Find­ing an afford­able ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree online is eas­i­er today than ever before. As demand for qual­i­fied preschool teach­ers and child­care pro­fes­sion­als con­tin­ues to grow, many accred­it­ed uni­ver­si­ties now offer flex­i­ble and low-cost online pro­grams designed specif­i­cal­ly for work­ing adults.

For many edu­ca­tors already work­ing in child­care cen­ters, preschools, or Head Start pro­grams, return­ing to school must be both afford­able and flex­i­ble. Tra­di­tion­al on-cam­pus pro­grams can be dif­fi­cult to man­age along­side full-time work, les­son plan­ning, and fam­i­ly respon­si­bil­i­ties. Online ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion pro­grams solve this prob­lem by allow­ing stu­dents to com­plete course­work on their own sched­ule while con­tin­u­ing to gain expe­ri­ence in the field.

In this guide, we ranked some of the most afford­able ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degrees online from accred­it­ed col­leges and uni­ver­si­ties across the Unit­ed States. These pro­grams were select­ed based pri­mar­i­ly on tuition cost, using data from the Nation­al Cen­ter for Edu­ca­tion Sta­tis­tics and accred­i­ta­tion stan­dards from orga­ni­za­tions like Coun­cil for the Accred­i­ta­tion of Edu­ca­tor Prepa­ra­tion and Nation­al Asso­ci­a­tion for the Edu­ca­tion of Young Children.

Whether you’re look­ing to become a preschool teacher, child­care cen­ter direc­tor, or ear­ly learn­ing spe­cial­ist, these pro­grams offer a prac­ti­cal and bud­get-friend­ly path into the edu­ca­tion field.

Best over­all: Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da Online

Cheap­est: East­ern University

Best for work­ing adults: Fort Hays State University

Early Childhood Education Salary & Job Outlook (2026)

One of the most com­mon ques­tions stu­dents ask is whether an ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree is worth it. Accord­ing to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta­tis­tics, demand for ear­ly child­hood pro­fes­sion­als remains steady across the Unit­ed States.

Median Salaries in Early Childhood Careers

Salaries vary depend­ing on the role, expe­ri­ence lev­el, and loca­tion, but many ear­ly child­hood careers fall with­in this range:

• Preschool Teacher: about $35,000–$45,000 per year
• Child­care Cen­ter Direc­tor: about $50,000–$65,000 per year
• Instruc­tion­al Coor­di­na­tor: about $65,000+ per year
• Spe­cial Edu­ca­tion Teacher (Ear­ly Child­hood): often $60,000+ per year

While ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion may not be the high­est-pay­ing field, it offers sta­ble employ­ment and mean­ing­ful career growth oppor­tu­ni­ties.

Job Growth Outlook

Employ­ment in ear­ly child­hood and relat­ed edu­ca­tion roles is expect­ed to grow rough­ly 4% to 8% over the next decade, depend­ing on the posi­tion. Growth is dri­ven by:

• Increased focus on ear­ly child­hood development
• Expan­sion of preschool programs
• Greater demand for qual­i­fied edu­ca­tors with bachelor’s degrees

For many pro­fes­sion­als already work­ing in child­care, earn­ing a degree online can lead to high­er-pay­ing roles and lead­er­ship posi­tions.

Fastest Online Early Childhood Education Degrees

Many stu­dents search­ing for afford­able pro­grams are also look­ing for the fastest way to earn their degree. For­tu­nate­ly, sev­er­al uni­ver­si­ties now offer accel­er­at­ed online for­mats designed for work­ing adults.

Some pro­grams allow stu­dents to grad­u­ate faster through:

Accelerated Course Formats

Many online ECE pro­grams use 7–8 week terms instead of tra­di­tion­al 16-week semes­ters. This allows stu­dents to focus on few­er cours­es at a time and move through the pro­gram more quickly.

A good exam­ple is the pro­gram offered by East­ern Uni­ver­si­ty, which deliv­ers cours­es in sev­en-week blocks designed for work­ing professionals.

Transfer Credit Options

Stu­dents who already have:

• An asso­ciate degree
• Com­mu­ni­ty col­lege credits
• Work expe­ri­ence in childcare

may be able to trans­fer cred­its and fin­ish their degree faster.

Competency-Based Learning

Some uni­ver­si­ties allow stu­dents to move quick­ly through course­work by demon­strat­ing skills and knowl­edge they already have. This option can sig­nif­i­cant­ly reduce the time required to graduate.

