Early Childhood Educators Scholarship jointly administered by: Massachusetts Department of Early Edu

1
Early Childhood Educators Scholarshipjointly
administered byMassachusetts Department of
Early Education and CareMassachusetts Board of
Higher EducationOffice of Student Financial
Assistance
EEC Board March 11, 2008
2
ECE Scholarship Program Purpose and Goals

• Improve child outcomes/program quality by
  increasing the number of degreed teachers working
  in early education and out-of-school time
  programs.
• Assist currently employed early education and
  care and out of school time staff to earn a
  higher education degree in order to meet EEC
  quality standards (i.e., preschool program
  standards, UPK, NAEYC accreditation).
• Decrease staff turnover.

3
ECE Scholarship Program Overview/Legislative
Requirements

• First funded in FY 2006 at 1M funded at 4m in
  FY2008.
• Appropriated as an earmark within Board of Higher
  Education (BHE) larger Financial Aid account
  (line-item 7070-0065).
• BHE and EEC required to jointly establish
  guidelines and application criteria.
• Funds intended to cover tuition, fees and related
  expenses for up to 3 courses per semester in
  degree granting programs.
• Eligible recipients must be working in early
  education and care program and must commit to a
  term of service after graduation.

4
ECE Scholarship Program Current Eligibility
Guidelines and Criteria

• Massachusetts residency
• United States citizen or eligible non-citizen
• Not in default on other student loan or grant
• Matriculated undergraduate student in early
  childhood education, or related field
• No previous bachelors degree
• Employed in a center-based program or licensed
  family child care home in MA for at least one
  year
• Continue employment while enrolled in the
  required degree program
• Agree to continue working in the field in MA for
  6 mos./semester of scholarship aid after
  completing their degree, or repay the funds

BHE and EEC discretion
5
ECE Scholarship Program Approval Process

• Applications are received and processed by OSFA.
• If an applicant meets OSFAs criteria, EEC
  verifies
• Current employment
• At least 1 year in field prior to application
  and
• Supervisor recommendation.
• EEC returns approvals and denials to OSFA.
• OSFA notifies the applicant of their fall and
  spring award only and verifies student is
  matriculated and registered. (Award amount is
  adjusted based on actual registration)
• OSFA submits payment to the college.
• If funding freed-up, after the spring
  add/drop period, students notified of
  additional summer awards.

6
ECE Scholarship Program Award History

• FY 2006
• 1M 1139 applicants 327 recipients
• FY 2007
• 3M 1108 applicants 672 recipients
• (341 new)
• FY 2008
• 4M 1300 applicants 930 recipients
• (429 new)
• 1,891 first time applicants and 1,043 first time
  recipients over 3 years

Projected
Data provided by the Office of Student Financial
Assistance
7
ECE Scholarship Program Number of Recipients
by Institution Type

• Institution FY 2006 FY 2007 FY
  2008
• Community College 99 222 268
• State College 40 113 159
• University Mass 29 66 107
• Independent Colleges 159 271
  39
• 2,016 courses funded in FY 2006 and 3,505 in
  FY 2007
• 18 graduation rate in FY 2006 24 in FY 2007

Projected
Data provided by the Office of Student Financial
Assistance
8
ECE Scholarship Program Scholarship Rates

• Institution Per Credit Maximum
• Community College 150 1,350 per semester
• State College 300 2,700 per semester
• University Mass 400 3,600 per semester
• Independent Colleges 400 3,600 per semester

• Maximum of 9 credits (3 courses) per semester.

9
ECE Scholarship Program Recipient Income Ranges

• Income Range FY 2006
  FY 2007
• 0 - 9,999 24
  28
• 10,000 - 19,999 48 93
• 20,000 - 39,999 119 234
• 40,000 - 59,999 59 108
• 60,000 - 79,999 35 112
• 80,000 - 99,999 15 46
  
• 100,000 - above 27 35
• Pell Grant eligibility 51 42

Data provided by the Office of Student Financial
Assistance
10
ECE Scholarship Program FY 2009 Process
Improvements Under Discussion

• In Coordination with Department of Higher
  Education
• Increase employer engagement through program-wide
  recommendations/submissions.
• Maximize other financial aid sources to eligible
  applicants.
• Provide colleges with more timely information
  about scholarship recipients to facilitate
  academic advising.
• Improve integration and alignment across EEC
  professional development initiatives.

11
ECE Scholarship Program FY 2009 Policy Changes
Under Discussion

• Target scholarship assistance based on
• Applicants financial need
• Percentage of low-income/at-risk children at
  applicants workplace.
• Require minimum number of work hours.
• Define related field and specialized
  coursework.
• Expand eligibility to students with a BA in an
  unrelated field seeking specialized coursework
  in early child education or out-of-school time
  programming.
• Increase academic accountability for on-going
  eligibility
• Minimum GPA
• Consequences for course withdrawal/failure.

12
ECE Scholarship Program Proposed Timeline