The Early Learning Coalition of Southwest Florida has a very limited amount of funding for professional development scholarships in the areas of CDA class-work, National CDA certification, and Director’s Credential. Download and fill out the scholarship application and submit to Brenda.Griffin@elcofswfl.org. Please note: Everyone needs to apply first for TEACH (see below) to maximize our state dollars.
Download the Professional Development scholarship application
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship Program
The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship Program began in 1990 in North Carolina as a small pilot program providing a single comprehensive scholarship model to 21 early childhood teachers. The project offers a strategy for systematically improving the education, compensation and retention of the early childhood work force. The model is based on a partnership principle that involves the sharing of expenses by the teacher, director or family child care provider receiving the scholarship, the sponsoring child care facility and T.E.A.C.H. The Children’s Forum is licensed and authorized to administer T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Florida. The T.E.A.C.H. program works with 53 colleges, universities and vocational technical schools throughout the state as well as 34 community-based training institutions. Under management of the Forum, the Florida T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship Program serves as an umbrella for a variety of educational scholarship opportunities for people working in early care and education programs including family child care homes. Since 1998, more than 10,000 scholarships have been awarded. The turnover rate for these T.E.A.C.H. program participants is less than 6% – a testament to the success of this program.