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Putting Degrees Within Reach

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National, State, and Local Strategies

T.E.A.C.H. Scholarships

T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) Early Childhood scholarships provide comprehensive support and debt-free college education to early educators seeking a Child Development Associate credential (CDA), associate, bachelor’s, and, in some states, master’s degree.1 The scholarships have been funded through a variety of sources, including Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funds, Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grants, and local and state dollars.2 The program began in North Carolina in 1990 after a workforce survey found that less than 10 percent of child care workers possessed a college degree.3 In FY 2018, T.E.A.C.H. programs operated in 22 states and the District of Columbia, and they have awarded scholarships to over 150,000 educators since inception.4 To be eligible for the scholarship, educators must hold a high school diploma or GED, work for a licensed early education provider, and earn below an hourly wage threshold while working a minimum number of hours per week, both of which vary by state.5 Employers agree to provide educators with paid release time and are partially reimbursed at an hourly rate with T.E.A.C.H. funding.

The scholarship covers the majority of the cost of tuition, books, and travel, and coordinates with other financial aid that may be available at the participating college or university.6 T.E.A.C.H. recipients also have a counselor for support throughout the degree program who assists with tasks such as completing scholarship applications, enrolling in college courses, and managing scholarship responsibilities. Counselors can also provide guidance on how to successfully balance work, family, and school while completing the program.7 Participants commit to staying with their current employer for a period of time that varies state to state, while employers commit to a bonus or raise after each scholarship contract.8 Annual turnover rates for T.E.A.C.H recipients working on degrees average about 5 percent, while wage gains average roughly 8 percent annually.9 Total funding available for scholarships and reimbursement varies by state, as does the number of credits covered per student each semester.

Wage Supplement Programs

Wage supplement programs are designed to increase the compensation of early educators and reduce workforce attrition once educators earn college credit or complete degree programs.

The Child Care WAGE$ Project operates alongside the T.E.A.C.H. scholarship in five states and provides wage increases to early educators as their education levels increase.10 Both the scholarships and the wage supplements have the potential to reduce staff turnover and give early educators an opportunity to advance in the field while increasing their earnings.11 In FY 2015, WAGE$ participants earned an average wage supplement of $952 after six months of coursework.12 In FY 2017, $10.4 million in funding was used to fund 5,189 WAGE$ participants.13

Similar to the Child Care WAGE$ Project, the Jeannette Watson Wage Supplement Project in Austin, Texas, directly addresses the low and stagnant wages received by early educators. Early educators who are employed by a licensed child care program, earn below a certain income cap, and are working towards higher education are eligible for varying levels of wage supplements based on the kind of degree they receive. For example, educators can earn a one-time supplement of $500 after completing 12 credit hours and $3,500 for completing a bachelor’s degree that includes nine credit hours focused on birth to age five issues. Wage supplements are awarded on a priority basis: professionals who work in a non-profit, high-quality center (according to the Texas Rising Star QRIS system) serving mostly low-income children are the first in line, followed by for-profit high-quality centers, eventually moving to for-profit centers serving low-income families.14 Funding decreased in 2018, which resulted in only the first tier of early educators receiving the supplement. The program has served a total of 887 teachers since 2011.15

It should be noted, however, that wage supplements alone cannot ensure economic security for early educators. The wage increases resulting from these programs are generally too small to lift early educators’ total salaries into the middle class. Wage supplement programs are currently used by fewer than one-third of states and reach less than 2 percent of the early educator workforce. Finally, unlike a permanent increase to base salary, a wage supplement program is vulnerable to budget cuts, especially during an economic downturn.16

Austin’s Teacher Training, Retention, and Compensation (TRAC) Program

In Travis County, Texas, community stakeholders, the local community college, and local governmental agencies came together in 2008 to form the Quality Child Care Collaborative, or QC3. The partnership is part of the county’s School Readiness Action Plan (SRAP) and guides the implementation of programs related to early care and education. Funders of this work include the City of Austin, Travis County Health and Human Services, Capital Area Workforce Solutions, and the United Way of Greater Austin.17

Two elements of the School Readiness Action Plan are focused on increasing the credentials and compensation levels of early educators. The first element is Teacher TRAC, which provides a scholarship covering tuition and the cost of books for one class per semester to early educators obtaining their CDA credential, certificate, or associate degree. Early educators can earn small monetary rewards for successful completion of courses. For example, early educators earn a $50 incentive after successful completion of one course and $100 after successful completion of 12 credit hours.18 Data on student performance is reported quarterly to funders. Student eligibility is based on funder criteria such as income level and type and location of child care setting.

