Best Early Childhood Education Programs: List of Top Schools

Early childhood educators focus on infants, preschoolers and children in pre-kindergarten (pre-k) through third grade. Childcare workers and preschool teachers usually have an associate or bachelor's degree, while pre-k and elementary school teachers commonly require at minimum a bachelor's degree. Some schools offer master's and doctoral programs in early childhood education that emphasize educational theory or leadership.

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Top Schools with Early Childhood Education Programs

1. Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University's park-like campus, a national arboretum since 1988, is located 1.5 miles from downtown Nashville. In 2010, the university was 17th among the top values in U.S. private colleges according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

The U.S. News and World Report ranked Vanderbilt as the best education school in the country in 2011. Peabody College, which merged with Vanderbilt in 1979, offers an early childhood education major in its bachelor's program. The curriculum begins with field observation and participation in classrooms in local schools, agencies and Peabody College's experimental programs. Students are required to complete a second major in child studies, which may add courses beyond the 120 hours needed for the primary major.

In addition to study abroad programs offered by the university, Peabody students have the opportunity to spend their junior year in the U.K. at Cambridge University's Homerton College. The early childhood education program's teacher internship requirement can also be partly satisfied by a summer semester in Cambridge.

Contact Information

Address: 2101 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37240
Phone Number: (615) 322-7311

2. The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin (UT) was ranked 25th among America's best values in public colleges by Kiplinger's Personal Finance in 2010. The UT Elementary School, a demonstration and research school founded in 2003, offers tuition-free pre-k through fifth grade education that admits students through a lottery system.

UT also tied as the second best education school in the country by U.S. News and World Report in 2011. The College of Education's Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers an interdisciplinary program that leads to a Master of Arts, Master of Education or Doctor of Philosophy in Early Childhood Education. The program, which focuses on child development and research methodology, as well as early childhood education issues, is considered preparation for careers in public elementary schools, childcare centers and preschools. Available to doctoral students are specialized courses, such as inquiry in play, thinking as social construction and childhood education theory. Graduates of the program have found employment as professors, state agency researchers, school administrators and teachers.

Contact Information

Address: 2400 Inner Campus Dr., Austin, TX 78712
Phone Number: (512) 471-3434

Schools with Early Childhood Education Programs Sorted by Student Population

School Name	Total Student Enrollment	Address	Phone Number
Arizona State University	68,064	Tempe, AZ 85287	(480) 965-9011
The University of Texas at Austin	50,995	2400 Inner Campus Dr., Austin, TX 78712	(512) 471-3434
University of Florida	50,691	355 Tigert Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611	(352) 392-3261
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	43,881	601 E. John St., Champaign, IL 61820	(217) 333-1000
New York University	43,404	70 Washington Square S., New York, NY 10012	(212) 998-1212
Indiana University - Bloomington	42,347	107 S. Indiana Ave., Bloomington, Indiana 47405	(812) 855-4848
Purdue University	41,052	West Lafayette, IN 47907	(765) 494-4600
Florida State University	39,785	600 W. College Ave., Tallahassee, FL 32306	(850) 644-2525
University of Georgia	34,885	Athens, GA 30602	(706) 542-3000
Boston University	31,960	One Silber Way, Boston, MA 02215	(617) 353-2000
University of Missouri - Columbia	31,237	Columbia, MO 65211	(573) 882-2121
University of Kansas	29,242	Lawrence, KA 66045	(785) 864-2700
University of Iowa	28,987	Iowa City, IA 52242	(319) 335-3500
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	28,916	Chapel Hill, NC, 27599	(919) 962-2211
University of Oklahoma	25,881	660 Parrington Oval, Norman, OK 73019	(405) 325-0311
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	21,306	1000 Spring Garden St., Greensboro, NC 27402	(336) 334-5000
University of Delaware	21,138	Newark, DE 19716	(302) 831-2000
University of Hawaii at Manoa	20,435	2500 Campus Rd., Honolulu, HI 96822	(808) 956-7651
Boston College	15,036	140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467	(617) 552-8000
Vanderbilt University	12,506	2101 West End Ave., Nashville, TN 37240	(615) 322-7311