ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Value Child development Schools in the New England Region

2 Colleges in the United States
$21,028 Avg Student Debt
$58,155 Avg Median Earnings (10yr)
2026 Best Value Child development Badge [Child development](/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/child-development/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.

For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 10 schools to find the best return on investment for child development students.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/child-development/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/child-development/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/child-development/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/child-development/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/child-development/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/child-development/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/family-consumer-human-sciences/human-development-family-studies/child-development/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 18
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 19.07), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Child Development (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 1
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Child Development (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 1)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Developmental Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.7
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Developmental Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.7)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Developmental Psychology (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.7
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Developmental Psychology (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.7)
DEBUG: Checking offer "DNP - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (I Have a BSN)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "DNP - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (I Have a BSN)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (I Have a BSN)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (I Have a BSN)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Grad Cert - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (I Have a MSN)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Grad Cert - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (I Have a MSN)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "DNP - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (I Have a MSN)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "DNP - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (I Have a MSN)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (I Have an ADN, ASN, or RN Diploma)" with relevance 0.6
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (I Have an ADN, ASN, or RN Diploma)" REJECTED (relevance 0.6)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Grad Cert - Child Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Grad Cert - Child Counseling (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Child Psychology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Child Psychology (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Child Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Child Psychology (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "BSW - Social Work (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "BSW - Social Work (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "DSW - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "DSW - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MSW - Social Work (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "MSW - Social Work (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "PhD - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "PhD - Social Work (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Doctorate Programs (I Have a Masters)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Doctorate Programs (I Have a Masters)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.5
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Social Work & Social Sciences Masters Programs (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.5)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 1
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 1 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 1
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 1 offers with relevance >= 1.0

2026 Best Value Child development Schools in the New England Region

If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the child development degrees they offer, see the list below.

Best Value Child development Schools

1

For return on investment in child development, no school beat Massasoit Community College this year. Located in the suburb of Brockton, Massasoit Community College is a moderately-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $5,376 in tuition and fees, compared with $10,320 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for child development graduates is $10,894. Early-career child development graduates make about $42,938. That is a strong return on a $10,894 median debt.

2

Mount Wachusett Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in child development, landing the #2 spot this year. Mount Wachusett Community College is a mid-sized public school located in the suburb of Gardner. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,160, while out-of-state students pay about $11,080. Students borrow a median of $5,921 to complete the child development program here. Soon after graduation, child development degree recipients from Mount Wachusett Community College generally make around $27,078. That is a strong return on a $5,921 median debt.

3

Charter Oak State College came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value child development schools. Charter Oak State College is a mid-sized public school located in the suburb of New Britain. Students from in state pay about $8,506 in tuition and fees. Typical student debt for child development graduates is $23,584. Child Development graduates of Charter Oak State College earn a median of $62,864 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $23,584 median debt.

4
Post University crest
Post University
Waterbury, CT

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Post University earned it the #4 place for child development. Set in the city of Waterbury, Post University is a very large private for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $15,922. Child Development graduates carry a median of $42,597 in student loans. Child Development graduates of Post University earn a median of $30,186 early in their careers. Set against $42,597 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.

5
Tufts University crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA

The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Tufts University earned it the #5 place for child development. Located in the suburb of Medford, Tufts University is a large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $70,704. Child Development graduates carry a median of $16,170 in student loans. Early-career child development graduates make about $44,725. That is a strong return on a $16,170 median debt. Tufts University admits about 12% of applicants.

ADBLOCK #101
6
Merrimack College crest
Merrimack College
North Andover, MA

Merrimack College ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the best value child development schools. Merrimack College is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of North Andover. In-state tuition and fees average $53,962. Child Development graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, child development degree recipients from Merrimack College generally make around $50,506. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 70%.

ADBLOCK #173
View All Child development Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 10 schools evaluated.

*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options