Frequently Asked Questions
T.E.A.C.H Scholarship Recipient FAQ
CDA Assessment and Renewal, CDA Training (for college credit), Associate Degree, and Bachelor’s Degree applicants may submit an application at any time. All application materials (required attachments) must be included to be considered for a scholarship. Scholarship awards are communicated within 4-6 weeks of a completed application submission.
It is not advised that you register for courses before your acceptance into the scholarship and it could be financially risky to do so. If you begin courses and then are found ineligible for a scholarship or you are placed on a waiting list, you will need to fully cover the expenses.
CDA training, Associate Degree, and Bachelor Degree contracts are for one academic year. During that time, scholarship recipients must successfully complete at least 9 credit hours toward their credential or degree. T.E.A.C.H. will cover a maximum of 6 credits each semester. Therefore, recipients could potentially take a maximum of 18 credit hours each year on their T.E.A.C.H. contract. After successful completion of a contract, some recipients are eligible for a bonus dependent on their scholarship type, and all recipients will begin their commitment period.
No. As long as you have successfully completed your contract. your sponsor is willing to continue sponsoring you (if applicable), and you have notified your counselor that you would like to renew your contract by the renewal deadline we will issue a new contract for the following year. If you change scholarship options, or do not take classes for two semesters in a row, we will ask you to re-apply for the scholarship. Scholarship program funding restrictions or reductions may impact renewal of your scholarship contract.
Yes, we still need to verify your employment setting and therefore your administrator or supervisor is required to complete the Employer Verification Form as part of your application.
No, your application will not be reviewed without all required attachments accompanying it. For the list of required attachments specific to the scholarship type you are applying for, please see the first page of our application.
Currently, we utilize your personal income in order to determine your eligibility. We require that you disclose your household income on your application to determine eligibility if our scholarship were to become competitive due to a decrease in funding.
No. The Part-Time Scholarship option is for applicants who work 20-29 hours per week in an early childhood setting. Applicants who work 30 or more hours per week should not apply for a Part-Time Scholarship option.
Sponsorship is required for many of our scholarship options. CDA Assessment applicants, Building Foundations applicants, home-based providers and program owners may sponsor themselves. Some applicants working in a setting that prohibits participation may apply for a stipend-based scholarship models with appropriate documentation.
Your sponsor must be your current employer. Sponsors must have an active license with Michigan Child Day Care Licensing. The individual signing your Employer Verification Form and contract as your sponsor must be designated as someone who can make financial decisions for the organization.
Once you are accepted for a scholarship, you must sign and return your scholarship contract (with employer signature if required) and Personal Responsibility Agreement. Each semester prior to registering for your course(s), you must contact your assigned counselor to give them your anticipated registration. Once classes begin, you must submit your Form B, schedule, tuition statement, book receipts (not applicable for stipend models), and sub-reimbursement or release time form. At the end of every semester, you must submit your grade report from the college or university to your assigned counselor. During your last semester on contract you must notify your counselor if you would like a contract renewal or if you are no longer continuing or have graduated by the requested deadline. At the completion of your contract, you must submit an Information Update Form (Form U) and a copy of your most recent paystub.
T.E.A.C.H. is not able to issue book vouchers. For scholarships that include book reimbursement, T.E.A.C.H. will reimburse the purchaser for 90% of required textbook costs once a Form B is submitted with detailed book receipts. You may purchase or rent your textbooks from any retailer. T.E.A.C.H. cannot reimburse for borrowed books, or books purchased from an individual. T.E.A.C.H. also cannot reimburse books that were purchased using a PELL Grant. If student loans are used, you must provide proof of loan disbursement with your book receipts.
Formerly called a Travel Stipend, the Student Access Stipend is awarded at the time of tuition and book claim processing each semester. The $100 stipend is applied to any balance owed, and remaining balance will be paid to the recipient. The stipend is designed to provide greater access to students to participate and enroll in courses because it reduces the amount they might be invoiced for each semester.
For most scholarship options, T.E.A.C.H. covers 80% of the cost of tuition, fees, and books. We typically pay the college 100% of up to 6 credits of tuition upfront for scholarship recipients each semester. The recipient and sponsor portions due are billed directly from our office. We will apply applicable travel stipend and book reimbursements to recipient portions due before sending out an invoice. Any remaining balance on the recipient’s account is the responsibility of the recipient.
Once we receive all required documentation, our payment processing time is typically 8-12 weeks.
In order to receive your bonus for completing a CDA Assessment scholarship, you must submit a copy of your CDA Credential to the T.E.A.C.H. office once you receive it. You can submit it by e-mail to teach@nullmiaeyc.org, or by mail.
At the time of scholarship acceptance, their program’s Quality Improvement Rating is verified through the Great Start to Quality Improvement Rating system. See www.greatstarttoquality.org for more information on this rating and improvement system. Recipients working in a program that is rated at Developing Quality or higher are eligible for a Quality Stipend. A recipient in the Associate’s Degree program will qualify for a $200 stipend; and recipients in the Bachelor’s Degree program will receive a $300 stipend. This stipend is awarded at the time of tuition and book claim processing for each semester.
