Early Childhood Educators Scholarship Applications Now Open

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll administration announced that the Early Childhood Educators scholarship is open for the 2024-25 academic year. This scholarship is available for educators who work at programs licensed and/or funded by the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), including center-based, family childcare and out-of-school-time programs.

For the first time, the scholarship is now available for staff who work at residential programs licensed by EEC. The application process has also been simplified, and eligible majors have been expanded to better support career pathways for out-of-school-time educators.

“Our administration is fully committed to supporting and expanding the early-education and care workforce. When programs have high-quality educators, they can offer better care to even more families,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “I know these important changes to the Early Childhood Educators scholarship will strengthen our supports for our hardworking afterschool educators and residential program staff, positively reinforcing a pipeline of high-quality early-education professionals.”

The scholarship is jointly offered through EEC and the Department of Higher Education to help early-education, out-of-school-time, and residential program staff increase their qualifications through a college degree. The scholarship is based on a per-credit rate, depending on the type of institution, and can be used towards an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree.​ More than 500 scholarships were awarded for the 2023-24 academic year, an increase over the number awarded in the previous year​. As of this year, the scholarship now covers additional majors, including human services, psychology, social work, elementary education, and special education.

“Our Early Childhood Educators scholarship supports educators and program leaders to advance their careers and ensure that our youngest learners are receiving the highest-quality education they deserve, setting them up for school and lifetime success,” Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler said. “I am grateful to our departments of Early Education and Care and Higher Education for their partnership and collaboration with early educators and community partners in making this scholarship even better, reflecting current higher-education pathways and expanding access in a simpler way.”

Educators can click here to learn more about the Early Childhood Educators scholarship and how to apply, as well as register for an upcoming information session. The sessions will be available in English, Spanish, Portuguese Brazilian, and other languages as requested.