For many work­ing edu­ca­tors, these accel­er­at­ed options make it pos­si­ble to earn a bachelor’s degree in as lit­tle as 2–3 years.

Licensure vs Non-Licensure ECE Degrees

One of the most impor­tant things stu­dents should under­stand when choos­ing a pro­gram is whether it leads to teach­ing licen­sure.

Teach­ing license require­ments vary by state, and not all ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degrees qual­i­fy grad­u­ates to teach in pub­lic schools.

Licensure Programs

Licen­sure-track pro­grams pre­pare stu­dents to become:

• Pub­lic preschool teachers
• Pre‑K edu­ca­tors
• Ear­ly ele­men­tary teachers

These pro­grams usu­al­ly include:

• Stu­dent teaching
• Practicum hours
• State cer­ti­fi­ca­tion preparation

Many uni­ver­si­ties in this rank­ing offer licen­sure pathways.

Non-Licensure Programs

Some pro­grams focus on child devel­op­ment and lead­er­ship roles rather than class­room teaching.

For exam­ple, the pro­gram offered by Jack­son State Uni­ver­si­ty is a non-licen­sure pro­gram. Grad­u­ates often work in roles such as:

• Child­care cen­ter administrator
• Pro­gram coordinator
• Head Start lead­er­ship roles
• Fam­i­ly ser­vices specialist

Under­stand­ing this dif­fer­ence helps stu­dents avoid enrolling in a pro­gram that doesn’t match their career goals.

How to Choose an Affordable ECE Program

With so many options avail­able, choos­ing the right pro­gram can feel over­whelm­ing. Here are the most impor­tant fac­tors to con­sid­er when com­par­ing afford­able ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degrees online.

Accreditation

Look for pro­grams accred­it­ed by rec­og­nized orga­ni­za­tions such as:

• CAEP
• NAEYC

Accred­i­ta­tion ensures the pro­gram meets nation­al edu­ca­tion stan­dards and may be required for licensure.

Total Cost (Not Just Tuition per Credit)

Some pro­grams adver­tise low per-cred­it rates but include addi­tion­al fees. Always review:

• Total esti­mat­ed pro­gram cost
• Tech­nol­o­gy fees
• Out-of-state tuition differences
• Finan­cial aid opportunities

Licensure Eligibility

If you plan to become a teacher in pub­lic schools, con­firm that the pro­gram pre­pares you for state licen­sure.

Practicum or Student Teaching Requirements

Most accred­it­ed pro­grams require real-world expe­ri­ence work­ing with chil­dren. Many online pro­grams allow stu­dents to com­plete this require­ment at their cur­rent workplace.

Flexibility

Look for pro­grams that offer:

• Asyn­chro­nous class­es (study anytime)
• Accel­er­at­ed terms
• Mul­ti­ple start dates

These fea­tures are espe­cial­ly help­ful for work­ing child­care professionals.

Ranking the Cheapest Early Childhood Education Degree Programs Online

To rank the 10 Most Afford­able Ear­ly Child­hood Edu­ca­tion Degree Online, Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter ran the num­bers on more than 500 CAEP (Coun­cil for the Accred­i­ta­tion of Edu­ca­tor Prepa­ra­tion) and NAEYC (Nation­al Asso­ci­a­tion for the Edu­ca­tion of Young Chil­dren) accred­it­ed online ECE pro­grams in the US. There’s only one cri­te­ria for the most afford­able rank­ing: tuition rate, tak­en from IPEDS data gath­ered by the Nation­al Cen­ter for Edu­ca­tion Statistics.

1. Winston-Salem State University

When you’re look­ing for an afford­able ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree online, Win­ston-Salem State University’s online BS in Birth-Kinder­garten Edu­ca­tion teach­es stu­dents to han­dle the needs of chil­dren from infan­cy until they are five years old and ready to move into tra­di­tion­al education. 

It dis­cuss­es dif­fer­ent strate­gies to han­dle the needs of typ­i­cal and atyp­i­cal chil­dren who may be in the care of adults in a day­care or sim­i­lar pro­gram. Stu­dents qual­i­fy for licen­sure after com­plet­ing their online ECE programs.

