Best Child Development Schools Near Athens, GA (2026)

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

Athens, Georgia has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs. Athens has a population of about 137,582. In Georgia, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $72,310 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Athens

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

Athens, GA 0.5 miles from Athens
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
88.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,726
Avg net price $13,936/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 241

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Athens

Athens is part of the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area (BLS area code 12020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Georgia statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $36,410 Athens-Clarke County, GA $39,025
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $60,300 GA statewide $64,630
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $47,010 Athens-Clarke County, GA $50,386
Childcare Workers $27,010 Athens-Clarke County, GA $28,950
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $72,310 GA statewide $77,503
Social and Human Service Assistants $36,560 Athens-Clarke County, GA $39,185
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $55,770 Athens-Clarke County, GA $59,775
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $29,120 Athens-Clarke County, GA $31,211

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.

Athens at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Athens-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Athens, GA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Athens. The closest is University of Georgia in Athens, GA (0.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Southwestern Community College (97.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Athens are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($72,310), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($60,300), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($55,770). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Georgia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Winder instead of Athens?

Winder, GA is 20.4 miles from Athens 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 Athens

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

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.

Back to Best Child Development Schools in Georgia (2026)