Scholarships

There are various scholarship opportunities for early care educators, including the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship and Quality Counts Career Center Educational Scholarship, funded by The Children’s Trust. Public and institutional aid, such as FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and the Federal Pell Grant Program is also available to qualifying students.

T.E.A.C.H.

The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship, administered by the Children’s Forum, is available to teachers, directors and family child care providers to assist with tuition for Early Childhood Education degrees and certifications. The scholarship is available at 54 colleges, universities and vocational technical schools throughout Florida, and also at 34 community-based training institutions.

Applicants must work a minimum number of hours weekly in a state-regulated childcare program, and must receive sponsorship from their employer to be eligible. If you’re a teacher or family childcare provider, you must earn less than $14.60 per hour to qualify. Directors or director/owners must earn less than $15.00 per hour.

More than 10,000 T.E.A.C.H. scholarships have been awarded in the past 20 years in Florida.

Learn more by calling 1.877.FLTEACH or visit the Children’s Forum.

Quality Counts Career Center

The Quality Counts Career Center Educational Scholarship, funded by The Children’s Trust, strives to raise the educational level of early care and education practitioners in Miami-Dade. Besides scholarships, financial aid is offered through The Career Center, part of the Trust’s Quality Counts childcare quality initiative. Learn more about opportunities available by visiting the Quality Counts Career Center.