Best Child Development Schools Near Lima, OH (2026)

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

Lima, Ohio has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $9,896 to $45,879 per year for indexed programs. Lima has a population of about 35,304. Median household income is $43,370 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 11.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Ohio, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $72,570 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Lima

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

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

Sort:
#1

Edison State Community College

Piqua, OH 40.6 miles from Lima
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,360
Avg net price $7,142/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Bowling Green State University-Main Campus

Bowling Green, OH 50.3 miles from Lima
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,896
Avg net price $24,022/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 139

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

Antioch University

Yellow Springs, OH 65.7 miles from Lima
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,541
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Ohio State University-Main Campus

Columbus, OH 77.5 miles from Lima
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,409
Avg net price $17,339/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 233

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

Miami University-Oxford

Oxford, OH 91.3 miles from Lima
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
67.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 75%
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,076
Avg net price $28,384/yr
Tuition
In‑state$18,161
Out‑of‑state$41,221
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 136

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Akron Main Campus

Akron, OH 137.8 miles from Lima
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
48.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 60%
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,600
Avg net price $13,946/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,135
Out‑of‑state$20,815
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 159

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#7

Ohio University-Main Campus

Athens, OH 144.4 miles from Lima
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,581
Avg net price $21,637/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 217

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Kent State University at Kent

Kent, OH 147.2 miles from Lima
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,388
Avg net price $20,787/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 181

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

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

Child Development Wages Near Lima

Lima is part of the Lima, OH metro area (BLS area code 30620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Ohio statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $33,480 Lima, OH $37,324
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $49,580 OH statewide $55,273
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $50,020 Lima, OH $55,764
Childcare Workers $28,790 Lima, OH $32,096
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $60,700 OH statewide $67,670
Social and Human Service Assistants $37,560 Lima, OH $41,873
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $72,570 OH statewide $80,903
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $45,980 OH statewide $51,260

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.

Lima at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 35,304 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $43,370 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 11.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 89.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lima-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Lima, OH?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Lima. The closest is Edison State Community College in Piqua, OH (40.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Antioch University (65.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Lima are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($72,570), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($60,700), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($50,020). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Ohio statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Sidney instead of Lima?

Sidney, OH is 31.3 miles from Lima 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 Lima an affordable place to study child development?

Lima’s median household income of $43,370 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lima while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Ohio 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 Lima

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

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 Ohio: Online Programs (2026)