applies the highest standards in evaluating programs for accreditation to meet state licensure requirements.
Careers for Graduates of this Program
Early childhood education degree online graduates are prepared for many careers. These jobs generally entail hands-on work educating children. Some early childhood education jobs are managerial or administrative in nature, such as a position directing a child care facility. Regardless of your ultimate ambition, students are able to find rewarding work after completing an online early childhood education degree.
Teacher assistants work in the classroom, providing assistance to teachers by working with small groups of students, supervising, and creating lesson plans and visual aids. They may work in other environments, such as coaching facilities.
Median Salary: $22,338
Job Outlook and Salary
Preschool and child care directors are projected to see substantial job growth in the coming years. A professional in the field of early childhood education should be aware that several factors are at play with regard to salary. This includes the specific career, the setting, and location. Private institutions may offer higher salaries and certain states are going to have higher median salaries do to job demand.
| Employment, 2014 | Projected Employment, 2024 |
|---|---|
| 64,000 | 68,200 |
Source: BLS
SALARY GROWTH BY EXPERIENCE
More years of experience within a field will lead to a higher salary. An elementary school teacher with a bachelor's degree in early childhood education will earn significantly more money as they acquire years of experience. The table below shows how this can affect the salary potential for various early childhood education careers.
To determine the best online bachelor's in early childhood education programs, we looked at the most important factors prospective students, mainly common predictors of future success and a school's commitment to online programs. This boils down to admissions rate, student loan default rate, retention rate, graduation rate, and the percent of students enrolled in online classes. All data points are taken from information provided by colleges and universities to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Each factor is weighted evenly in order to give an objective view and determine the 10 best online bachelor's in early childhood education programs. To calculate our rankings, we looked at a school's ranking when organized by a single factor, and then averaged each category's ranking to find an overall score: Admissions Rate (20%) + Default Rate (20%) + Retention Rate (20%) + Graduation Rate (20%) + Percent of Students Enrolled in Online Classes (20%) = Final score.