Best Child Development Schools Near Liberty, MO (2026)

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

Liberty, Missouri has 1 accredited school offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $10,050 to $22,947 per year for indexed programs. Liberty has a population of about 30,446. Median household income is $95,425 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 39.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $119,560 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Liberty

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

Warrensburg, MO 49.4 miles from Liberty
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
54.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 64%
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,560
Avg net price $14,462/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,050
Out‑of‑state$18,600
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Columbia College

Columbia, MO 113.9 miles from Liberty
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,378
Avg net price $22,715/yr
Tuition
In‑state$25,826
Out‑of‑state$25,826
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of Missouri-Columbia

Columbia, MO 113.9 miles from Liberty
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
75.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,403
Avg net price $20,268/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 156

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Stephens College

Columbia, MO 114.3 miles from Liberty
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
50.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,071
Avg net price $23,459/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Missouri State University-Springfield

Springfield, MO 153.9 miles from Liberty
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,827
Avg net price $17,613/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 200

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Maryville University of Saint Louis

Saint Louis, MO 214.2 miles from Liberty
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,105
Avg net price $22,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Saint Louis Community College

Bridgeton, MO 216.5 miles from Liberty
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
34.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,325
Avg net price $8,440/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 47

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Missouri State University-West Plains

West Plains, MO 222.5 miles from Liberty
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
40.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,922
Avg net price $9,750/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Liberty

Liberty is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $37,400 Kansas City, MO-KS $40,432
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $58,340 Kansas City, MO-KS $63,070
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $49,880 Kansas City, MO-KS $53,924
Childcare Workers $31,770 Kansas City, MO-KS $34,346
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $119,560 Kansas City, MO-KS $129,254
Social and Human Service Assistants $45,860 Kansas City, MO-KS $49,578
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $60,410 Kansas City, MO-KS $65,308
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $50,240 Kansas City, MO-KS $54,314

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.

Liberty at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 30,446 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $95,425 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 39.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.5 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Liberty-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Liberty, MO?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering child development programs near Liberty. The closest is University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, MO (49.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Central Missouri (49.4 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Liberty are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($119,560), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($60,410), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($58,340). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Gladstone instead of Liberty?

Gladstone, MO is 7.7 miles from Liberty 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 Liberty an affordable place to study child development?

Liberty’s median household income of $95,425 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Liberty while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri 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 Liberty

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

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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