Wichita, KS (population: 374,803) has two child development schools within a 100-mile radius of its city center. Pioneer Technology Center, the highest ranked school in this group with a child development 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 Development students from Wichita schools who go on to become child development specialists, child psychologists, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 277,670 people working as child, family, and school social workers alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $43,540. Also, Preschool teachers make on average $27,450 per year and there are about 389,660 of them employed in the US today. In fact, in the Wichita area alone, there are 290 employed preschool teachers earning an average salary of $31,570. Child, family, and school social workers in this area earn $42,830/yr and there are 570 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 1.915 out of every 1000 jobs in Wichita are held by child, family, and school social workers, and 0.986/1000 are held by preschool teachers.
Of the 2 child development 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 development students, with Pioneer Technology Center as the lowest, reported at only $11,580/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 |