Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Child development teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a child development teacher. Child development teachers usually study human development, early childhood education, or psychology. 58% of child development teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 686 real child development teacher resumes to see exactly what child development teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for child development teachers are the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
There are also many online child development teacher courses to help get the education required to be a child development teacher.
What education do you need to become a child development teacher?
What degree do you need to be a child development teacher?
- Bachelor's, 58%
- Associate, 20%
- Master's, 10%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a child development teacher?
- Human Development, 21%
- Psychology, 9%
- Business, 9%
- Other Majors, 47%
Most common colleges for child development teachers
| Child development teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 9.52% |
| University of Phoenix | 8.33% |
| San Francisco State University | 7.14% |
| University of La Verne | 7.14% |
| Appalachian State University | 5.95% |
Best majors for child development teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Human Development | 21.3% |
| 2 | Early Childhood Education | 14.5% |
| 3 | Psychology | 8.7% |
| 4 | Business | 8.7% |
| 5 | Elementary Education | 7.7% |
Best colleges for child development teachers
The best colleges for child development teachers are University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, and Northwestern University.
A child development teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for child development teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become child development teachers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
3. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
10. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
20 best online courses for child development teachers
Advertising disclosure
1. Child Care as a Business
This course is targeted toward individuals wishing to run a home-based child care center. It covers topics such as the fundamentals of an in-home childcare setting as a business; the importance of financial management of a child care center; the creation of a child care contract; and an exploration of how to set tuition rates. Since a Family Policy Handbook is essential for anyone operating a family day care center, this course includes the development of one of three imperative sections of the...
2. Home-Based Child Care
This series of courses is intended to provide learners with the tools to develop and operate a home-based childcare center. Stages of child development, best practices to stimulate learning, important safety measures, and business fundamentals are introduced...
3. Introduction to Child Psychology - ACCREDITED CERTIFICATE
Learn about child behaviour, parenting styles, relationships and socialising, cognitive development, counselling & more!...
4. Fully Accredited Professional Child Psychology Diploma
Learn or Specialise Your Therapy in Child Psychology with this Fully Accredited Diploma Course...
5. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher
Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases, there is no allowance made for the education of Deaf children at all. This 4-week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language-rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically,...
6. Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing
Everyday Parenting gives you access to a toolkit of behavior-change techniques that will make your typical day in the home easier as you develop the behaviors you would like to see in your child. The lessons provide step-by-step instructions and demonstrations to improve your course of action with both children and adolescents. Among many techniques, you will learn how even simple modifications to tone of voice and phrasing can lead to more compliance. The course will also shed light on many...
7. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs
Active Directory & Group Policy Administration Basics for Helpdesk and Desktop / IT Support Technicians...
8. Azure - Active Directory
Learn Azure as it pertains to Active Directory...
9. THINK GLOBAL: TEACHERS TRAINING COURSE (IDP-ICE)
A group of seven European partners from Catalonia, Belgium, and Wales worked together on the Erasmus+ funded ‘Think Global’ project on global competence. The project seeks to address the following research question through development and piloting of practical classroom activities: What is global competence, and how can it be learned effectively? The Think Global project explores, through international collaboration, how global competence is defined, taught, learned, and measured in the...
10. [Active Directory] Management using Windows PowerShell
[Power Shell] Simplified practical knowledge for automation & management of [Active Directory] using Windows Power Shell...
11. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate
Transform Lives with Mindfulness & Meditation: Accredited Life Coach Teacher Certificate (2023)...
12. Active Directory on Windows Server
Learn how to deploy and manage all aspects of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS and many more technologies...
13. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...
14. Azure Active Directory Masterclass
Learn to be a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Azure Active Directory...
15. Azure Active Directory And Azure AD Domain Services
Learn how Azure Active Directory, On-Premises Active directory and Azure AD Domain Services (AADDS) integrate together...
16. Azure Active Directory for.NET Developers (AD and B2C)
Learn how to authenticate API and .NET Web Application with Azure Active Directory and B2C (external logins)...
17. Preparation for CELTA Teacher Training
Learn the skills required to succeed in your CELTA training - gain practice in lesson planning and writing assignments!!...
18. Identity & Access Management - Azure Active Directory
Learn about Identity, Directory , SAML , OAUTH , Open ID Connect , Identity Security and Azure Active Directory...
19. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
20. PowerShell for Active Directory Administrators
Use Power Shell to manage Active Directory users, computer, groups, security settings and more on Windows Server...
Top 10 most affordable universities for child development teachers
The most affordable schools for child development teachers are California State University - Long Beach, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - fullerton.
If the best universities for child development teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for child development teachers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
4. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
9. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
10. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for child development teachers
The hardest universities for child development teachers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for child development teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for child development teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for child development teachers
The easiest schools for child development teachers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, gwynedd mercy university, and felician university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a child development teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for child development teachers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
3. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
6. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
7. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
8. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
Average child development teacher salary by education level
| Child development teacher education level | Child development teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $44,495 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $29,873 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $37,767 |
| Doctorate Degree | $43,352 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $30,889 |
Child development teacher education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
Search for child development teacher jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025