T.E.A.C.H Scholarship Sponsor FAQ
By sponsoring an employee on a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship, your program will benefit by gaining staff who are knowledgeable about appropriate early childhood practices, cost-effective staff professional development, reducing staff turnover, gaining an advertising tool, and increasing your Great Start to Quality Star Rating. Children in your program will benefit by forming relationships with teachers who are committed to the field, and having teachers who are specialists in early childhood development and sensitive to young children’s needs.
To sponsor an employee, select the scholarship you wish to sponsor them on their application, submit your program information and signature on the Employer Verification Form portion of the scholarship application. You will agree to pay a portion of tuition, fees and books up to 6 credit hours each semester and award a raise or bonus upon completion of the scholarship contract. You will also agree to provide paid release time up to 3 hours per week to eligible employees.
The average cost of 10% of tuition, fees and books for a student on an Associates Degree scholarship is $120 for 6 credits each semester. But don’t write that check yet! For sponsors of employees working 30 or more hours per week, we will issue a release time reimbursement of $528 (3 hours x $11/hour x 16 weeks) to help cover the cost of providing paid release time each semester. This would bring the sponsor balance to $-408, or a check back for $408. If the sponsor is eligible for a Star Rating Stipend, an additional $150 credit would be applied, bringing that check total to $558 each semester.
The average cost of 10% of tuition, fees and books for a student on a Bachelor’s Degree scholarship is $210 for 6 credits each semester. But don’t write that check yet! For sponsors of employees working 30 or more hours per week, we will issue a release time reimbursement of $528 (3 hours x $11/hour x 16 weeks) to help cover the cost of providing paid release time each semester. This would bring the sponsor balance to $-318, or a check back for $318. If the sponsor is eligible for a Star Rating Stipend, an additional $150 credit would be applied, bringing that check total to $468 each semester.
**These cost estimates are based on AVERAGE tuition rates for Associate and Bachelor level courses. They are in not a guarantee of an expected dollar amount**
An essential component of most T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® scholarships is paid release time. Because most T.E.A.C.H. scholarship recipients work full time and often have children or families of their own, paid release time helps them balance the responsibilities of going to school with their work and family obligations. Paid release time is only for employees working 30 or more hours each week and eligibility is determined at the time of scholarship acceptance. Employees requiring release time during their regularly scheduled work hours are eligible for up to 3 hours of release time each week their classes meet and should be paid for that time at their regular rate by their employer. T.E.A.C.H. will reimburse the employer for 3 hours each week of the semester at a rate of $11.00 per hour once the hours taken have been verified by the employee and employer.
As a sponsor or potential sponsor, you may recognize the importance of paid release time, but you also may be challenged with how to balance this requirement with your need for full staffing in your programs. Below are some creative solutions that can help with the struggle of providing paid release time and increase the likelihood that your teachers are successful in school.
Offer release time during rest time so scholarship recipients can study or use the center’s computer for papers and class projects.
Schedule release time at a time when teacher:child ratios go down. Scholarship recipients can leave work early with pay and, if necessary, other qualified staff can substitute.
Allow scholarship recipients to come in late or leave early while receiving usual pay.
Pay scholarship recipients for their lunch breaks. But remember, recipients cannot work over 40 hours without overtime pay.
Hire a substitute to specifically cover T.E.A.C.H. recipients’ leave time. This usually works best for centers that sponsor several employees.
Bank leave time and give scholarship recipients a whole day off before a major test, or give them half days off so it is easier to bring in a substitute.
Use release time reimbursements to help with other T.E.A.C.H. related costs. Center reimbursements can be used to help pay for a compensation raise or bonus
Remember: Sponsors have complete flexibility for how release time is managed within their early childhood setting. But under no circumstances should providing release time be done at the detriment of maintaining appropriate teacher:child ratios. Don’t forget you can always contact your T.E.A.C.H. Counselor to discuss release time strategies. Your program may qualify for a Release Time waiver if the scholarship recipient has voluntarily waived their right to release time.
For Associate and Bachelor degree scholarships, sponsors provide the recipient with a 2% raise or a bonus amount dependent on scholarship type upon.
You will receive an invoice from the T.E.A.C.H. office for your sponsorship portion. You may pay by mailing a check or using our online payment system linked to this website. You do not need to pay the council, college, or recipient directly.
For each license or child care site, employers can sponsor an unlimited number of staff for Associate or Bachelor degree scholarship recipients.
At the time of scholarship acceptance, their program’s Quality Improvement Rating is verified through the Great Start to Quality Improvement Rating system. See www.greatstarttoquality.org for more information on this rating and improvement system. Recipients working in a program that is rated at Developing Quality or higher are eligible for a Quality Stipend. A recipient in the Associate’s Degree program will qualify for a $200 stipend; and recipients in the Bachelor’s Degree program will receive a $300 stipend. This stipend is awarded at the time of tuition and book claim processing for each semester.