I am truly grateful for the experience I have had through this scholarship. It gave me the push I needed to accomplish my goals and get my degree.
– Lead Educator, Southeastern Missouri
Associate Degree Scholarship
Associate Degree Scholarship may best suit your needs if you are:
- Working towards an AA, AAS, or AAT in early childhood education at a Missouri-based 2-year college.
- Still needing your general education courses before working towards your early childhood education Bachelor’s degree at a Missouri-based 4-year college.
* This scholarship model covers both general education and early childhood courses and can be renewed multiple times to earn an Associate degree based on funding availability through T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI.
Eligibility – All applicants must:
- Have the desire to earn college credit towards an Associate degree (AA/AAS/AAT) in early childhood education.
- Be at least 18 years old and have a high school or equivalency diploma.
- Work directly with children birth 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.
Once awarded a Scholarship, you will:
- Be assigned a T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI Scholarship Counselor to assist you through the process.
- Enroll in the Missouri community college of your choice to earn 9 to 15 early childhood and general education college credit hours successfully within 3 consecutive semesters successfully passing all classes.
- 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 only 10% too.
- Commit to staying at your sponsoring child care program for 12 consecutive months of continued employment at sponsoring child care program.
T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI will:
- Pay 80% – 90% of the tuition and books for your 9-15 college credit hours.
- Pay you an Accessibility Stipend of $150 each semester you attend classes.
- Pay you $450 (in two installments of $225) after you complete three semesters and 6 months of commitment time to your current child care program.
View Associate Scholarship Model:
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.
