Financial Aid Resources for the Deaf
Financial Aid Resources for Minorities
General Financial Aid Resources
T.E.A.C.H. Scholarships
Financial Aid Resources for the Deaf
AG Bell College Scholarship Program
Limited to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, this scholarship program offers awards ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.
Graduate Fellowship Fund
This fund gives financial assistance to deaf graduates of Gallaudet University and other accredited colleges and universities who are in pursuit of graduate study at colleges and universities for people who hear normally.
The Minnie Pearl and Linda Cowden Memorial Scholarships
The Minnie Pearl Scholarship is a four-year, undergraduate scholarship open to deaf and hard of hearing students who have been accepted to an accredited four-year college or university in the United States. The Minnie Pearl Scholarship will pay up to $1,000 per year, for four years, for a maximum of $4,000 per person. Scholarship recipients will receive $1,000 per year for four years, payable directly to the school, if a 3.0 cumulative grade point average is maintained. Bridges anticipates offering one scholarship per year. The Linda Cowden Memorial Scholarship was established in memory of Linda who died in July 2004 following a courageous battle with cancer.
Sertoma Scholarship for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Sertoma’s Scholarship for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing, is the leading funder of the scholarships for deaf and hard of hearing students since the program’s inception in 1994. Students with clinically significant bilateral hearing loss, graduating from high school, or undergraduate students pursuing four-year college degrees in any discipline are eligible for the scholarship.
Financial Aid Resources for Minorities
Scholarship Gateways from Black Excel
This website gives a list of scholarships that are available to minority students. The list includes links to websites with more information.
Minority Scholar Resources
The American Political Science Association offers a list of resources on its website to assist minority students in the search for financial aid. The list includes public and private funding resources as well as opportunities for scholarships, fellowships, internships, grants, awards, etc.
Thurgood Marshall College Fund
This national organization provides scholarships for African American students attending its 47 member public Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Students visiting the organization’s website can register to find out about programs available to them.
General Financial Aid Resources
College Board Scholarship Search
This resource from the College Board allows students to complete a brief questionnaire and search for financial aid based on interests, education, and personality. With a database of more than 2,300 sources of college funding, this College Board search engine is a rich resource for financial aid candidates.
College Scholarships, Colleges, and Online Degrees
The website provides a variety of links to assist students in finding financial aid, scholarships, and grants, as well as test preparations for entrance exams to undergraduate, graduate, and career programs. The site also conveniently sorts universities by state and provides a free newsletter reporting scholarships and admissions.
Entry Point
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has partnered with private and government groups to offer qualified undergraduate and graduate students paid summer internships in the fields of science, mathematics, and some business. The program is specifically targeted at students with disabilities.
FinAid
FinAid is an online resource that allows students to create a profile and find scholarships appropriate to them using the free scholarship search. This website also offers information regarding the whole process of financing college, including tips on loans, savings and financial aid applications.
Financial Aid Resource Publication for the U.S. Department of Education
This website offers access to a financial aid resource from the U.S. Department of Education that gives students details about grants, loans, and work-study programs. The booklet can be downloaded from the website or ordered from the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243.
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)
This website offers downloadable publications for students and their parents concerning financial aid. It also contains links to other financial aid-related websites.
Office of Postsecondary Education
The Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education site offers information and links relating to federal student assistance programs.
Sallie Mae's Scholarship Search
Site visitors can create a personal profile which Sallie Mae then uses to conduct a search of applicable scholarships and grants for the individual. The search is free and the website offers additional how-to tips for those seeking scholarships. On the website’s “grants” page, Sallie Mae provides instructions and assistance for individuals filling out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
UCLA Scholarship Resource Center
The Scholarship Resource Center (SRC) at UCLA provides scholarship information, resources and support services to students free of charge. While the center primarily assists UCLA undergraduate students, it also offers resources for graduate students.
Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarships
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Project NORTH CAROLINA
In 1990, Child Care Services Association created the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Project to address the issues of under-education, poor compensation and high turnover within the early childhood workforce. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Project gives scholarships to child care workers to complete course work in early childhood education and to increase their compensation. Child care programs in North Carolina with staff members participating in the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Project may also be eligible to participate in the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Health Insurance Program.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® ALABAMA
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® ALABAMA is a scholarship program that was developed to increase the level of education and effectiveness of early learning professionals by making the educational process more affordable, increasing wages, and reducing staff turnover rates. Scholarships are currently offered for the CDA (Child Development Associate) Credential Assessment Fee, Associate Degrees in Child Development or Early Care and Education, and Bachelor Degrees in Child Development and Early Care and Education.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® ARIZONA
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® is a comprehensive scholarship program that links training, compensation, and commitment to improving the quality of early childhood care and education experiences for young children and their families. There are four components to the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Program: educational scholarships; formal education; compensation; and commitment.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® COLORADO
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® provides college scholarships to early childhood education professionals to help them earn early childhood credentials and degrees. This program works to increase the education levels of Colorado’s child care professionals, reduce turnover in the child care field and increase child care wages. Research indicates that both higher education and specialized training in early childhood education are critical indicators of quality in a child’s early learning experience.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® DELAWARE
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Delaware began in 2006 and in 2009 Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children (DAEYC) became the licensed administrative home for T.E.A.C.H. T.E.A.C.H. provides scholarships for: associate degrees; early childhood education director's certificates; CDAs (Child Development Associate credential); and bachelor's degrees.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® FLORIDA
The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship Program provides scholarships for early care educators and center directors to work towards earning an associate's degree or credentials in early childhood education. It is funded by the Agency for Workforce Innovation Office of Early Learning and involves a three-way partnership for the sharing of expenses by the caregiver receiving the scholarship, the sponsoring child care center or family child care home and T.E.A.C.H. The majority of tuition and books costs are paid for and most T.E.A.C.H. participants receive a per-semester stipend for travel or for internet access as well as a bonus for caregivers and directors who complete their scholarship contract. In most scholarship models, reimbursement is provided to the early childhood program or family child care home for release time given participants. Through T.E.A.C.H., the education, compensation and retention of the early childhood work force is improving.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® INDIANA
Since 1999, the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® INDIANA Project has served as an umbrella for a variety of educational scholarship opportunities for people working in licensed, registered, or exempt child care centers and homes in Indiana. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® links training, compensation, and commitment in order to improve the quality of care and educational experiences for young children and their families. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® INDIANA is a licensed program of Child Care Services Association and is a project of Indiana AEYC that is funded by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Division of Family Resources, Bureau of Child Care.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® IOWA
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® IOWA is a comprehensive scholarship program that provides the early childhood workforce access to educational opportunities and is helping establish a well-qualified, fairly compensated and stable workforce for our children. All preschool teachers, child care center directors, teachers, aides, and child development home providers working in regulated programs in Iowa for a minimum number of hours each week are eligible for this scholarship. T.E.A.C.H. supports CDA assessments, CDA renewals, associate degrees in early childhood, bachelor's degrees in early childhood, and early childhood endorsements to teaching licenses.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® KANSAS
The T.E.A.C.H. Project of Kansas is an educational scholarship opportunity for early care staff who work in center-based and family child care programs. T.E.A.C.H. links education, compensation, and commitment to improve the quality of early childhood care and education programs for children. Child Care Aware® of Kansas is the agency in Kansas that is licensed through Child Care Services of Association in Chapel Hill, North Carolina to administer the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® scholarships.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MICHIGAN
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MICHIGAN links education, compensation and commitment to improving the quality of early education. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MICHIGAN is a statewide scholarship program designed to help child care center teaching staff, preschool teachers, family child care providers, group home owners, center directors, and administrators meet their professional development goals, while continuing their current employment in regulated early childhood and school age care settings. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MICHIGAN addresses two major challenges in the early education and care field – low wages and high turnover. The scholarship helps increase the compensation and the retention of skilled teachers. The education level of child care providers is one of the most critical indicators of the quality of a child’s experiences in child care.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MINNESOTA
