T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NC FAQs

Yes, T.E.A.C.H. encourages participants to apply for financial aid. If alternate sources of financial aid pay for tuition and/or books, T.E.A.C.H. is not able to reimburse for these costs.

T.E.A.C.H. will help with online coursework if taken through a North Carolina community college or participating university and as long as the coursework is required for completion of a credential or degree. T.E.A.C.H. does not offer scholarships to attend out of state schools or correspondence schools.

T.E.A.C.H. will sponsor required courses needed to complete coursework towards your educational goals including developmental classes. The academic advisor at the community college can provide guidance regarding required courses and acceptable classes for the credential or degree being sought.

Centers participate on the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® North Carolina Scholarship Program by sponsoring staff on one of the various scholarship models available. Sponsorship requires a contribution towards the tuition, books, paid release time (if applicable) and compensation.

Every scholarship participant’s situation is unique and if for some reason he/she fails, drops, or withdraws from a class there may be different outcomes depending on the individual circumstances. Please call to discuss your situation in more detail with your scholarship counselor.

The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® North Carolina Program is pleased to offer charge approvals for tuition and fees for approved coursework. In order for a scholarship participant to take advantage of this process, we must have a current contract on file and a preauthorization request form.

The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® North Carolina Scholarship Program understands that there may be times when a participant may not be able to complete the minimum number of credit hours needed to complete their contract. Please call to discuss your situation in more detail with your scholarship counselor.

With $23,100 from five different funding sources, the Child Care Teacher Education and Compensation Program began on July 1, 1990. The pilot project awarded 21 scholarships to teachers working in centers in Wake, Durham and Orange counties, allowing them to attend one of two community colleges to take courses leading to an associate degree in early childhood education. The pilot was immediately successful and additional funding was garnered from two regional foundations to test the model in four other parts of the state. In 1992, the first public funds (from the Child Care and Development Block Grant) were awarded to expand the program into more areas of the state, add family early care programs and create the Model/Mentor Teacher Program. In early 1993, the program adopted the name of the T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) Early Childhood Project. Additional federal block grant funds were awarded to make the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program available in every county in North Carolina, and a special scholarship was created for N.C. Early Childhood Credential. Other scholarship models have since been added with the additional assistance of the NC General Assembly, the United Way, corporations, and other foundations.

From its beginnings in three counties, T.E.A.C.H. now has participants in 98 of the 100 counties in North Carolina. Almost 32,000 early care professionals and organizations have participated since its inception. One-third of the states’ licensed child care centers have at least one T.E.A.C.H. participant annually. Nationally, twenty-two states are actively operating T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood, in addition to North Carolina. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood continued to grow with the creation of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Technical Assistance Center in 2000.

The sponsoring facility and participant will be notified in writing.

If the staff person leaves during the scholarship year, the participant may be required to pay T.E.A.C.H. back money spent during the semester they leave the facility. The facility may also require the individual to reimburse them for money spent on sponsorship. Please call to discuss your situation in more detail with your scholarship counselor.

T.E.A.C.H. scholarships are available to be used at community colleges in North Carolina and select in-state universities.

If you are interested in learning more about the various T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood^® scholarship models in North Carolina, you can download our T.E.A.C.H. Program Description and Program Matrix sheets or contact a T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood^® counselor at 919-967-3272 to find out which scholarship is best for you. Applications and information sheets for each scholarship are available in the “Apply for a T.E.A.C.H. NC Scholarship” section accessible on the left side of this page.

To be eligible for most T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood^® scholarships, an applicant must work a minimum number of hours per week in a licensed early care and learning program in an early care focused agency or organization. Some of the T.E.A.C.H. scholarships require applicants to be working a minimum of twenty hours per week in a licensed facility or early childhood focused organization, while others require a minimum of thirty hours per week. Typically, applicants must also have the sponsorship of their employing facility or organization. Applicants must earn less than $18.00 per hour; however, partial scholarships may be available for providers earning just over the maximum. Each scholarship has additional eligibility criteria specific to the scholarship model. Please call or e-mail us for information about additional criteria.

Although many administrators like to take the lead in turning in documentation, we encourage each scholarship recipient to take ownership of his/her scholarship.

Research has demonstrated that young children perform better when their teachers have obtained or are pursuing higher education and are well compensated. Yet, in North Carolina, less than half of teachers of young children have either a two or four-year degree. Of those that do, few have degrees in child development or early childhood education. Also in North Carolina and all over the country, early care professionals often make little more than minimum wage and receive few or no benefits. This leads to the inability of the field to attract and retain well-educated professionals. High turnover rates, up to 50% in many centers, can significantly impact continuity of care and create attachment difficulties for children.

T.E.A.C.H. will sponsor up to $400.00 for REQUIRED textbooks. The scholarship recipient is responsible for paying the taxes and shipping and handling (if applicable).