Best Early Childhood Education Schools Near Grand Island, NE

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

Grand Island, Nebraska has 2 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs. Grand Island has a population of about 52,761. Median household income is $62,439 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Grand Island, NE metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $64,940 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Grand Island

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

Concordia University-Nebraska

Seward, NE 66.3 miles from Grand Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,415
Avg net price $23,965/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Northeast Community College

Norfolk, NE 92.4 miles from Grand Island
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,634
Avg net price $8,544/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 87

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Wayne State College

Wayne, NE 114.6 miles from Grand Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,075
Avg net price $15,360/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 56

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

College of Saint Mary

Omaha, NE 123.7 miles from Grand Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,338
Avg net price $16,590/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Creighton University

Omaha, NE 127.8 miles from Grand Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $73,911
Avg net price $31,568/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 90

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Peru State College

Peru, NE 141.0 miles from Grand Island
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
42.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,071
Avg net price $11,632/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Western Nebraska Community College

Scottsbluff, NE 281.6 miles from Grand Island
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,729
Avg net price $5,474/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Early Childhood Education Wages Near Grand Island

Grand Island is part of the Grand Island, NE metro area (BLS area code 24260). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Nebraska statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teacher $47,040 NE statewide $54,256
Kindergarten Teacher $64,940 Grand Island, NE $74,902
Preschool and Childcare Center Director $56,160 NE statewide $64,775
Teaching Assistant $28,080 Grand Island, NE $32,388

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.

Grand Island at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 52,761 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $62,439 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 20.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 86.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Grand Island-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Grand Island, NE?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Grand Island. The closest is Concordia University-Nebraska in Seward, NE (66.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Northeast Community College (92.4 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Grand Island are: Kindergarten Teacher ($64,940), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($56,160), Preschool Teacher ($47,040). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Nebraska statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Hastings instead of Grand Island?

Hastings, NE is 22.5 miles from Grand Island 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 Grand Island an affordable place to study early childhood education?

Grand Island’s median household income of $62,439 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Grand Island while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Nebraska 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 Grand Island

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

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.

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