Best Child Development Schools Near Richmond, VA (2026)

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

Richmond, Virginia has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $35,810 to $54,630 per year for indexed programs. Richmond has a population of about 227,595. Median household income is $62,671 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Richmond, VA metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other at a median $77,210 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Richmond

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

University of Virginia-Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA 66.1 miles from Richmond
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $86,863
Avg net price $21,565/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA 90.5 miles from Richmond
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
81.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,343
Avg net price $17,915/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 180

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA 94.4 miles from Richmond
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
35.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 44%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,813
Avg net price $29,357/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 178

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Southern Virginia University

Buena Vista, VA 103.6 miles from Richmond
  • 4 year
34.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,002
Avg net price $22,213/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA 163.2 miles from Richmond
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
80.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $81,698
Avg net price $24,953/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 153

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Richmond

Richmond is part of the Richmond, VA metro area (BLS area code 40060). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $35,980 Richmond, VA $36,752
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $54,960 Richmond, VA $56,139
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $60,520 Richmond, VA $61,818
Childcare Workers $33,570 Richmond, VA $34,290
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $61,860 Richmond, VA $63,187
Social and Human Service Assistants $42,170 Richmond, VA $43,075
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $61,300 Richmond, VA $62,615
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $77,210 Richmond, VA $78,866

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.

Richmond at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 227,595 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $62,671 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 44.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 97.9 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Richmond-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Richmond, VA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Richmond. The closest is University of Virginia-Main Campus in Charlottesville, VA (66.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Howard University (99.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Richmond are: Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($77,210), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($61,860), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($61,300). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Hopewell instead of Richmond?

Hopewell, VA is 19.1 miles from Richmond 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 Richmond an affordable place to study child development?

Richmond’s median household income of $62,671 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Richmond while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia 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 Richmond

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

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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