$30K??? that might be the issue there.
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I think the budget is higher than that:
OK - that’s fair. OP has a lot of names 
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That we do!!! I put everything into a spreadsheet over the weekend and we’re over 50. I’ll take a look at Marist none the less and see if it merits addition before we start paring back.
Many on the list are unlikely to get to the $$'s (Salve Regina, University of NE, University of Hartford, Endicott) - or in many cases the extra $$ over our in-state state schools wouldn’t make a lot of sense but there’s a few that we’ll throw out there in any case to see what comes back for any kind of merit.
This thread and further research did bring to light a couple of schools that might check a lot of boxes that I was previously unaware of. UMaine Farmington and Kutztown University ¶ are examples.
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How about the Mass College of Liberal Arts - or not loving that?
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Painting with a broad brush here but like I say to my wife - “Worcester, Bridgewater, Salem, Framingham, Fitchburg, MCLA… there’s certainly nuances to each school but at their core they’re all kind of the same.”. Not a knock… my undergrad is from Framingham which served me quite well.
MCLA is in a great little area of the State (I’m old enough to remember what it was North Adams State College) but it’s also a fairly small school (under 1K)
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Isn’t Farmington as well? Glad you liked that one though !!!
Any thought on the CT directionals?
Yes, Farmington is as well… and ultimately may get struck off for it, but worth the conversation before that happens.
The CT directionals. I’ve never visited any of them so going strictly based on the numbers. Central/Southern show a 60% First Year on campus number with 7% OOS population. Central shoes 29% overall live on campus with Southern at 31% - suggesting the “suitcase school” thing.
Eastern Connecticut reflects 92% Freshman and 63% overall residency with 13% (no doubt MA/RI) OOS population. It would seem that if targeting one that might be more “vibrant” nights/weekends, this would be it.
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I have hope for Farmington. I recommended to another OP too that wants to “escape” Maine
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I went on their website and looked at where they are in the state, etc etc… looks like a cool little school. But that’s the opinion of a parent and may not be shared by the 17 year old daughter. Maybe I should tell her I hate the school…
My grandson is a freshman at Eastern Connecticut and likes it very much in all respects. The neighborhood immediately adjacent to the campus is loaded with beautiful old Victorians, which are big enough to have been broken up into off campus student housing. This option is very popular with students. So, the number that you see for freshman on campus holds up for 4 years but with many students living off campus in the nearby housing option instead of in dorms. Once college kids have their own place to live with their friends, they tend to hang around on weekends although there is no doubt that some go home.
One way to save money is to become an RA. Not only does it include free housing & meals, but students get paid a stipend! Eastern is the only college I’ve seen where sophomores can become RAs although only in freshman dorms. The deadline for application is right after return for the spring semester in January, so kids who are interested have to stay on top of it.
Although the vast majority of students are instate, they literally come from every town in the state. I’m sure that even instate students who come from outside the immediate area are not running home every weekend. Students are drawn from 18 different states; he has friends from as far away as California.
The campus is beautiful and well maintained. The town itself is a substantial old mill town of about 20,000 with a Main Street with restaurants and shops a few blocks from campus. Alumnae in education are well regarded by area school districts.
Another good option for early childhood is Keene State in New Hampshire. When we were looking, I was surprised by how many ways they provide for you to save money. For example, if you visit campus, you receive a $1000 one-time grant. If you are out of state and live on campus, you automatically receive a $2500 grant, bringing the $41,000 out of state price tag down to $38,500. Your daughter’s gpa, which you regard as low, they value to the tune of a $7000. Together with the grant for visiting campus, your first year cost would be $30,500. There are other grants which you may or may not qualify for, so check the website. The Education Dept is well regarded.
Keene is another substantial, older town of about 23,000, so just as with Eastern, the campus the campus isn’t isolated. One of the hidden percs is that presidential candidates show up every 4 years to campaign. Back in 2008, I saw both John McCain and Barack Obama on the campaign trail and walked side by side down Main Street with Bill Clinton. (That guy loves to talk. To anyone.)
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Thank you - that’s quite the endorsement of Eastern Conn State - strangely a school that although we live just over an hour away I am completely unfamiliar with!
Keene is already on the list - I knew kids when I was growing up that ended up there and visited a time or two. Had a reputation as a party school “back in the day”. Great college town. I wasn’t aware of the financial incentives though - thank you for that.
Yes, probably unfair by me and my sentiment is likely driven by too much time on CC seeing all the parents/students posting their 1560 SAT’s and 4.7W GPA’s. It has skewed the perspective when it shouldn’t!
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[quote=“Mashinations, post:52, topic:3684400, full:true”]
Thank you - that’s quite the endorsement of Eastern Conn State - strangely a school that although we live just over an hour away I am completely unfamiliar with! [/quote]
10 minutes down the road from UConn. I have friends who transferred from Eastern to UConn. I would never have wanted to go to UConn. Way too large and too difficult to get around. Eastern is walkable and much more manageable.
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Haha. 
@MYOS1634 thanks for tagging. Missed this before.
SUNY Cortland is probably the top choice in the SUNY system for students interested in early childhood education.
@Bill Marsh has good insight about the SUNY system, however I don’t entirely agree with everything. There actually are some notable sports at SUNY schools. Cortland in particular has the hugely popular Cortaca football game. Geneseo has a stunning campus. Binghamton isn’t a lovely town, but downtown is always busy on Friday and Saturday and there are a lot of events. Bing is also boosting its baseball program, amongst other things. I think Bing might be a high reach for this student, though.
Lots of good colleges mentioned for this student already. I do think Cortland is a good choice.
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Thanks for the additional information/context on the SUNY system.
We’ve been narrowing down the list and have landed on SUNY Cortland and SUNY Oneonta for applications. Great to hear the validation on Cortland. We’re going to visit both over April Break (as well as Kutztown while we’re down that way).
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Hope you report back on your D’s impressions. Those aren’t schools we get to hear too many firsthand experiences about!
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Since you’ll be visiting Oneonta, you might want to take a look at Hartwick. It will come in on budget and looks like a really nice program if she wants small and personalized. They will also help her get her MA certification if she wants to do that. I think it is only elementary ed and not early ed, however.
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Hartwick is literally just a short distance down the street from the SUNY Oneonta campus.
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