Best Online Associate in Early Childhood Education

Do you need the professional credibility an online associate degree in early childhood education can provide? Discover more about earning this degree.

Early childhood educators help shape the next generation of global citizens. These professionals may work in childcare centers, preschools, after-school programs, kindergartens, or other facilities where children live, play, or study.

While some careers in this field require only a high school education, more lucrative professions often demand postsecondary degrees. An online associate degree in early childhood education can launch your career with children or prepare you to advance to a leadership role.

This degree equips students with in-market skills such as differentiated instruction and behavior management strategies. Students also learn child psychology, educational theory, and instructional methodologies.

After graduating with this degree, you can transfer into a bachelor’s program in early childhood administration or another major. You might also pursue professional certifications in the field.

Take your time when selecting where to earn an online associate degree in early childhood education to make sure you find the right program. Many options exist – with a little patience and research, you can find a school that matches your specific needs.

If cost is a primary factor in your decision, you may want to start your search with public, in-state programs. These typically offer the most affordable tuition rates.

However, some distance programs offer the same tuition rate to all online students, regardless of residency status. The list below describes a few other factors worth considering when looking at associate programs.

We ranked these degree programs based on quality, curricula, school awards, rankings, and reputation.

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

Colleges often consider accreditation when determining whether they will accept transfer credits, and employers may expect job applicants to hold a degree from an accredited institution.

When exploring online programs, you can look for institutional and programmatic accreditation. Institutions may hold regional or national accreditation. Both the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education coordinate accreditation, recognize accrediting bodies, and maintain lists of accredited schools.

In addition to institutional accreditation, programs can hold specialized accreditation to demonstrate that they meet standards in the field. Early childhood education programs may hold accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, while teacher preparation programs may hold Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation accreditation.

Many early childhood education majors may see themselves teaching preschool, leading a daycare, or serving as a teacher’s assistant in a kindergarten classroom. An associate degree may be the ticket to qualifying for one or more of these jobs.

In fact, early childhood education can get you started in a variety of careers. However, the selection of careers listed in the table below offers a representative sample of what you can expect from this major after graduation.

Like many professional fields, early childhood education typically rewards advanced degrees with higher salaries.

After earning an online associate degree in early childhood education, you may decide to continue your education by earning a bachelor’s degree. Some schools require their employees to hold at least a bachelor’s degree, especially if they want to teach kindergarten or higher grades.

Graduates with a bachelor’s degree can also pursue some leadership positions, increasing their salary potential and allowing workers to gain access to benefits like employer-paid healthcare. The three degrees below rare potential educational pathways aspiring teachers can follow.

The upper-level courses in a bachelor’s in early childhood education program go into greater depth than associate-level courses. These programs may prepare you to earn teacher licensure in your home state, qualifying you to work in a public elementary school.

The Montessori method revolutionized the education of young children by focusing on a child’s natural curiosity and emotional development. Montessori teachers receive specialized training during their teacher education programs, qualifying them for both traditional and Montessori classroom settings.

A child’s physical development proves just as important as their intellectual and emotional development. Physical education programs may satisfy the requirements for teacher licensure in your home state, opening the door to more career opportunities and a higher salary.

The best early childhood degree depends on your career goals. An associate degree qualifies you to teach preschool or serve as a teacher’s assistant. If you want to teach elementary education, however, you need at least a bachelor’s degree in the field. Professionals who plan to serve as principals, counselors, or instructional leaders may need a master’s degree or higher.

An associate degree in early childhood education typically takes two years. A bachelor’s degree usually requires four years although students with AP, CLEP, early college, or other transfer credits may finish in less time. An online associate degree in early childhood education, if largely asynchronous, could be a program you complete in less than two years depending on your other obligations.

The average two-year public institution charges $4,000 for tuition and fees per year according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. In August 2023, according to Payscale, people with an associate degree in early childhood education earned an average of $14.05 per hour. Is that return on investment worth it to achieve your personal and professional goals?

A Child Development Associate (CDA) credential and an associate degree in early childhood education are both educational pathways, but they differ in terms of their scope, depth, and purpose. A CDA requires specific educational and professional experience, which each state determines separately. An associate degree requires two years of academic coursework in general education and the major field.