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MINNESOTA is a scholarship program intended to help early childhood and school-age care professionals increase their levels of education, compensation and commitment to the field.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MISSOURI
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood MISSOURI is an educational scholarship opportunity for early childhood providers in licensed child care center-based, group-based and family child care programs. The scholarship is part of a nationwide effort to increase quality in child care and early learning programs by increasing the educational qualifications of the teachers in the field. Missouri is one of 20 states offering this very successful program.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEBRASKA provides scholarships to help early care and education professionals complete coursework at a local college and work toward a degree in Early Childhood Education. Scholarships are available for both associates and bachelor's degrees. All T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® scholarships link continuing education with increased compensation and require that recipients and their sponsoring child care programs share in the cost. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® began in Nebraska in 2002 under the Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children (NeAEYC) umbrella and is a state-wide project.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood ® NEVADA
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Nevada is a part of Nevada's early childhood educational development system and is designed to address the lack of early childhood specialization, inadequate compensation, high turn-over rate, and the lack of recognition for early care providers in Nevada. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood ® Nevada provides scholarships for home care providers, center teachers and aides, center directors, and early childhood facility owners working in a licensed facility at least 30* hours a week.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NEW MEXICO
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® scholarships in New Mexico offer financial support for tuition and books, release time from work, and bonuses or raises for early childhood teachers who want to work on an associate, bachelor or graduate degrees in early childhood education.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® OHIO
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® OHIO is a compensation and retention program for child care professionals. Professionals and programs participate in T.E.A.C.H. OHIO by committing to one another. Assistance is available for the cost of tuition, books, and related education expenses. The program commits to provide higher pay each year to their employees that earn credentials or college credit toward early childhood education degrees. Employees commit to their programs while in school and for a period of time after the completion of their studies. Scholarships are available for early childhood professionals who want to earn a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in early childhood education or child development.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® PENNSYLVANIA
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® PENNSYLVANIA Scholarship Program works with providers, colleges and child care staff to offer scholarship programs and support systems that improve the education and compensation of child care workers. T.E.A.C.H. obtains its funding through grants from businesses, foundations and the government. By helping to increase professionalism, raise wages and reduce turnover of child care staff, this public-private partnership brings higher quality care to Pennsylvania’s children. T.E.A.C.H. is administered by the Pennsylvania Child Care Association.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® RHODE ISLAND
As Rhode Island seeks to increase the credentials of early-care providers, it’s crucial that educators have an affordable pathway to higher education. In 2010, Ready to Learn Providence became the Rhode Island home of T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood. T.E.A.C.H. Rhode Island awards scholarships to home- and center-based educators pursuing degrees in early childhood education (ECE) or child development at the Community College of Rhode Island. It then connects this increased education with increased compensation, which leads to better teacher retention.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® SOUTH CAROLINA
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® SOUTH CAROLINA provides scholarships for teachers, directors, owners, and family or group providers working in childcare to complete coursework in early childhood education.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® TEXAS
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® TEXAS provides scholarships for those working in licensed child care centers and registered or licensed family child care homes in Texas.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® WEST VIRGINIA
The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® WEST VIRGINIA (T.E.A.C.H. WV) Scholarship Project was developed to upgrade the level of education of teachers working with young children while making the educational process affordable, increasing wages and reducing turnover.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® DC
The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® D.C. program was developed to upgrade the level of education of teachers working with young children, while making the educational process affordable, increasing the wages of early childhood teachers, and reducing turnover in the field.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® WISCONSIN
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Wisconsin is a statewide scholarship program designed to help child care center teaching staff, Head Start teachers, family child care providers, center directors and administrators meet their professional development goals while continuing their current employment in regulated early childhood and school age care settings. T.E.A.C.H. links education, compensation, and commitment to improving the quality of early education.
