2025 Best Early Childhood Education Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Ranked #16 in popularity, early childhood education is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 9 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Early Childhood Education Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 644 associate degrees in early childhood education to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Early Childhood Education School for Your Associate Degree

The child development associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality child development program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to early childhood education students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of early childhood education students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized early childhood education related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for early childhood education students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Early Childhood Education Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Early Childhood Education in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for early childhood education students seeking a an associate degree.

Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for an Associate in Child development

1

Harrisburg Area Community College
Harrisburg, PA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

74 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Harrisburg Area Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in early childhood education. HACC is a large public college located in the small city of Harrisburg.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Harrisburg Area Community College

2

Delaware County Community College
Media, PA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

58 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in early childhood education has to take a look at Delaware County Community College. Located in the large suburb of Media, Delaware County Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Delaware County Community College

3

Anne Arundel Community College
Arnold, MD

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

34 Annual Graduates

Anne Arundel Community College is a good option for individuals interested in an associate degree in early childhood education. Located in the suburb of Arnold, AACC is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Anne Arundel Community College

4

Northampton County Area Community College
Bethlehem, PA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

39 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Northampton County Area Community College if you want to pursue an associate degree in early childhood education. Located in the suburb of Bethlehem, Northampton Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Northampton County Area Community College

5

Frederick Community College
Frederick, MD

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

7 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Frederick, Frederick Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Frederick Community College

6

Camden County College
Blackwood, NJ

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

11 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Blackwood, Camden County College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Camden County College

7

Community College of Baltimore County
Baltimore, MD

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

9 Annual Graduates

CCBC is a large public college located in the suburb of Baltimore.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Community College of Baltimore County

8

Bucks County Community College
Newtown, PA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

67 Annual Graduates

Bucks County Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the rural area of Newtown.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Bucks County Community College

9

Lehigh Carbon Community College
Schnecksville, PA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

23 Annual Graduates

LCCC is a moderately-sized public college located in the rural area of Schnecksville.More information about a associate in early childhood education from Lehigh Carbon Community College

Best Early Childhood Education Colleges by State

Explore the best early childhood education schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
New York	429	67
Pennsylvania	379	297
New Jersey	249	24
Maryland	221	267
Delaware	96	2
District of Columbia	46	5

View All Rankings >

Early Childhood Education Related Rankings by Major

One of 13 majors within the Teacher Education Grade Specific area of study, Early Childhood Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Most Popular Majors Related to Child development

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Elementary Education	370
Kindergarten/Preschool Education & Teaching	111
Teacher Education	105
Secondary Education	43
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education & Teaching	22
Teacher Development & Methodology	1

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Vgrigas. More about our data sources and methodologies.