The paid time off to study provided through T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI was amazing! I am a mother of twins, and the uninterrupted homework time was extremely helpful. Completing this program strengthened my confidence in my ability to lead an early childhood program someday.
– Lead Educator, Western Missouri

Master’s Certificate Scholarship

The Master’s Certificate Scholarship is specifically for the online Leadership and Management in Early Childhood Education Masters Certificate at the University of Central Missouri and may best suit your needs if you are:

  • A child care program Director, Owner, Assistant Director, in a Leadership position, or a long-term lead educator.
  • Seeking to build into the leadership and business of child care.
  • Have a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, elementary education or a closely related field OR have a Bachelor’s degree in a non-related field but have at least 12 credit hours in early childhood education.

*  This scholarship starts in the fall semester and runs 4 consecutive semesters which must be taken in order from start to finish. This scholarship can be taken only once.

Eligibility – All applicants must:

  • Work daily, serving children birth through age 5, in a licensed or license-exempt child care program at least 30 hours a week as an owner/director, owner/teacher, director, assistant director, or lead teacher in a classroom.
  • Have a 2.50 minimum undergraduate GPA.
  • Have a maximum individual income of $70,000 annually.
  • Be authorized to work in the U.S.
  • Have a desktop or laptop to attend classes. Classes cannot be taken on a tablet or a phone.
  • Have reliable Internet services to attend classes.
  • Are eligible to receive Missouri in-state student tuition rate.

Once awarded a Scholarship, you will:

  • Be assigned a T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI Scholarship Counselor to assist you through the process.
  • Enroll as graduate student at the University of Central Missouri.
  • Be able and willing to complete all 15 credit hours across the four semesters without stopping.
  • Complete 15 early childhood college credit hours successfully within four consecutive semesters.
  • Pay only 10% of your tuition and books, e.g., for a $500 class, your 10% portion would be only $50! Your sponsoring employer pays a 5% co-pay.
  • Commit to staying at your sponsoring child care program for 12 months commitment upon successfully completing four semesters.

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

  •  Pay 85% – 90% of the tuition and books for your 15 credit hours.
  • Pay a stipend of $100 each semester attending classes.
  • Pay you $500 completion bonus in two installments of $250 after you complete four semesters  and 12 months of commitment time to your current child care program.

View Master’s Certifictate Scholarship Model:

View Model

To Apply:

Contact Us

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.