Win­ston-Salem State Uni­ver­si­ty is an HBCU in the Tri­ad region of North Car­oli­na. WSSU had its begin­ning in 1892 as a teacher’s col­lege to train African-Amer­i­can teach­ers for the seg­re­gat­ed schools of the era. Today, Win­ston-Salem State is one of the most acclaimed pub­lic HBCUs in the nation, and remains a leader in teacher edu­ca­tion for the South. 

The col­lege is also known as a force for social mobil­i­ty, rank­ing in the top 10 of the Social Mobil­i­ty Index. The pro­gram is accred­it­ed by the CAEP (Coun­cil for the Accred­i­ta­tion of Edu­ca­tor Prepa­ra­tion) and the North Car­oli­na State Board of Education.

Esti­mat­ed In-State Tuition: $6,100

Learn more about the ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree.

2. Eastern University

East­ern Uni­ver­si­ty offers one of the most bud­get-friend­ly paths to a teach­ing career. Their online Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Ear­ly Child­hood Edu­ca­tion fea­tures a remark­ably low tuition rate that com­petes with pub­lic state schools. Stu­dents ben­e­fit from a trans­par­ent pric­ing struc­ture with­out hid­den cam­pus fees. This makes it an ide­al choice for work­ing assis­tants or child­care providers. You can earn a respect­ed degree while main­tain­ing your cur­rent finan­cial stability.

The pro­gram is designed for max­i­mum speed and effi­cien­cy. Cours­es are deliv­ered in short, sev­en-week blocks to help you grad­u­ate faster. The cur­ricu­lum is ful­ly online and accom­mo­dates a busy work sched­ule. East­ern also holds pres­ti­gious NAEYC accred­i­ta­tion, ensur­ing high aca­d­e­m­ic qual­i­ty despite the low­er cost. It bridges the gap between pro­fes­sion­al excel­lence and true finan­cial accessibility.

Esti­mat­ed In-State Tuition: $2,500-$7,500

Learn more about East­ern University.

3. University of Washington

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Wash­ing­ton offers a high-val­ue Bach­e­lor of Arts in Ear­ly Care & Edu­ca­tion designed for acces­si­bil­i­ty. The pro­gram fea­tures a com­pet­i­tive per-cred­it cost that rivals many local insti­tu­tions. Stu­dents can choose between full-time and part-time tracks to man­age their tuition pay­ments. This flex­i­bil­i­ty helps you bal­ance a degree with your cur­rent finan­cial oblig­a­tions. It remains a top-tier choice for those seek­ing a pres­ti­gious degree at a pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty price.

The cur­ricu­lum focus­es on equi­ty and inclu­sive learn­ing envi­ron­ments for young chil­dren. You can com­plete your required com­mu­ni­ty-based learn­ing hours at your cur­rent work­place. This allows you to keep earn­ing a pay­check while ful­fill­ing degree require­ments. The pro­gram also pro­vides access to var­i­ous schol­ar­ships to fur­ther reduce out-of-pock­et costs. It is a prac­ti­cal and afford­able path­way for future lead­ers in ear­ly child­hood education.

Esti­mat­ed In-State Tuition: $231/credit

Learn more about Uni­ver­si­ty of Washington.

4. North Carolina Central University

North Car­oli­na Cen­tral University’s online BS in Birth-Kinder­garten Teacher Edu­ca­tion pro­grams is an afford­able ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree online pro­gram focus­ing on the needs of chil­dren from infan­cy until kindergarten. 

The B‑K online ECE pro­grams pre­pare stu­dents to work in a day­care or in any posi­tion focus­ing on the needs of young chil­dren. The online pro­gram allows stu­dents to work from any loca­tion and gives work­ing adults the flex­i­bil­i­ty to focus on accom­plish­ing their goals as a stu­dent. It also qual­i­fies grad­u­ates for state licen­sure, or a spe­cial­ized cer­ti­fi­ca­tion for work­ing teach­ers and sec­ond-career teachers.

North Car­oli­na Cen­tral Uni­ver­si­ty has been a leader in African-Amer­i­can edu­ca­tion for gen­er­a­tions, since its begin­ning as a pri­vate school for black youth in 1910, then as a pub­lic teacher’s col­lege in 1923. Teacher edu­ca­tion has remained a pri­or­i­ty for over a cen­tu­ry, and remains one of the best teacher’s col­leges among HBCUs. 

Since the pro­gram is accred­it­ed by CAEP (Coun­cil for the Accred­i­ta­tion of Edu­ca­tor Prepa­ra­tion), it does com­ply with the stan­dards of the coun­cil. It’s also one of the cheap­est ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree pro­grams to be found in an online for­mat, mak­ing NCCU a real val­ue for North Car­oli­na teachers.

