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Early Childhood Education

Types of Degrees Early Childhood Education Majors Are Earning

Those studying Early Childhood Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2,075
Associate’s Degree	6,953
Bachelor’s Degree	12,524
Master’s Degree	9,489
Doctor’s Degree	18

What Early Childhood Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Early Childhood Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Early Childhood Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Early Childhood Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Early Childhood Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Early Childhood Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Early Childhood Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	3.7 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	3.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Early Childhood Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Seesaw	Multi-media educational software	—
Children’s educational software	Computer based training software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Bloomz	Desktop communications software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Early Childhood Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Instructor
• Montessori Teacher
• Teacher
• Early Childhood Teacher
• Physical Fitness Teacher
• Art Teacher
• Classroom Teacher
• Kinder Teacher
• Title One Kindergarten Teacher
• Transitional Kindergarten Teacher
• Private Kindergarten Teacher
• Physical Education Teacher (PE Teacher)
• Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher
• Kindergarten Classroom Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Early Childhood Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	32.8%
Doctoral degree	25.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	11.3%
Master’s degree	11.2%
Some college courses	6.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.4%
Postsecondary certificate	4.0%
Less than a high school diploma	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Early Childhood Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 96.4% of Early Childhood Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	31,385	96.4%
Men	1,185	3.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Early Childhood Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	15,033	46.2%
Asian	1,205	3.7%
Hispanic or Latino	8,945	27.5%
Black or African American	4,400	13.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	431	1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	78	0.2%
Two or More Races	874	2.7%
Race Unknown	1,198	3.7%
International Students	406	1.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Early Childhood Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Early Childhood Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$44,857
4 years	$43,846
5 years	$48,879

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $48,879 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Early Childhood Education Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Early Childhood Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	114	54
Bachelor’s	67	45
Master’s	69	31
Doctoral (Research)	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Early Childhood Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Early Childhood Education graduates earn a median of $43,846 four years after completion — roughly 15% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	13.12
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching	13.1201
College/Postsecondary/University Teaching	13.1214
Elementary Education and Teaching	13.1202
International Teaching and Learning	13.1212
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	13.1203
Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching	13.1209
Montessori Teacher Education	13.1207
Online Educator/Online Teaching	13.1211
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods	13.1213
Secondary Education and Teaching	13.1205
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other	13.1299

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.