Best Child Development Schools Near Plum, PA (2026)

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

Plum, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $14,408 to $25,154 per year for indexed programs. Plum has a population of about 26,873. Median household income is $98,475 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 43.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Pittsburgh, PA metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other at a median $62,290 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Plum

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

Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus

Indiana, PA 32.0 miles from Plum
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,019
Avg net price $16,804/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 109

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Fayette- Eberly

Lemont Furnace, PA 38.7 miles from Plum
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
45.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $14,596/yr
Tuition
In‑state$14,408
Out‑of‑state$24,134
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Westminster College

New Wilmington, PA 52.4 miles from Plum
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,861
Avg net price $19,859/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Shenango

Sharon, PA 64.3 miles from Plum
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
38.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 92%
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $18,095/yr
Tuition
In‑state$14,024
Out‑of‑state$23,560
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBois

DuBois, PA 67.7 miles from Plum
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
45.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $17,428/yr
Tuition
In‑state$14,408
Out‑of‑state$24,134
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona

Altoona, PA 70.4 miles from Plum
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
36.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 98%
Graduation rate 17%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $22,213/yr
Tuition
In‑state$15,972
Out‑of‑state$26,958
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

University Park, PA 101.0 miles from Plum
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
62.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 61%
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $32,875/yr
Tuition
In‑state$20,644
Out‑of‑state$41,790
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 214

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Pennsylvania State University-World Campus

University Park, PA 101.0 miles from Plum
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,435
Avg net price $19,550/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege 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 Plum

Plum is part of the Pittsburgh, PA metro area (BLS area code 38300). 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 $35,650 Pittsburgh, PA $37,645
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $49,170 Pittsburgh, PA $51,922
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $49,800 Pittsburgh, PA $52,587
Childcare Workers $29,840 Pittsburgh, PA $31,510
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $60,070 Pittsburgh, PA $63,432
Social and Human Service Assistants $43,970 Pittsburgh, PA $46,431
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $59,770 Pittsburgh, PA $63,115
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $62,290 Pittsburgh, PA $65,776

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.

Plum at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 26,873 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $98,475 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 43.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 94.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Plum-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Plum. The closest is Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, PA (14.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Eastern Gateway Community College (49.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Plum are: Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($62,290), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($60,070), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($59,770). 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 Monroeville instead of Plum?

Monroeville, PA is 5.3 miles from Plum 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 Plum an affordable place to study child development?

Plum’s median household income of $98,475 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Plum 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 Plum

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

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 Pennsylvania (2026)