Best Child Development Schools Near Baltimore, MD (2026)

Baltimore, Maryland has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $35,810 to $54,630 per year for indexed programs. Baltimore has a population of about 577,193. Median household income is $59,623 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 35.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Maryland, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $85,010 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Child Development Schools to Baltimore

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Baltimore, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Baltimore 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 Baltimore. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

Towson University

Towson, MD 6.1 miles from Baltimore
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,390
Avg net price $17,413/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 105

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Bowie State University

Bowie, MD 21.3 miles from Baltimore
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,537
Avg net price $19,298/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Child Development Wages Near Baltimore

Baltimore is part of the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area (BLS area code 12580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Maryland statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $39,280 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $37,589
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $59,490 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $56,928
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $74,960 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $71,732
Childcare Workers $34,860 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $33,359
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $85,010 MD statewide $81,349
Social and Human Service Assistants $48,420 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $46,335
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $73,940 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $70,756
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $57,080 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $54,622

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.


Baltimore at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 577,193 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $59,623 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 35.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 104.5 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Baltimore-Area Cities With Child Development Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Baltimore, MD?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Baltimore. The closest is Towson University in Towson, MD (6.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of the District of Columbia (34.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Baltimore are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($85,010), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($74,960), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($73,940). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Maryland statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Laurel instead of Baltimore?

Laurel, MD is 19.7 miles from Baltimore 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 Baltimore an affordable place to study child development?

Baltimore’s median household income of $59,623 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Baltimore while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Maryland 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 Baltimore

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.