A second element of the readiness plan is the Jeannette Watson Wage Supplement Program (see "Wage Supplement Programs" box).

Arizona’s First Things First Scholarship Program

In 2006, Arizona voters passed a ballot initiative to fund early childhood development and health programs for children from birth to age five through an 80-cent per pack tax increase on tobacco products.19 The initiative also created the First Things First board and regional partnership councils to oversee the use of those funds and help communities and families support the health and education of the state’s young children.20 Among the early childhood strategies funded by First Things First are college scholarships that cover tuition, course fees, and textbook costs for early educators seeking a CDA credential, associate, or bachelor’s degree in early childhood or a related field.

First Things First prioritizes scholarships for early education teachers, directors, and assistant teachers without a college degree who earn less than $20/hour working directly with young children in classrooms or home-based settings. Early educators also earn financial bonuses after achieving particular educational milestones through the scholarship program.21

Participants agree to work in the field for a certain period of time, either at their regional placement (if the scholarship was funded by a regional partnership council), or anywhere in Arizona (if the scholarship was state-funded).22 Eligible participants must meet the college’s minimum age for acceptance, earn $20 per hour or less, be a lawful Arizona resident, and be enrolled in the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry.23

After an applicant fills out the FAFSA, the scholarship covers 100 percent of the remaining tuition, books, and course fees for up to 24 credits per year. First Things First invests about $3.3 million per year into the scholarship program; of that, $600,000 is spent on administration of the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry, an additional $600,000 is set aside for scholarship administration costs, and the approximately $2 million remaining goes directly to scholarships for early educators working to earn a CDA credential or an associate degree. Educators seeking a bachelor’s degree can qualify for a scholarship through their regional partnership council with the same requirements.

In addition to First Things First funding, additional funding for college scholarships was also invested through the Preschool Development Grant. Approximately $2.4 million was provided to support scholarships for bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

In state fiscal year 2018, these scholarships helped 1,323 educators pursue their associate degree, 587 pursue their bachelor’s degree, and 250 work towards their master’s. Additionally, 271 educators received a scholarship to pay for the fees associated with earning a CDA credential. Though there is no formal mentorship program, scholarship recipients are encouraged to give back to the early childhood community by mentoring a new participant in the program.24

These scholarships helped 1,323 educators pursue their associate degree, 587 pursue their bachelor’s degree, and 250 work towards their master’s.

Oregon’s Consortium Model

In 2014, Oregon’s Department of Education formed the Early Learning Professional Development Consortium to create a pathway to higher education for early educators.25 The consortium consists of a partnership between community colleges and universities that enables early educators to earn stackable and portable credentials and degrees.26 Currently funded in part by a grant from the Ford Family Foundation, the consortium offers scholarships that were previously supported through Race to the Top funds, local foundations, and a $400,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Education’s Network of Quality Teaching and Learning.27 Participants are organized into cohorts and have access to scholarships that cover tuition, books, and other fees. Though the scholarship covers credits for both associate and bachelor’s degrees, the funding largely goes towards associate degrees, as participants are enrolled in community colleges.28

The program was constructed to serve non-traditional, dual-language educators seeking higher education, with a focus on increasing the number of culturally and linguistically diverse educators in the state. Participants have access to culturally responsive evening and weekend classes taught in their home language, and are paired with a mentor, or navigator, trained in providing bilingual guidance. Some of the classes are offered on reservations to encourage the participation of Native American educators.29

In fall 2015, the consortium supported nearly 1,000 educators in 10 counties, with 41 educators earning degrees that year and 500 more earning enough credits to advance steps on the Oregon Registry.30 The program owes much of its success to its innovative use of relationship-based professional development through the navigator and cohort models. For example, navigators help educators find “last resort” funds to cover hidden costs and guide them through college systems, and cohort members collaborate on ways to balance work, family, and studies.

Pennsylvania Rising STARS Tuition Assistance Program

Pennsylvania’s Rising STARS Tuition Assistance Program pays 95 percent of tuition costs for eligible college courses taken by early educators located in the state, with a maximum scholarship of $6,000 per student each fiscal year. The program covers tuition only and does not cover the cost of books, fees, or transportation. Currently, the scholarship does not provide counseling or mentoring support to assist educators in earning a degree.

