Best Early Childhood Education Schools Near Bloomington, IL

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Bloomington, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $16,144 to $34,309 per year for indexed programs. Bloomington has a population of about 78,703. Median household income is $75,449 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Bloomington, IL metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $65,180 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Bloomington

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Bloomington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Bloomington 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 Bloomington. 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

Illinois State University

Normal, IL 2.6 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
71.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 88%
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,117
Avg net price $19,398/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,144
Out‑of‑state$28,210
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 112

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Bradley University

Peoria, IL 37.2 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,852
Avg net price $22,719/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 97

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

Millikin University

Decatur, IL 43.7 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,262
Avg net price $21,989/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL 46.7 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
90.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $81,054
Avg net price $14,355/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 177

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL 74.0 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,213
Avg net price $20,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Governors State University

University Park, IL 93.8 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,169
Avg net price $12,329/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 54

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#7

Blackburn College

Carlinville, IL 94.9 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
36.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,802
Avg net price $18,460/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, IL 101.3 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,808
Avg net price $13,391/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois early childhood education page.

Early Childhood Education Wages Near Bloomington

Bloomington is part of the Bloomington, IL metro area (BLS area code 14010). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teacher $37,720 Bloomington, IL $40,342
Kindergarten Teacher $65,180 Bloomington, IL $69,711
Preschool and Childcare Center Director $48,860 Bloomington, IL $52,257
Teaching Assistant $31,710 Bloomington, IL $33,914

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.

Bloomington at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 78,703 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $75,449 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 48.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.5 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Bloomington-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Bloomington, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Bloomington. The closest is Illinois State University in Normal, IL (2.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Olivet Nazarene University (74.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near Bloomington?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Bloomington are: Kindergarten Teacher ($65,180), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($48,860), Preschool Teacher ($37,720). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Normal instead of Bloomington?

Normal, IL is 3.3 miles from Bloomington and has its own set of local early childhood education programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Bloomington an affordable place to study early childhood education?

Bloomington’s median household income of $75,449 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bloomington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois 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 Early Childhood Education Programs

Other Programs Available in Bloomington

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

Data verified: September 6, 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 Early Childhood Education Schools in Illinois (2026)