Best Associate's in Early Childhood Program Administration Programs in 2026
All 2 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on graduation rate, affordability, and more. CIP 13.0414.
- In-state tuition typically runs from $2,424 to $5,340 a year, with a median near $3,882.
- 2 of 2 ranked programs sit at public universities, and 1 offer an online or hybrid option.
- We rank on graduation rate first, then selectivity and affordability, all from federal IPEDS data.
- 1
Oakland Community College
55score- 21%Grad rate
- $5,340/yrTuition (in or out of state)
- 15,287Undergrads
- 27Grads/yr
- Associate in Applied Science in Early Childhood Education
- Online
About the programOakland Community College's Associate in Applied Science in Early Childhood Education is built for two kinds of students at once: those ready to step into early childhood careers and those planning to transfer toward a bachelor's degree. The 60 to 63 credit program devotes 48 credits to program and supportive coursework, then rounds out the rest with general education and electives. Rather than a K-12 teaching license, it points toward Michigan's qualifications for roles like child care center director, lead teacher, home-based provider, or early childhood support staff in public schools and Head Start. Hands-on learning threads through the curriculum, culminating in the ECE 2407 Early Childhood Internship Capstone. The catalog lists a fully online offering, though courses are also available in person. As an associate degree in early childhood program administration, it adds to the associate-level early childhood program administration options in Michigan.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageIts rank is built from three numbers: graduation rate, admission rate, and in-state tuition, in that order of weight. Its strongest card is completion: a 21% graduation rate lands it in the top 1% of programs nationwide, and since finishing counts for the most, that does much of the work. The one drag is price, $5,340 in state, above the national median, so it earns its rank on outcomes rather than affordability. That combination is what puts it in the top handful here.
- 2
East Georgia State College
45score- 17%Grad rate
- $2,424/yrIn-state tuition
- $9,384/yrOut-of-state tuition
- 1,820Undergrads
- 27Grads/yr
- Associate of Science in Elementary Education
About the programEast Georgia State College offered an Associate of Science in Elementary Education, a two-year pathway designed to transfer toward a bachelor's degree in education. Coursework was available online. Effective January 1, 2026, the college consolidated into Georgia Southern University, and the Swainsboro location now operates as the East Georgia Campus. As an associate degree in early childhood program administration, it adds to the associate-level early childhood program administration options in Georgia.
Why it ranks hereProgram pageThree things decide where a program lands on this list: how many students finish, how selective it is, and what it costs. The sticking point is completion, the factor we weigh most heavily: at 17% the graduation rate trails the national median, which caps how high it can climb. Cost only helps its case: at $2,424 in state, tuition runs below the national median, so students are not paying a premium for those results. That combination is what puts it in the top handful here.
How we rank
Each program is scored 0 to 100 against the other associate's programs in its specialty: graduation rate (55%) and affordability by in-state tuition (45%). Scores are percentile-based within the specialty, so they compare like with like, and a program missing a field gets the neutral median. Because an associate's in elementary education is a two-year transfer degree offered almost entirely by open-admission community colleges, selectivity is not used. Earnings are excluded because they depend on transferring and finishing a bachelor's degree. Every associate's program in the specialty is ranked and shown, with no per-state cap.
- Graduation rate: 55%
- Affordability (in-state tuition): 45%
How much an associate's in Early Childhood Program Administration program costs
Published in-state tuition across the 2 ranked associate's programs typically runs from $2,424 to $5,340 a year, with a median near $3,882. Most of that spread is public versus private: public universities charge state residents the least, while private colleges set a single sticker price that applies to everyone. 2 of the 2 programs here are public, which is usually where the lowest in-state numbers come from.
Sticker price is rarely what a student pays. Grants and scholarships lower the net cost, and future teachers have aid written specifically for them: the federal TEACH Grant provides up to $4,000 a year to students who agree to teach a high-need subject in a low-income school, and many states add service scholarships and loan-forgiveness programs for people who commit to the classroom. Two costs to watch are out-of-state tuition, which at public schools often runs two to three times the resident rate, and mandatory fees and living expenses, which the tuition figure leaves out entirely.
Sources: tuition and program data from IPEDS; the TEACH Grant from Federal Student Aid.
Ways to earn your associate's in Early Childhood Program Administration
An associate's in Early Childhood Program Administration is usually the first two years of a longer teaching path rather than a destination in itself. Of the 2 ranked programs, 1 offer an online or hybrid option, which suits students balancing work or family, though any required classroom-observation hours still happen in person. Many are designed explicitly as a transfer, or pre-education, track that maps onto a four-year degree.
The move that saves the most money is articulation: completing general-education and introductory teaching coursework at a community college, then transferring those credits into a bachelor's program to finish the degree and student teaching. Statewide transfer agreements in many states guarantee that an approved associate's applies in full, so it pays to choose a program with a clear articulation pathway to the university you eventually want to attend.
An associate's on its own does not lead to a standard teaching license, which is the norm for this level rather than a shortcoming. What it does do is open the door to classroom roles now, paraprofessional and teacher-aide positions, and in some states a step toward early-childhood or substitute credentials while you keep studying toward the bachelor's.
Sources: online and program counts from IPEDS; alternative-certification pathways per the US Department of Education.
Data sources for our Associate's in Early Childhood Program Administration ranking
- Program counts, tuition, graduation and admission rates: IPEDS, US Department of Education.
- Program descriptions: each school's official catalog and program pages.