Best Child Development Schools Near Garden City, NY (2026)

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

Garden City, New York has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs. Garden City has a population of about 22,866. Median household income is $228,807 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 75.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare at a median $98,470 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Garden City

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

CUNY Queens College

Queens, NY 9.2 miles from Garden City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
69.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,763
Avg net price $4,195/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 97

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

St. Joseph's University-New York

Brooklyn, NY 17.1 miles from Garden City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,905
Avg net price $19,035/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 54

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Sarah Lawrence College

Bronxville, NY 17.8 miles from Garden City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,603
Avg net price $41,437/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

SUNY Oneonta

Oneonta, NY 140.9 miles from Garden City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
69.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 70%
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,386
Avg net price $19,158/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,831
Out‑of‑state$19,781
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Binghamton University

Vestal, NY 152.7 miles from Garden City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
81.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 39%
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $80,596
Avg net price $21,620/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,567
Out‑of‑state$30,447
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 110

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Empire State University

Saratoga Springs, NY 162.6 miles from Garden City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,080
Avg net price $11,676/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 56%
  • Programs offered: 64

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY 188.8 miles from Garden City
  • 4 year
73.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $104,043
Avg net price $28,690/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 132

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY 204.6 miles from Garden City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $79,164
Avg net price $38,793/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 186

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Garden City

Garden City is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New York statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $50,230 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $44,609
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $98,470 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $87,451
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $66,540 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $59,094
Childcare Workers $37,870 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $33,632
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $81,210 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $72,123
Social and Human Service Assistants $47,860 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $42,504
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $77,400 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $68,739
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $66,580 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $59,130

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.

Garden City at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 22,866 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $228,807 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 75.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 112.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Garden City-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Garden City, NY?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Garden City. The closest is CUNY Queens College in Queens, NY (9.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Post University (63.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying child development roles near Garden City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Garden City are: Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($98,470), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($81,210), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($77,400). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New York statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Hempstead instead of Garden City?

Hempstead, NY is 2.0 miles from Garden City 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 Garden City an affordable place to study child development?

Garden City’s median household income of $228,807 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Garden City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and New York 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 Garden City

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

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 New York (2026)