• You must be a  teacher, assistant teacher, floater, director, or assistant director employed and paid by one of the following:
  
• A child care learning center licensed by DECAL or the Department of Defense
• An exempt Georgia Head Start center
• A Georgia Pre-K teacher assistant teacher in a public school
• A DECAL licensed family child care learning homel
• A DECAL licensed before/after school program

• You must work a minimum of 15 hours per week in your primary role as a floater, assistant teacher, teacher, director, assitant director, or owner. Volunteer work, practicums, and internships do not qualify.

• You must be a United States citizen, legal permanent resident, qualified alien or non-immigrant.

• You must be accepted into a formal early childhood education program of study leading to theaward of a credential or degree at an eligible institution.

You must be employed with your current employer in aneligible position for 30 days.

SCHOLARSHIPS is available to qualified applicants pursuing the following credentials and degrees in Early Child Care and Education, Child Development, and Child Care Administration from a HOPE-eligible, Advanced Ed-accredited public and private institution:

• Technical Certificate of Credit
• Technical College Diploma
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• MACTE Accredited Montessori Program (Infant/Toddler and Early Childhood Education only)

Click here to visit the Educational Counseling page to identify: 

• Education options in the early childhood education field
• Georgia colleges and universities that offer early childhood education programs of study onsite and online
• Steps needed to enroll in a college or university
• Sources of financial aid

If you meet the eligibility requirements each term you are enrolled, you will receive SCHOLARSHIPS funds as follows:

80% of tuition and mandatory fees not covered by HOPE or PELL if you are enrolled in a public institution OR a maximum of $2,152 per semester toward the cost of tuition and mandatory fees not covered by HOPE or PELL if you are enrolled in a private institution OR a maximum of $2,152 per semester toward the cost of tuition and mandatory fees at a GA Based MACTE Accredited Montessori Program (Infant/Toddler and Early Childhood Education only). These funds are paid directly to the school.

A maximum of $1,000 per semester if you are enrolled in a master's degree program at a public or private institution.

You will also receive a support stipend of $250 per semester for 1-3 credit hours or $500 per semester for 4 or more credit hours. (Infant Toddler: $250 per semester for 1-3 credit hours or $500 per semester for 4 or more credit hours. Family Child Care: You will also receive a support stipend of $750 per semester for 1-3 credit hours or $1,500 per semester for 4 or more credit hours.

Applications are accepted throughout the year, but we ask that you apply no earlier than 60 days prior to the term you plan to attend. You may apply for the SCHOLARSHIPS by mail or online. In both cases, the supporting documents listed in the application are required to be submitted with your application. You will receive a letter indicating your eligibility status in one to two weeks. 

If you are approved and your tuition and mandatory fees are not fully covered by HOPE, PELL, or other grants or scholarships, SCHOLARSHIPS will email an award notification to your school. You will receive an email letter of your award notification. Your stipend will be mailed to your home address approximately two weeks following your school's drop/add date for the semester.

If your tuition and mandatory fees are fully covered by HOPE, PELL, or other grants or scholarships, you will receive an award letter indicating that your stipend will be mailed to your home address approximately two weeks following your school's drop/add date for the semester.

• Copies of two recent paystubs reflecting the name of your employer, your name and gross and net wages. If you are a Family Child Care Learning Home or a Director/Owner and do not pay yourself W-2 wages, you should submit a copy of last year's Schedule C, Schedule K or other federal tax form documenting net business income.
• A copy of your award/denial letter from HOPE and/or Pell (not applicable for a Master's degree).
• Your schedule of classes.
• A copy of your Professional Development System ( GaPDS) profile reflecting your GaPDS number, the name of your current employer, and a "Pending” or "Active” status.
• A legible copy of the FRONT and BACK of a secure and verifiable document. This is required to accompany the signed and notarized Affidavit for Lawful Presence Verification. The most common secure and verifiable documents you may submit are a driver's license, a United States passport, or a birth certificate (if you are still using your maiden name). Legal permanent residents, qualified aliens or nonimmigrants may be required to submit the government document that establishes legal status in the United States (e.g., permanent resident card, employment authorization document).

Yes. To be considered for funding through the SCHOLARSHIPS program, you must apply for traditional federal and state financial aid (i.e., Pell Grant based on family income, HOPE Grant based on Georgia residency and HOPE Scholarship based on academic performance) and submit proof of award or denial. If you are approved for one form of financial aid and the award amount covers tuition and mandatory fees, SCHOLARSHIPS does not require you to apply to another source of funding. You will also receive a support stipend each semester enrolled even if tuition and mandatory fees are covered by another source.

The chart below indicates the type of aid available to you based on the credential or degree you are pursuing:

Credential/Degree	Available Financial Aid
Technical Certificate of Credit	HOPE Grant HOPE Career Grant
Technical College Diploma	Pell Grant HOPE Grant HOPE Career Grant

Associate or Bachelor's Degree

At a public institution	HOPE Scholarship Pell Grant
At a private institution	HOPE Scholarship Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant Pell Grant

If you have already earned a Bachelor's Degree in another field, you are not eligible for HOPE or PELL. Submit a copy of your diploma or an unofficial transcript with your SCHOLARSHIPS application.

