Best Child Development Schools Near Florence, AL (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Florence, Alabama has 3 accredited schools offering child development programs. Florence has a population of about 42,716. In Alabama, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $50,900 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Florence

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Florence, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Florence city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Florence. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Oakwood University

Huntsville, AL 57.6 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,488
Avg net price $25,669/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Miles College

Fairfield, AL 102.7 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $32,627
Avg net price $14,271/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 56%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Samford University

Birmingham, AL 106.8 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,469
Avg net price $32,622/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 90

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL 112.0 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
69.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 77%
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,221
Avg net price $22,420/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,180
Out‑of‑state$34,172
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 115

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Amridge University

Montgomery, AL 190.9 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
  • Accredited
51.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,621
Tuition
In‑state$7,590
Out‑of‑state$7,590
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Auburn University

Auburn, AL 198.5 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
76.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,337
Avg net price $24,323/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,890
Out‑of‑state$34,922
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 151

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of Mobile

Mobile, AL 280.3 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
42.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,611
Avg net price $22,382/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Alabama schools on the Alabama child development page.

Child Development Wages Near Florence

Florence is part of the Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL metro area (BLS area code 22520). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Alabama statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $27,660 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL $32,618
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $41,780 AL statewide $49,269
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $47,670 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL $56,215
Childcare Workers $22,720 AL statewide $26,792
Special Education Teachers, Preschool N/A AL statewide –
Social and Human Service Assistants $34,350 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL $40,507
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $50,900 AL statewide $60,024
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other N/A AL statewide –

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Florence at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 84.8 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Florence-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Florence, AL?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering child development programs near Florence. The closest is Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL (57.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Motlow State Community College (85.6 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying child development roles near Florence?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Florence are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($50,900), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($47,670), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($41,780). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Alabama statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Athens instead of Florence?

Athens, AL is 40.6 miles from Florence and has its own set of local child development programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Child Development Programs

Other Programs Available in Florence

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Florence:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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