@theatekidforever - Sounds like you are off to a good start. Are you thinking of getting a BA in something like “Theater/Music Education”? Or are you more interested in honing your own performance skills while in college? If you are truly interested in teaching and it’s at all possible in your schedule, you might try to get some “teaching” experience now. Perhaps look for venues where you can be an assistant on Saturdays, in the evenings or over holidays/breaks, helping at kids’ camps, classes, community theater performances, etc. I’m no expert on the teaching aspect of MT/Theater/Music, but my guess is that to be successful you may need quite a bit of experience under your belt and at this point in your life working with younger kids is a viable option. I don’t know what your local situation is, but in our area places like CCM Prep and local dance studios might give class tuition breaks for older students that help out with younger ones. Working with younger ones now will give you experience with dealing with groups of students and getting to know what goes on behind the scenes in the theater/dance/music world - perhaps giving you a better feel for what yo might want to do post-college.
Again, I’m no expert, but my guess is that most places hiring professional theater teachers are going to want people with performance AND teaching experience, often accompanied by a masters degree of some sort - especially if you want to teach at the high school or college level and beyond. My non-expert advice is to look for colleges that interest you for their MT/Theater/Music programs - either BA of BFA - and then look towards a Masters at some point after you graduate from college. If being a “performer” is not your primary goal, a program offering a BA in Theater Studies with an “education” component may be what you are looking for and more Ohio schools offer that than ones offering strictly “MT” or “Acting” programs. Perhaps look for programs that have a close affiliation with a children’s theater program, theater camps and/or a theater/music “prep” academy/conservatory, where you might be able to get assistant teaching/intern positions while you are in school. You can then also look for summer internships, either in your hometown or elsewhere in the country. Others on this forum have spoken of getting Theater Administration minors and I believe there can also be an Education minor or double major - most probably with a BA, but CAN be done at some BFA programs if you are diligent. Look through the threads that are “pinned” to the top of this forum for the big list of schools and programs. Many people on this forum are focused on the BFA track, with its emphasis on performance skills, but there are also folks on here who are interested in the Education/Children’s Theater aspect and I’m sure they can give you more information about specific schools/programs.
We are also in Ohio and my S is a sophomore in the MT program at Wright State in Dayton. At least a few of the upper classmen in the MT/Acting/Theater program have pursued summer and school-year employment/volunteer positions with WSU’s MAPP program and other venues in the local community theater scene. Some have continued that interest with competitive summer internships at children’s theater camps/intensives/performance venues in different parts of the country. Some of the CCM (University of Cincinnati) students do the same sorts of things locally in the Cincinnati area and at CCM’s Prep Department.
Other things to look at when considering college are your GPA, ACT/SAT scores, financial situation and how far you want to travel from home. Are you only looking in Ohio? The more you can share, the more folks will be able to offer advice for your specific needs. Good luck.