Esti­mat­ed In-State Tuition: $187/credit

Want to learn more about the ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree?

5. Florida International University (FIU)

Flori­da Inter­na­tion­al Uni­ver­si­ty offers a high­ly afford­able Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Ear­ly Child­hood Edu­ca­tion. The in-state tuition rate is one of the low­est in the coun­try. This makes a pres­ti­gious degree acces­si­ble to many stu­dents. You can pur­sue your stud­ies with­out tak­ing on heavy stu­dent debt. The pro­gram is ful­ly online and allows for com­plete geo­graph­ic flexibility.

The cur­ricu­lum focus­es on the devel­op­ment of the whole child from birth to age eight. You will learn about cog­ni­tive, lan­guage, and social-emo­tion­al growth. Every stu­dent is paired with a per­son­al suc­cess coach for one-on-one guid­ance. This sup­port sys­tem helps you stay on track toward grad­u­a­tion. The pro­gram also offers mul­ti­ple start dates in the Spring, Fall, and Summer.

Esti­mat­ed In-State Tuition Cost: $236/credit

Learn more about FIU.

6. University of Florida Online

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da offers a Bach­e­lor of Arts in Ear­ly Child­hood Edu­ca­tion that is con­sis­tent­ly ranked for high val­ue. The in-state tuition is excep­tion­al­ly low at rough­ly $129 per cred­it hour. This rate makes it one of the most afford­able options in the entire coun­try. Stu­dents can earn a degree from a top-tier pub­lic research uni­ver­si­ty with­out a high price tag. The pro­gram is designed to be ful­ly online to save you mon­ey on com­mut­ing and housing.

The cur­ricu­lum meets rig­or­ous nation­al stan­dards and holds CAEP accred­i­ta­tion. You will study advanced top­ics like inclu­sive prac­tices and child devel­op­ment. The fac­ul­ty are lead­ers in the field of edu­ca­tion and pro­vide expert instruc­tion. Finan­cial aid and var­i­ous schol­ar­ships are avail­able to help low­er costs even fur­ther. This degree pre­pares you for pro­fes­sion­al suc­cess while keep­ing your edu­ca­tion expens­es manageable.

Esti­mat­ed In-State Tuition: $3,876/year

Learn more about Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da Online.

7. Fort Hays State University

The Fort Hays State Uni­ver­si­ty online BS in Ear­ly Child­hood Uni­fied pre­pares stu­dents for licen­sure teach­ing both con­ven­tion­al and spe­cial edu­ca­tion from birth to 3rd grade. The online degree pro­gram allows grad­u­ates to take on posi­tions as an admin­is­tra­tor, a coor­di­na­tor or an ear­ly child­hood educator. 

Since it takes a uni­fied approach to teacher edu­ca­tion, it allows you to take on more roles as a pro­fes­sion­al work­ing in child­hood edu­ca­tion. The Fort Hays online ECE pro­grams offer stu­dent teach­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties and intern­ships to help pre­pare stu­dents for the tasks they will face when work­ing in ear­ly child­hood education.

Fort Hays State Uni­ver­si­ty had its ori­gin as a branch cam­pus of the Kansas State Nor­mal School, before grow­ing into its own inde­pen­dent teacher’s col­lege. Built on a for­mer mil­i­tary gar­ri­son, and orig­i­nal­ly set up as an agri­cul­tur­al research sta­tion, FHSU has always been in tune with Kansas’ needs. 

That con­tin­ues today with some of the best and most afford­able online degree pro­grams in the nation, includ­ing its afford­able ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree online program.

Esti­mat­ed In-State Tuition Cost: $265/credit

Want to learn more about the ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree?

8. Mayville State University

If you’re look­ing for the cheap­est ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree, Mayville State Uni­ver­si­ty may offer the pro­gram you need. Mayville State’s online ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion pro­grams include a BS in Edu­ca­tion with an Ear­ly Child­hood Edu­ca­tion con­cen­tra­tion and a BA in Ear­ly Education. 

Both online ECE pro­grams focus on meet­ing the needs of chil­dren at an ear­ly age. They also allow you to trans­fer in cred­its from oth­er pro­grams so that stu­dents can com­plete their under­grad­u­ate pro­gram in a short amount of time.

