Best Child Development Schools Near Lancaster, PA (2026)

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

Lancaster, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $15,972 to $32,521 per year for indexed programs. Lancaster has a population of about 57,683. Median household income is $63,421 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Pennsylvania, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $83,510 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Lancaster

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

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York

York, PA 22.2 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
38.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $19,047/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Harrisburg

Middletown, PA 25.8 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
41.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 98%
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $23,330/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,972
Out‑of‑state$26,958
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill

Schuylkill Haven, PA 42.0 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
40.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $19,659/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine

Media, PA 45.8 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
34.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 98%
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $22,585/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,208
Out‑of‑state$25,392
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA 60.7 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,727
Avg net price $28,198/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 230

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Moravian University

Bethlehem, PA 63.2 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,860
Avg net price $30,670/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Manor College

Jenkintown, PA 63.3 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,825
Avg net price $13,078/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 48%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Mont Alto

Mont Alto, PA 67.2 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
41.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 98%
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $19,454/yr
Tuition
In‑state$14,408
Out‑of‑state$24,134
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Lancaster

Lancaster is part of the Lancaster, PA metro area (BLS area code 29540). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $35,240 Lancaster, PA $35,849
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $49,450 Lancaster, PA $50,305
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $51,130 Lancaster, PA $52,014
Childcare Workers $30,620 Lancaster, PA $31,150
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $83,510 PA statewide $84,954
Social and Human Service Assistants $44,070 Lancaster, PA $44,832
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $78,480 Lancaster, PA $79,837
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $54,770 PA statewide $55,717

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.

Lancaster at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 57,683 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $63,421 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 27.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.3 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lancaster-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Lancaster, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Lancaster. The closest is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State York in York, PA (22.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill (42.0 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Lancaster are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($83,510), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($78,480), Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($54,770). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Lebanon instead of Lancaster?

Lebanon, PA is 21.6 miles from Lancaster 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 Lancaster an affordable place to study child development?

Lancaster’s median household income of $63,421 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lancaster while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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 Lancaster

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

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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