Best Child Development Schools Near Tampa, FL (2026)

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

Tampa, Florida is home to about 393,389 residents. Median household income is $71,302 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $61,380 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Tampa

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

Nova Southeastern University

Fort Lauderdale, FL 188.9 miles from Tampa
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
55.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,209
Avg net price $30,371/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 131

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL 202.7 miles from Tampa
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,675
Avg net price $11,297/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 148

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Tampa

Tampa is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area (BLS area code 45300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $36,270 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $35,946
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $60,530 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $59,990
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $58,540 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $58,018
Childcare Workers $33,530 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $33,231
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $61,380 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $60,833
Social and Human Service Assistants $45,000 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $44,599
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $59,860 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $59,326
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $50,550 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $50,099

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.

Tampa at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 393,389 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $71,302 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 44.6% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 100.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Tampa-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Tampa are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($61,380), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($60,530), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($59,860). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Temple Terrace instead of Tampa?

Temple Terrace, FL is 5.4 miles from Tampa 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 Tampa an affordable place to study child development?

Tampa’s median household income of $71,302 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Tampa while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida 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 Tampa

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

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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