Mayville State Uni­ver­si­ty began in the same year North Dako­ta became a state, orga­nized as a nor­mal school to train teach­ers by the new leg­is­la­ture. With the spe­cial needs of North Dakota’s work­ing adults — in a state with vast rur­al areas that can be dif­fi­cult to trav­el in win­ter months — Mayville State has become a nation­al leader in online education. 

Rea­son­able tuition rates have also earned MSU a rep­u­ta­tion as a best val­ue, a sta­tus that extends to their afford­able ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree online program.

Esti­mat­ed In-State Tuition Cost: $347/credit

Want to learn more about the ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree?

9. Southeast Missouri State

South­east Mis­souri State Uni­ver­si­ty (SEMO) offers a high­ly afford­able Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Ear­ly Child­hood Edu­ca­tion. The online tuition rate is set at a com­pet­i­tive flat fee of approx­i­mate­ly $340 per cred­it hour. This rate applies to both in-state and out-of-state online stu­dents. By remov­ing res­i­den­cy bar­ri­ers, SEMO keeps total costs pre­dictable for every­one. It is a top choice for stu­dents seek­ing a high-qual­i­ty degree with­out a pre­mi­um price tag.

The pro­gram is designed specif­i­cal­ly for work­ing pro­fes­sion­als and career chang­ers. You can access all your course­work 100% online to save on com­mut­ing and hous­ing expens­es. The cur­ricu­lum is rig­or­ous and pre­pares you for diverse roles in the edu­ca­tion field. SEMO also pro­vides a trans­par­ent fee sched­ule to help you plan your finances accu­rate­ly. Ded­i­cat­ed advi­sors sup­port you through every step of your aca­d­e­m­ic journey.

Esti­mat­ed In-State Tuition Cost: $340/credit

Learn more about SEMO.

10. Jackson State University

Jack­son State University’s online BS in Child Care and Fam­i­ly Edu­ca­tion is one of the most afford­able ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion degree online pro­grams in the nation. The pro­gram is a non-licen­sure pro­gram, so it does not give stu­dents a licen­sure exam. 

While it does not give stu­dents a teach­ing license, it does qual­i­fy grad­u­ates to work as teacher’s assis­tants, Head Start admin­is­tra­tors, pre-school direc­tors, and oth­er relat­ed careers. JSU’s Child Care and Fam­i­ly Edu­ca­tion pro­gram focus­es on ear­ly child­hood devel­op­ment and the inte­gra­tion of fam­i­ly into a child’s ear­ly devel­op­ment and education.

Jack­son State Uni­ver­si­ty is one of the largest HBCUs in the nation, and a leader in edu­ca­tion in Mis­sis­sip­pi. Found­ed in 1877, JSU has been meet­ing the needs of African-Amer­i­can stu­dents in Mis­sis­sip­pi for more than a cen­tu­ry and a half, espe­cial­ly through pro­fes­sion­al edu­ca­tion in cru­cial areas like teacher education. 

The online Child Care and Fam­i­ly Edu­ca­tion pro­gram offers field expe­ri­ences that help you pre­pare for your career in ear­ly edu­ca­tion before you start work­ing as a teacher’s aide, a coor­di­na­tor or a sim­i­lar role in child­hood edu­ca­tion. With JSU’s empha­sis on afford­abil­i­ty, it’s one of the cheap­est online ECE pro­grams anywhere.

Esti­mat­ed In-State Tuition Cost: $385/credit

Learn more about Jackson State.

How Much Does an Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Online Program Cost?

One of the best things about online degrees is that they pro­vide much more afford­able options than class­room edu­ca­tion. The fact that you won’t have to live on cam­pus or com­mute means that you’ll save even more mon­ey. Still, even with­in online pro­grams, you’ll find a wide range of prices. 

With some schools, you can get your degree for less than $5,000. With oth­ers, you might spend more than $20,000 on your edu­ca­tion. Schools on both ends of this spec­trum can pro­vide an excel­lent edu­ca­tion. Don’t dis­count a school because of a low cost.

Why the dis­par­i­ty? Tuition costs usu­al­ly depend on the kind of school you want to attend. For exam­ple, a degree from a pub­lic school will usu­al­ly cost far less than a degree from a pri­vate school. How­ev­er, you’ll find dif­fer­ent price ranges even with­in those two categories. 

