I recommend using the T.E.A.C.H MISSOURI Scholarship if you’re pursuing your degree and don’t want a lot of debt!
– Lead Educator, Central Missouri

Pre-Certification Scholarship

Pre-Certification Scholarship for Bachelor’s level courses may best suit your needs if you:

  • Need only one or two semesters of coursework in early childhood education or general education prior to beginning your student teaching semester in the spring or fall at a Missouri based 4-year college.
  1. One Semester Pre-Certification Scholarship model consists of 6-12 credits completed in one semester.
  2. Two Semester Pre-Certification Scholarship model consists of 9-15 credits completed in two semesters.

Eligibility – All applicants must:

  • Be working toward a BA/BS in early childhood education with only one or two semesters of classes before student teaching.
  • Be at least 18 years old and have a high school or equivalency diploma.
  • Work directly with children 0 to 5 years old daily in a licensed or license-exempt child care program.
  • Work directly with children at least 30 hours a week in a child care program
  • Make under $26.00/hour
  • Work in Missouri and be authorized to work in the U.S.

*  These scholarship models can be taken only once in advance of student teaching.

Once awarded a Scholarship, you will:

  • Be assigned a T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI Scholarship Counselor to assist you through the process.
  • Verify with your college advisor that you must complete 6 – 12 credit hours in one semester or 9 – 125 credit hours in two semesters immediately prior to your student teaching semester.
  • Pay only 10% of your tuition and books, e.g., for a $300 class, your 10% portion would be only $30! Your sponsoring employer pays a 15% co-pay.
  • Commit to staying at your sponsoring child care program for 6 consecutive months of continued employment at sponsoring child care program.

T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI will:

  • Pay 75% of the tuition and books for both models.
  • Pay a stipend of $55 each semester attending classes.
  • Pay you $150 (One Semester Pre-Certification model) or $200 (Two Semester Pre-Certification model) after you successfully complete coursework and the 6-month commitment time.

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Missouri is a licensed program of Child Care Services Association.
The project described was supported by the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative (PDG B-5), Grant Number 90TP0048-01-00, from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Child Care, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.