20 Best Online Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education

Educating our children may be the most critical job in the world, considering these little people will grow up to be our leaders, doctors, and teachers of the future. Getting a degree from one of the 20 best online Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education programs gives you the ability to make a real difference in the world while also having fun playing along with these impressionable youngsters. Early childhood teachers are in high demand and they often don’t get the recognition that they deserve. We often look up to professional athletes or movie stars, but forget to thank the ones who had vital influences on our early educational yearsour teacherswho helped forge the people we are today. Becoming one of these modern-day superhero’s starts with obtaining a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education, which you can at one of the 20 best schools listed in our ranking below. What is an Online Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education Degree?   So what will you learn if you pursue this degree? An online Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education will teach you the skills to educate children generally from birth to eight years of age, a time when the child is at some of his or her most impressionable and their brain is rapidly growing. Pursuing this degree will also help you recognize when one of your charges may have difficulty or be delayed in learning. Identifying learning delays and intervening early on can help prevent frustration and failure of the learner in the future. You can expect to take classes that will teach you about the age-appropriate development of children, how children’s environments affect their learning, developmental milestones, and the psychology of child education. Examples of the types of courses you may take during an online Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education include: Exploring Movement with ChildrenIntroduction to Philosophy of EducationCommunication: Child, Parent, and TeacherPsychology of EducationChild Development I 2 Careers for Online Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education Majors   Many of us may think that someone pursuing a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education would end up teaching preschool children. While this is indeed one option, there are many more career opportunities available for someone pursuing a degree in childhood education. Individuals seeking this track of education have the opportunities to pursue employment as childcare center director, special education teacher, nanny, child welfare social worker, or a kindergarten teacher. If you wish to pursue a career as a child welfare social worker, you may need to take additional classes in the field of social work. Still, the education you receive in early childhood education will greatly aid you in this future career as well as others. Most Kindergarten teachers have at least a Bachelor’s degree, with 14% going on to obtain a Master’s.. Online Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education Salary Potential   Most of us know that you don’t get into teaching for the money, but for the sense of fulfillment, you get while educating impressionable youths. Still, everyone has to make a living.   As a preschool teacher, you can expect to take home an annual salary of just under $30,000. You can almost double the salary of a regular preschool teacher by becoming a preschool special education teacher. Preschool special education teachers earn, on average, $55,000 per year. A higher percentage of special education preschool teachers have a master’s degree, indicating that employers may expect applicants for this position to have more than a Bachelor’s degree.   If you’re looking for employment as a nanny, you are likely to earn even less than a preschool teacher, with the average annual salary for this position coming in at just over $23,000. Maybe the administrative aspects of childcare are more your cup of tea, in this case, you can expect to earn an annual salary as a childcare center director of about $48,000. What are the Best Bachelors in Early Childhood Education Programs? We know that you have educational goals that you’re itching to pursue, but you may not know where to start. The editors of College Rank utilize a unique ranking methodology based on the following three aspects: 40% Potential Salary After Graduation: Average mid-career salary of school alumni 30% Institutional Accreditation: Regional and national accreditation for the 2019-2020 school year 30% Overall Degree Affordability: Average cost of undergraduate and graduate tuition per school At College Rank, we strive to do our best to guide you and your family toward a fruitful academic career. The pursuit of knowledge is a noble one, and we want to help you reach your goals. Please feel free to visit our dedicated methodology page for a step-by-step breakdown. For questions, comments, badge downloads, or data corrections, please feel free to reach out to us at editor@collegerank.net. 1Florida International UniversityLocationMiami, FloridaAverage Net Price$9,180More Information Florida International University started out with just three classes and five employees in their online university, which has grown to over 40,000 online learners. In 2018, FIU celebrated its 20th year of offering online education to attending students. Today, this university offers over 100 fully online programs and have over 18 regional and national accreditations for their programs. Gaining expertise in early childhood education has never been easier with FIU’s online Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Development degree. With that said, this program does not lead to automatic teacher certification, and you should check with your specific state licensing board to ensure that the content of this degree is adequate to fulfill state teaching license requirements. Besides the standard foundational courses accompanying a Bachelor of Science degree, students of this program are required to complete 30 credit hours of professional education courses in the areas of teaching foundations, teaching methods, curriculum, and early childhood education. The curriculum is taught and lead by leaders and active researchers in early childhood education, which means you will be taught some of the most cutting edge educational content.