Early Childhood Development Scholarship
The Early Childhood Development Scholarship provides a seamless system to upgrade the professional development of child-care workers and trainers. The state legislature and the Governor created the Early Childhood Development Scholarship as part of the KIDS NOW early childhood initiative. The scholarship provides financial assistance, to the extent of available funds, in the form of nonrepayable tuition scholarships for Kentucky students who are pursuing one of the following:
- Child Development Associate Credential
- Associate degree in early childhood education
- Bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary early childhood education or a related program that is approved by the Early Childhood Development Authority
- Kentucky Early Childhood Development Director's Certificate
An applicant must:
- Be a Kentucky resident and U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident.
- Be enrolled in no more than nine (9) credit hours per academic term in the scholarship program curriculum at a participating Kentucky institution, pursuing one of the approved credentials, and maintaining satisfactory academic progress.
- Be employed at least 20 hours weekly in a participating early childhood facility or provide training in early childhood development at least 12 times per year for an organization approved to offer training by the Office of Inspector General of the Cabinet for Health Services or be employed as a preschool associate teacher in a state-funded preschool program.
- Not be eligible to receive state or federal training funds through Head Start, a public preschool program, or First Steps.
- Have no unpaid financial obligation to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority or in default on any other Title IV program.
- Agree to a service commitment based on the credential pursued.
- Submit the scholarship application, for each term, by the deadline to the professional development counselor.
- Complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can obtain up to three paper copies of the FAFSA by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center toll free at 800.433.3243 or you can apply online.
The scholarship amount is the tuition actually charged by the institution, not to exceed $1,800 per award year. Funds are either credited to the student's account or, if the student has paid the tuition, disbursed to the student at the beginning of each school term by the institution.
To complete the Early Childhood Development Scholarship application, you must register for a Zip Access account. After you register, sign in to Zip Access and select account access. Then select apply online.