The one-step method of determining the financial aid available to you is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) either online at www.fafsa.ed.gov or with assistance through the financial aid office of the educational institution you plan to attend. Upon notification of the outcome, your school will determine your eligibility for both federal and state aid (i.e., HOPE Grant, HOPE Scholarship and Pell Grant). However, if you are attending a private educational institution, you must also fill out the HOPE Scholarship/Tuition Equalization Grant form available online at www.gafutures.org or through your school's financial aid office to be considered for state aid. If you are applying for the HOPE grant only, the form is also available online at www.gafutures.org.

If you are not eligible for Pell or other financial aid because your student loans are in default, then you cannot receive SCHOLARSHIPS.  You must submit proof that your loans are no longer in default before you can receive SCHOLARSHIPS.  To find out more information about managing loans in default, visit https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/default/get-out#loan-rehab

o   The Professional Development System (GaPDS) is an innovative service provided by Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning for the early care and education workforce. It allows you to develop a profile of your career in early care and education including employment history, training hours and credentials/degrees earned. 

Registering is easy! You can sign up immediately even if you have not earned a credential or degree.  To learn more about the GaPDS or to create your own GaPDS account visit gapds.decal.ga.gov.

If you have questions or need technical support, contact the GaPDS at 404-334-6461 (866-258-7737 outside the metro Atlanta area) or email gapds@decal.ga.gov.

The "Affidavit for Lawful Presence Verification" is the form whereby you attest under oath to your legal presence in the United States which is required under O.C.G.A. 50-36-1(a)(3)(A) in order to be eligible to participate in the SCHOLARSHIPS program.

A Notary Public must witness your signature. Therefore, your signature date must be the same as or earlier than the Notary Public's signature date.

The names on your "Affidavit for Lawful Presence Verification" and on your secure and verifiable document must be the same.

A Notary Public's service is usually free of charge at a United States Post Office, a library or your bank.

The following list of secure and verifiable documents, published under the authority of O.C.G.A. 50-36-2, contains documents that are verifiable for identification purposes, and documents on this list may not necessarily be indicative of residency or immigration status.

• A driver's license issued by one of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Swain Islands, providing that it contains a photograph of the bearer or lists sufficient identifying information regarding the bearer, such as name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color, and address to enable the identification of the bearer [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A United States passport or passport card [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• An original or certified copy of a birth certificate issued by a State, county, municipal authority, or territory of the United States bearing an official seal [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A United States Permanent Resident Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A United States military identification card [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• An identification card issued by one of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Swain Islands, providing that it contains a photograph of the bearer or lists sufficient identifying information regarding the bearer, such as name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color, and address to enable the identification of the bearer [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A tribal identification card of a federally recognized Native American tribe, provided it contains a photograph of the bearer, such as name, date of birth, gender, height, eye color, and address to enable the identification of the bearer. A listing of federally recognized Native American tribes may be found at: http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre?BIA/OIS/TribalGovernmentServices/TribalDirectory/index.htm [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• An Employment Authorization Document that contains a photograph of the bearer [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A passport issued by a foreign government [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A Merchant Mariner Document or Merchant Mariner Credential issued by the United States Coast Guard [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A Free and secure Trade (FAST) card [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A NEXUS card [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) card [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A driver's license issued by a Canadian government authority [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A Certificate of Citizenship issued by the United States Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (Form N-560 or Form N-561) [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• A Certificate of Naturalization issued by the United States Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (Form N-550 or Form N-570)[O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• Certification of Report of Birth issued by the United States Department of State (Form DS-1350) [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• Certification of Birth Abroad issued by the United States Department of State (Form FS-240) [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the United States Department of State (Form FS-240) [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(b)(3);8 CFR 274a.2]
• In addition to the documents listed herein, if, in administering a public benefit or program, an agency is required by federal law to accept a document or other form of identification for proof of or documentation of identity, that document or other form of identification will be deemed a secure and verifiable document solely for that particular program or administration of that particular public benefit. [O.C.G.A. 50-36-2(c)]

US Citizens are only required to submit a notarized Affidavit and the FRONT and BACK of a secure and verifiable document to SCHOLARSHIPS once. Georgia law (O.C.G.A. 50-36-1) requires all legal permanent residents, qualified aliens, and nonimmigrants to submit a new Affidavit and a secure and verifiable document at the beginning of each new academic year (fall semester).

The substitute stipend is unique to the SCHOLARSHIPS program. Employers of teachers who are participating in the SCHOLARSHIPS program must give the teacher paid time off to attend class, study,or prepare for class. The employer will receive a stipend of $15/hour to cover the cost of substituteteachers while the SCHOLARSHIPS recipient is away from her classroom. Each employer can receive a maximum of $1,500 in substitute stipends per semester for each SCHOLARSHIPS recipient.

Paid Time Off Logs must be signed by the Center Director and the SCHOLARSHIPS recipient to be considered for reimbursement. Employers must complete the SCHOLARSHIPS Paid Time Off Log and submit monthly. All Substitute Logs must be submitted by the end of the last month of class to be considered for reimbursement.