Best Child Development Schools Near Florence, SC (2026)

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

Florence, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs. Florence has a population of about 40,205. Median household income is $56,433 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In South Carolina, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $60,890 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Florence

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

Benedict College

Columbia, SC 71.6 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
16.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,902
Avg net price $18,250/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Columbia College

Columbia, SC 71.8 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
37.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,338
Avg net price $18,408/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

Charleston Southern University

Charleston, SC 84.2 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
35.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,898
Avg net price $21,666/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 63%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

College of Charleston

Charleston, SC 96.7 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,416
Avg net price $18,960/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

Voorhees University

Denmark, SC 97.8 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,339
Avg net price $13,335/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Converse University

Spartanburg, SC 132.7 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
42.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,867
Avg net price $23,283/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#7

Bob Jones University

Greenville, SC 154.6 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,354
Avg net price $16,641/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Anderson University

Anderson, SC 164.5 miles from Florence
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,101
Avg net price $23,544/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

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

Child Development Wages Near Florence

Florence is part of the Florence, SC metro area (BLS area code 22500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $31,600 Florence, SC $36,406
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $51,200 SC statewide $58,986
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $51,800 Florence, SC $59,677
Childcare Workers $27,780 Florence, SC $32,005
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $59,800 SC statewide $68,894
Social and Human Service Assistants $35,260 Florence, SC $40,622
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $60,890 SC statewide $70,150
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $51,880 SC statewide $59,770

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.

Florence at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 40,205 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $56,433 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 29.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 86.8 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Florence-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Florence, SC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Florence. The closest is Richmond Community College in Hamlet, NC (50.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Benedict College (71.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Florence are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($60,890), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($59,800), Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($51,880). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Sumter instead of Florence?

Sumter, SC is 38.5 miles from Florence 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 Florence an affordable place to study child development?

Florence’s median household income of $56,433 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Florence while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Carolina 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 Florence

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

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 South Carolina (2026)