Best Child Development Schools Near Little Rock, AR (2026)

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

Little Rock, Arkansas has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $8,674 to $22,808 per year for indexed programs. Little Rock has a population of about 202,739. Median household income is $60,583 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $51,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Little Rock

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Little Rock, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Little Rock 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 Little Rock. 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

University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College

North Little Rock, AR 5.2 miles from Little Rock
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
41.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,722
Avg net price $14,327/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of Arkansas Community College-Morrilton

Morrilton, AR 37.3 miles from Little Rock
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,924
Avg net price $8,725/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Harding University

Searcy, AR 50.8 miles from Little Rock
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,876
Avg net price $22,130/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 100

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, AR 59.1 miles from Little Rock
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
58.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 96%
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,766
Avg net price $12,970/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,674
Out‑of‑state$14,668
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Arkansas at Monticello

Monticello, AR 84.4 miles from Little Rock
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
49.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,902
Avg net price $14,287/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,292
Out‑of‑state$14,857
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Ozarka College

Melbourne, AR 95.3 miles from Little Rock
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
57.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,314
Avg net price $4,543/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Arkansas Community College Rich Mountain

Mena, AR 106.2 miles from Little Rock
  • 2 year
40.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $30,037
Avg net price $4,842/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Little Rock

Little Rock is part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area (BLS area code 30780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arkansas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $34,080 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $38,121
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $46,590 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $52,114
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $44,610 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $49,899
Childcare Workers $28,800 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $32,215
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $36,560 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $40,895
Social and Human Service Assistants $42,190 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $47,192
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $51,990 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $58,154
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $44,860 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR $50,179

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.

Little Rock at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 202,739 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $60,583 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 44.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 89.4 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Little Rock-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Little Rock, AR?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Little Rock. The closest is University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock, AR (5.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Arkansas Tech University (59.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying child development roles near Little Rock?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Little Rock are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($51,990), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($46,590), Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($44,860). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arkansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in North Little Rock instead of Little Rock?

North Little Rock, AR is 7.9 miles from Little Rock 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.

Is Little Rock an affordable place to study child development?

Little Rock’s median household income of $60,583 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Little Rock while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arkansas public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

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 Little Rock

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

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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