T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Helps Child Care Workers and Youth Work Professionals Earn Coursework Toward a Credential, Certificate, or Degree

Attention child care workers and youth work professionals! Are you interested in going back to school to earn a credential or degree that will further your career? You may qualify for the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Pennsylvania Scholarship Program which assists child care workers and youth work professionals in achieving their educational goals and securing increased compensation in their respective fields. The T.E.A.C.H. scholarship website lists the four key components of the program as follows:

• Scholarship. The scholarship covers most of the cost for tuition and books. Recipients also receive a travel stipend each semester they are enrolled in class. T.E.A.C.H. requires that the sponsoring child care program or afterschool/youth program offer paid release time for the student to attend class, study, or handle personal needs. Participants are assigned a counselor to assist them in scholarship management and career development.
• Education. In one scholarship year, each participant must successfully complete a required number of credit hours (usually 9-15) toward a degree or credential in early childhood education, school age/afterschool child care, youth work, or appropriate related field.
  
• Compensation. At the end of the scholarship year, if they complete their educational requirement, participants are eligible to receive either a bonus or a raise.
• Commitment. Participants agree to continue working in their child care program or afterschool/youth program for one year after each scholarship year.

Child care workers must meet the following requirements to be eligible for the scholarship:

• be a resident of Pennsylvania
• work about 25-30 hours a week as classroom staff or center director* at a DPW-certified child care facility in Pennsylvania for at least one year, or Pre-K Counts Head Start Program
• have a high school diploma or GED
• earn an income of less than $19.00 per hour
• possess a commitment to remain in the early childhood field
• have an interest in pursuing a Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential, PA Director's Credential, Associate’s Degree or Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education (or equivalent)
• work at a program participating in Keystone STARS level 1 and above
  
• Bachelor’s degree applicants must have already earned an Associate’s degree in ECE or have at least 55 transferable credits toward a Bachelor’s in ECE, be eligible for admission as an in-state student and have worked in child care in PA for at least one year

*Scholarships for center directors do not include release time; however, sponsoring centers must be flexible in releasing the director to attend class.

Youth work professionals must meet the following requirements to be eligible for the scholarship:

• be a resident of Pennsylvania
• be employed at least 15 hours per week in a DPW certified school age child care program or in a self-regulated afterschool/youth development program*
• be employed by sponsoring program for at least one year and maintain employment for at least 9 months out of the year
  
• be eligible for college/university admission
• earn less than $15.00 per hour for direct care staff and less than $19.00 per hour for program directors/coordinators
• possess a commitment to remain in the afterschool/youth development field
• have an interest in pursuing a credential, certificate, or degree in School Age/Afterschool child care, Youth Work, or appropriate related field
• work at a program participating in Keystone STARS level 1 and above
  

*A self-regulated program is one that is licensed, accredited, or certified by a governing agency, organization, or board. The program may also be actively participating in or pursuing a national, statewide, or locally-based quality improvement process or system.

To find out more information on the T.E.A.C.H. scholarship program or to download an application, visit http://www.pacca.org/teach or call the Pennsylvania Child Care Association at (717) 657-9000.