Things to Consider
- Assistance to early educators earning college degrees must occur simultaneously with a push for better compensation for the ECE workforce.
- Scholarship programs should provide more than tuition support. The cost of books, fees, transportation, and child care for parents can prevent higher education from being financially feasible for early educators.
- States and districts should avoid relying on federal loans for financing degrees since early educators typically earn low wages, making repayment very difficult.
- Scholarship programs should strive to provide mentoring support for educators who participate because of the difficulties inherent in taking college courses while simultaneously working a full-time job. The T.E.A.C.H. scholarship is a model for the way in which it provides counselors who support educators throughout their degree program.
- Scholarship programs should account for the particular needs of the workforce in each ECE setting, including homes, centers, and schools, and be made available to educators in all settings.
- Particular attention should be paid to making scholarship programs accessible to a linguistically diverse group of educators. Oregon is a model for the way in which it works to provide participants with access to culturally responsive evening and weekend classes taught in their home language and pairs participants with mentors trained in providing bilingual guidance.