Best Online Early Childhood Education Programs in Milwaukee, WI (2026)

Milwaukee, Wisconsin has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $5,184 to $53,315 per year for indexed programs. Milwaukee has a population of about 569,756. Median household income is $51,888 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 26.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $62,940 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Milwaukee

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Milwaukee, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Milwaukee Area Technical College

Milwaukee, WI 2.8 miles from Milwaukee BOC Score 52.5
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,113
Avg net price $9,112/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,184
Out‑of‑state$7,427
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 135

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Wisconsin Lutheran College

Milwaukee, WI 3.3 miles from Milwaukee BOC Score 55.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,664
Avg net price $23,245/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Alverno College

Milwaukee, WI 5.5 miles from Milwaukee BOC Score 48.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,145
Avg net price $22,540/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Early Childhood Education Wages Near Milwaukee

Milwaukee is part of the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area (BLS area code 33340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Wisconsin statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teacher$36,240Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI$37,399
Kindergarten Teacher$62,940Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI$64,954
Preschool and Childcare Center Director$58,760Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI$60,640
Teaching Assistant$38,060Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI$39,278

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.


Milwaukee at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population569,756Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$51,888Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+26.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.9 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Milwaukee-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Milwaukee, WI?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Milwaukee. The closest is Milwaukee Area Technical College in Milwaukee, WI (2.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Concordia University-Wisconsin (10.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Milwaukee are: Kindergarten Teacher ($62,940), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($58,760), Teaching Assistant ($38,060). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Wisconsin statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Wauwatosa instead of Milwaukee?

Wauwatosa, WI is 3.4 miles from Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee an affordable place to study early childhood education?

Milwaukee’s median household income of $51,888 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Milwaukee while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Wisconsin 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 Milwaukee

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

Data verified: July 30, 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.