TEACH is a national strategy that links high-level training and professional learning opportunities, increased compensation, and a commitment to remain in the early learning profession – Teacher Education And Compensation Helps.
TEACH offers a variety of scholarships to fit your professional development goals. These include:
- Florida Staff Credential (initial or renewal)
- Director Credential (initial or renewal)
- National CDA Assessment
- College Credit Certificates
- Associate, Bachelor’s, or Master’s degrees in early childhood education
Early learning educators and directors, family child care educators and owners, out-of-school-time educators, and child care facility owners, may be eligible for TEACH if they:
- Are Florida residents
- Have a high school diploma (regionally accredited) or GED
- Are employed by a licensed, license-exempt, or registered program, including child care facilities, family child care homes, and out-of-school-time programs
- Work or volunteer a minimum of 20 hours a week with young children, birth through Pre-K (or 520 hours per year for out-of-school-time)
- Have support and sponsorship from their employer
The scholarship provides:
- The majority of the cost of tuition and books
- A per semester student access stipend ($250 -$300)*
- A tiered bonus structure for degree-seeking scholars. These bonuses range from $800 to $1,200 for center-based scholars and $1,050 to $1,500 for family child care educators*
- A reimbursement to the employer for the paid release time provided to scholars. This reimbursement is at a rate equaling Florida’s minimum wage plus $2.00 per hour (up to 48 hours per semester for scholars working 30+ hours in the classroom)*
- Administrative support with access to a dedicated scholarship counselor
*For eligible scholarship models
Yes! The ECE Training Directory is a user-friendly database allows early learning educators to search training institutions, colleges, and universities working with the TEACH Florida program.
You can use the various search fields to find schools by their name, courses they offer, class formats available (online, face-to-face, or languages taught), distance from your location, and other options that meet your individual needs.
Once an application has been completed and submitted by the applicant and sponsoring center, it will be hidden from view as it is being processed. You will be informed by email of your application’s status and/or approval within 7-10 business days. This message will come from RegistryPortal@thechildrensforum.com.
Once you have logged in, click on the left menu’s first option Profile, then click on Education. You can then add your PDF document to the corresponding education box. Educational documents that you can upload include recent DCF transcript, High School diploma, Foreign Education Evaluations, National CDA, College Degrees, and College Transcripts.
The last question in the Employer Section of the TEACH application asks if the director has finished approving the application. Directors MUST click the button to change the default selection from NO to YES before the application is marked in the system as complete.
TEACH scholarships for initial early learning credentials (FL Staff and Director), college credits or certificates, and degree seeking options require sponsorship from your employer. If you are working towards a credential renewal or National CDA renewal, which do not require you to take a class, you could apply for TEACH without your employer signing off as a sponsor.
Do you have other questions about TEACH Florida Scholarship or need more information? Submit your question using the fields below and one of our TEACH Team Members will contact you. If you have an urgent concern, please contact us at 877-FL-TEACH (358-3224). Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
*Note: Please only click “submit” once