Wichita, KS (population: 374,803) has seven child care schools within a 100-mile radius of its city center. Pioneer Technology Center, the highest ranked school in this group with a child care program, has a total student population of 491. It is the 1531st highest ranked school in the USA and the 28th highest in the state of Oklahoma (#1 is Oklahoma City University).
Child Care students from Wichita schools who go on to become child care professionals, child care workers, nannies, day care specialists, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 595,650 people working as child care workers alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $20,940. Also, Child, family, and school social workers make on average $43,540 per year and there are about 277,670 of them employed in the US today. In fact, in the Wichita area alone, there are 570 employed child, family, and school social workers earning an average salary of $42,830. Child care workers in this area earn $19,790/yr and there are 1,420 employed.
Wichita lies in Sedgwick county, which is one of the 67 counties in Kansas. Overall, the Wichita area has 295,670 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 2.3% unemployment rate, $18.81/hr average worker wage, and a $39,110 average annual salary. Thus, about 4.808 out of every 1000 jobs in Wichita are held by child care workers, and 1.915/1000 are held by child, family, and school social workers.
Of the 7 child care schools with a 100-mile radius of Wichita, none have a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, Autry Technology Center comes out as the most expensive ($16,140/yr) for child care students, with Independence Community College as the lowest, reported at only $5,933/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Wichita |
| North Newton | KS | - | 1 | 30.3056 | 44 | 26.4 miles |
| El Dorado | KS | - | 2 | 14.14 | 133 | 27.6 miles |
| Winfield | KS | - | 1 | 53.8865 | 62 | 36.4 miles |
| Arkansas City | KS | - | 1 | 16.4747 | 36 | 46.5 miles |
| Lindsborg | KS | - | 1 | 18.8974 | 70 | 63.8 miles |
| Ponca City | OK | - | 2 | 30.535 | 26 | 69.4 miles |
| Pratt | KS | - | 1 | 19.626 | 18 | 76.6 miles |
| Salina | KS | 46,677 | 4 | 21.0387 | 91 | 79.6 miles |
| Great Bend | KS | - | 1 | 20.0068 | 110 | 90.6 miles |
| Enid | OK | 48,152 | 2 | 30.1217 | 45 | 93.2 miles |