Take pub­lic schools, for exam­ple. You’d spend more mon­ey on a large flag­ship uni­ver­si­ty than you would spend attend­ing a small­er pub­lic school. With­in pri­vate schools, a small Chris­t­ian col­lege edu­ca­tion often costs less than a degree from a more elite lib­er­al arts school. Take some time to shop around before you make your final deci­sions, because some sup­pos­ed­ly afford­able pro­grams have hid­den fees.

Can I Get Financial Aid for an Online Early Childhood Education Degree?

Yes, you can absolute­ly find finan­cial aid for your edu­ca­tion. You have a few options to find the aid that you need. Start with reg­u­lar search engines. When you do, search specif­i­cal­ly for online col­leges for ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion with finan­cial aid. Some schools pro­vide more finan­cial aid options than oth­ers. If you’re already inter­est­ed in spe­cif­ic schools, check out their websites. 

You can also call schools to ask about finan­cial aid. Some online schools even accept Fed­er­al Stu­dent Aid (FAFSA). FAFSA can also help you find stu­dent loans and oth­er forms of assis­tance when you look for online col­leges for ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion with finan­cial aid. Take a look at their web­site for resources.

Online stu­dents may pay the same price in-state as out-of-state, and the same for part-time as for full-time. Ele­men­tary school teach­ers mov­ing into ear­ly child­hood will find online learn­ing an advan­tage as well.

What Will I Learn in an Early Childhood Education Program?

Enroll­ment in a bach­e­lor of sci­ence or bach­e­lor of arts degree in ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion is the first step for aspir­ing preschool teach­ers. Admis­sion require­ments vary between schools, but you’ll gen­er­al­ly need a high school diplo­ma or asso­ciate degree from com­mu­ni­ty college. 

Most bachelor’s pro­grams require 120 cred­it hours, but you may trans­fer cred­its or get cred­it for work expe­ri­ence in a degree com­ple­tion pro­gram. In addi­tion to gen­er­al edu­ca­tion, course­work for full-time online learn­ers may include:

• class­room management
• edu­ca­tion­al studies
• human devel­op­ment
• learn­ing environments

You may choose a spe­cial­iza­tion for your under­grad­u­ate degree, such as work­ing with stu­dents with dis­abil­i­ties in ear­ly care. You may be required to do a practicum for hands-on learn­ing, but if you’re already work­ing in a care cen­ter, you may use your cur­rent job. Choose a non­prof­it col­lege for a rep­utable degree.

An online bachelor’s degree is a cre­den­tial that can help you in many ear­ly child­hood pro­grams, such as child­care cen­ter direc­tor. The Bureau of Labor Sta­tis­tics sees increas­ing demand for ear­ly child­hood pro­fes­sion­als. Those with master’s degrees will be even more in-demand.

Where Can I Find Free Online Early Childhood Education Courses?

It’s entire­ly pos­si­ble to find free ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion cours­es online. How­ev­er, you won’t get col­lege cred­it for these cours­es. Nev­er­the­less, these cours­es can pro­vide excel­lent infor­ma­tion. They often help the fol­low­ing types of people:

• Those who already work in ear­ly child­hood edu­ca­tion and want a “refresh­er” course
• Those who have earned a degree but want to learn the lat­est insights
• Those who want a resume boost­er to get bet­ter jobs
• Those who can’t afford to pay for a degree but who want to start their edu­ca­tion right away
• Nan­nies, babysit­ters, and day­care work­ers who want sup­ple­men­tary knowledge

If you fall into any of those cat­e­gories or just want to take some free class­es, you can start with a Google search. Also, if you have a library card, you can access your local library’s data­bas­es for free. Many of those data­bas­es include free video cours­es, includ­ing cours­es on ear­ly child­hood education.

FAQ

Is an online ECE degree respect­ed?
Yes, if accred­it­ed by CAEP or NAEYC.

What is the cheap­est ECE degree online?
Pro­grams like East­ern Uni­ver­si­ty and Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da Online are among the low­est cost.

Can I work while earn­ing my degree?
Yes, most pro­grams are asynchronous.

Do I need licen­sure to work in child­care?
Not always—depends on role and state.

Relat­ed Rank­ings:
25 Best Ear­ly Child­hood Edu­ca­tion Bachelor’s Pro­grams
Top 10 Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams
Top 10 Online Bach­e­lor of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams
10 Cheap­est Online Bach­e­lor’s of Edu­ca­tion Degree Pro­grams
15 Best Online Train­ing and Devel­op­ment Programs