The scholarship money can be used to cover the cost of obtaining a CDA credential, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or coursework to enable participants to move up the Pennsylvania career lattice. The program is overseen by The Pennsylvania Key on behalf of the Office of Child Development & Early Learning and is funded through a combination of state funds and federal CCDBG funding.31

Early educators are eligible to participate in the program if they are a Pennsylvania resident, have worked at a QRIS-rated early learning program for at least 12 straight months, work at least 20 hours per week in a classroom setting, and earn less than $40,000/year as a teacher, assistant teacher, or aide, or less than $50,000/year as a center director, family child care owner, or site supervisor. Participants commit to continue to work in a QRIS-rated program in the state for two months for each credit they receive while enrolled in the scholarship program, with a maximum time commitment of 24 months after the conclusion of their coursework. Students must also maintain a 3.0 GPA and pursue an approved degree.32

Pennsylvania is using both T.E.A.C.H. scholarships and the Rising STARS Tuition Assistance Program to help early educators earn college degrees.

Pennsylvania is also a state that provides T.E.A.C.H. scholarships. Currently, the state is using both T.E.A.C.H. scholarships and the Rising STARS Tuition Assistance Program to help early educators earn college degrees. Between 800 to 1,000 students a year take advantage of Rising STARS and about 800 use T.E.A.C.H. scholarships each year.33 For 2019, $1.38 million has been set aside to fund Rising STARS compared to $4.14 million for T.E.A.C.H. scholarships. Due to limited funding, a combined 200 to 400 applicants to the programs are denied each year.

Citations
  1. The T.E.A.C.H. scholarship program should not be confused with the federally funded Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program. For more information about difficulties associated with the TEACH grant program, see Dept. of Education Fail: Teachers Lose Grants, Forced to Repay Thousands in Loans,” NPR Morning Edition, March 28, 2018, source.
  2. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center (website), “Funders and Partners,” source.
  3. Michael Alison Chandler, “D.C. among first in nation to require child-care workers to get college degrees,” Washington Post, March 31, 2017, source.
  4. Sue Russell, (Executive Director, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center), email correspondence with authors, December 17, 2018.
  5. LaRue Allen and Emily P. Backes, eds., Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education (Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2018), source.
  6. Ibid.
  7. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center, “Annual National Program Report 2016–2017,” November 2017, source.
  8. LaRue Allen and Emily P. Backes, eds.,Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education (Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2018), source.
  9. Sue Russell (executive director, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center), email correspondence with authors, December 17, 2018.
  10. Ibid.
  11. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center, “Annual National Program Report 2016–2017,” November 2017, source.
  12. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center, “Child Care WAGE$ Overview,” 2015, source.
  13. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center, “Annual National Program Report 2016–2017,” November 2017, source.
  14. Cathy McHorse, (ECE director, Success by 6, United Way for Greater Austin), phone call with authors, August 3, 2018.
  15. Ibid.
  16. LaRue Allen and Emily P. Backes, eds.,Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education (Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2018), source.
  17. Cathy McHorse, (ECE director, Success by 6, United Way for Greater Austin), phone call with authors, August 3, 2018.
  18. Ibid.
  19. Ballotpedia (website), “Arizona First Things First for Children, Proposition 203 (2006),” source.
  20. First Things First, “Our Mission,” source.
  21. Ginger Sandweg and Becky Putzier-Johnson (First Things First), phone call with authors, August 13, 2018.
  22. Arizona Early Childhood (website), "First Things First College Scholarships," revised November 2015, source.
  23. Ibid.
  24. Ginger Sandweg and Becky Putzier-Johnson (First Things First), phone call with authors, August 13, 2018.
  25. Margie McNabb, “Early Learning Professional Development Consortium,” March 14, 2017, source.
  26. Margie McNabb, “Early Learning Division Early Learning at Work Newsletter April 2015,” April 10, 2015, source.
  27. Margie McNabb (professional development specialist, Oregon Department of Education), phone call with authors, August 3, 2018.
  28. Margie McNabb (professional development specialist, Oregon Department of Education), email correspondence with authors, September 21, 2018.
  29. Margie McNabb (professional development specialist, Oregon Department of Education), phone call with authors, August 3, 2018.
  30. Ibid.
  31. Marnie Aylesworth-Hogan (executive director, The Pennsylvania Key), phone call with authors, August 6, 2018.
  32. The Pennsylvania Key, “Rising STARS Tuition Assistance,” source.
  33. Marnie Aylesworth-Hogan (executive director, The Pennsylvania Key), email correspondence with authors, December 18, 2018.

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