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Financial Assistance for Early Childhood Educators

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Comprehensive professional development systems for early care and education personnel are accessible and based on a clearly articulated framework; include a continuum of training and ongoing supports; define pathways that are tied to licensure, leading to qualifications and credentials; and address the needs of individual, adult learners. Enhancing a spirit of life-long learning is one goal of any professional development system; similar to this goal, a professional development system itself is never a finished product and should continually evolve and be refined to best meet the needs of the population it serves. 

Within professional development systems there are several interconnected components. These components fall under five broad elements: (1) Funding; (2) Core Knowledge; (3) Qualifications and Credentials; (4) Quality Assurances; and (5) Access and Outreach. A one-page document that outlines and defines this simplified framework is available on the Web at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/goodstart/pdsystem.html.

Scholarships for professional development, courses, and degrees are a component of the Funding element of a professional development system. The following is a sample of organizations with information about sources of financial assistance, including financial aid, loans, and scholarships, some of which may be specific for early childhood educators. The organizations include Federal resources, State and local resources, and a national organization with local affiliates. Information about financial assistance also is available by contacting the financial aid offices in local colleges, universities, and technical colleges.

Federal Resources

  • U.S. Department of Education
    Federal Student Aid (FSA)
    World Wide Web: http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp
    • The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid programs are the largest source of student aid in the United States, providing nearly 70 percent of all student financial aid. Available resources include the following:
    • Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid is a comprehensive resource on student financial aid from the U.S.  Department of Education. Grants, loans, and work-study are the three major forms of aid available through the Department’s Federal Student Aid office. Updated each award year, this guide explains the programs and how to apply for them. The guide for the July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007, award year, is available online in English and Spanish at http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/student_guide/index.html.
    • To apply for Federal aid, and to apply for many State student aid programs, students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Information about the FAFSA is available on the Web at http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/fafsa.jsp and www.fafsa.ed.gov.

    For additional information, contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at
    800-4-FED-AID (800-433-3243) or TTY 800-730-8913.

    For additional information about Federal financial assistance for education, visit the following U.S. Department of Education Web sites: 

    For additional information about these resources, call the U.S. Department of Education at 800-USA-LEARN (800-872-5327) or visit the Web at www.ed.gov.

    • The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued Publication 970: Tax Benefits for Education to provide guidance on the higher education tax incentives enacted by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-34) in the United States Statutes at Large (111 Stat. 788). Publication 970 (for use in preparing tax returns) is available on the Web at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf. 
    Tax information for students is available on the Web at www.irs.gov/individuals/students/index.html. For additional information, visit the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov.

State and Local Resources

  • Many States have an early childhood education professional development Web site. A table with links to this information is available from the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) in the document titled State Early Care and Education (ECE) Professional Development Web Sites. This document is under the Workforce and Professional Development topic of NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/goodstart/state-ece.html. The table highlights information about professional development system elements and components (including funding). Other general professional development and early childhood education information and resources may also be provided via the listed Web links.
  • Child care licensing agencies can provide information specific to local requirements and regulations. Child care licensing agencies may have information about scholarships. NCCIC State Profiles are available on the Web in the State Data and Contacts section at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/statepro/index.html. A list of State child care licensing agencies is available on the Web in the State Data and Contacts section at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/display.cfm?title=licensing.  
  • Local child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agencies support child care providers with training and technical assistance to help improve the quality of child care, and may have information about scholarships. Child Care Aware is a national initiative that can help you find the CCR&R in your area. Call Child Care Aware at 800-424-2246 or visit Web at www.childcareaware.org.
  • The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Project
    c/o Child Care Services Association
    P.O. Box 901
    Chapel Hill, NC 27514
    919-967-3272
    World Wide Web: www.childcareservices.org
    The T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) Early Childhood® Project gives scholarships to child care workers to complete coursework in early childhood education and to increase their compensation. In 1990, the Child Care Services Association created the project to address the issues of under-education, poor compensation, and high turnover within the early childhood workforce. The project is an umbrella for a variety of different scholarship programs for teachers, directors, and family child care providers working in regulated child care programs in North Carolina and other States across the country. All T.E.A.C.H. scholarships link continuing education with increased compensation and require that recipients and their sponsoring child care programs share in the cost. Additional information about the project is available on the Web at www.childcareservices.org/ps/teach.html.

    T.E.A.C.H. is operating in the following States: Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina (founding State), Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin.  The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Technical Assistance Center was founded in 2001 to assist States that are exploring the possibility or are in the early stages of developing T.E.A.C.H. projects. Additional information, including State contacts, is available on the Web at www.childcareservices.org/ps/state_contacts.html.

  • State higher education agencies provide information about State education programs, colleges and universities, financial aid assistance programs, grants, scholarships, continuing education programs, and career opportunities. Contact information for each State is available on the U.S. Department of Education’s Web site at http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/Programs/EROD/org_list.cfm?category_ID=SHE.

National Organizations

Professional associations sometimes offer scholarship funds for students in early childhood degree programs through their local affiliates or branches. These groups may offer funds themselves, or may know of other sources of funds in different regions, such as particular colleges, service organizations, clubs, and/or businesses.

  • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
    1509 16th Street NW
    Washington, DC 20036
    800-424-2460 or 202-232-8777
    World Wide Web: www.naeyc.org
    NAEYC has a national network of local, State, and regional affiliates. NAEYC Affiliate Groups work to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education and build public support for high-quality early childhood programs. Some of these affiliates sponsor student scholarship programs. Information about affiliates is available on NAEYC’s Web site at www.naeyc.org/affiliates/default.asp .

Additional Information

  • FastWeb provides scholarship information and tips about financial aid and careers and is available on the Web at http://fastweb.monster.com/index.ptml.  
  • Mapping-Your-Future is a Web site for students and parents with information about financial strategies, career options, and college planning. Mapping-Your-Future is available on the Web at www.mapping-your-future.org.
  • Scholarships.com is a free Web-based college scholarship search engine and financial aid information resource, connecting students and parents with college funding opportunities. This resource is available on the Web at www.scholarships.com.

Updated May 2007