Continuing to shine: scholarships and incentives supporting professional development in early care and education, annual program summary FY 2007

-- - - - ------ suppoRTINGpRoFEssIoNAL DEvELopMENT IN EARLy cARE & EDucATIoN

ANNuAL pRoGRAM suMMARy Fy 2oo7

promoting high quaIityI stabIe Iearning environments for GeorgiaIs chiIdren by supporting the earIy care and education professionaIs who work with them is the goaI of the scHoLARsHIps & INcENTIvEs programs. scHoLARsHIps provides financiaI assistance for those pursuing a quaIifying credentiaI or degreeI and INcENTIvEs provides saIary suppIements for those who attain a quaIifying credentiaI or degree in earIy care and education.
~ Georgia is one of onIy a few stateswith a department soIeIy dedicated to the care and education of young chiIdren ages birth to five. Bright from the start:

Georgia Department of EarIy care and Learning administers the scHoLARsHIps & INcENTIvEs programs to encourage increased education among GeorgiaIsearIy care and education professionaIs and to reward them for continuity of care. Theseprograms are supported by the many chiId care programs and centersI IocaI resource and referraI agenciesI coIIeges and universities and others who inspire our schoIars to pursue higher education.
The continued deveIopment of a high quaIityI stabIe workforce wiII contribute to successin schooI and in
Iife for the next generation of chiIdren in Georgia.

.735 individuaIs received a totaI
of $542I5l2 in scHoLARsHIps support at 65 different pubIic and private degree-granting institutions.
. Recipients worked in 92 and resided
in 97 of GeorgiaIs l59 counties.
. 38% worked in a nationaIIy-
accredited center or home.
.More than 8,7oo Georgia chiIdre~
are estimated to be within the scopeI of these dedicated teachersI care.*

INcENTIvEs
. 3I29l individuaIs received a totaI
of $2I575Il75 in INcENTIvEs payments.
. Recipients worked in l3o and
resided in l47 of GeorgiaIs l59 counties.
. 44% worked in a nationaIIy-
accredited center or home.
More than39Iooo Georgia chiIdren are estimated to be within the scope of these dedicated teachersI care.*

* Estimated reach is based on four teachers per 5o chiIdren (based on state ratios for one cIass each of infants' toddIers' 3-year-oIds and
4/5-year-oIds) in Iicensed chiId care centers' one teacher per 6 chiIdren for famiIy chiId care homes and 2 teachers per 18 chiIdren in group chiId care homes.

A scHoLARsHIps succEss:
For a number of years' I've been a paraprofessionaI with the BaIdwin county preschooI and Head start program. There was no
\ possibiIity of advancement in my iob unIess I received a degree. J I was pIeased to find out that the IocaI technicaI coIIege offered
fIexibIe scheduIing of cIasses that wouId aIIow me to meet my iob and famiIy responsibiIities. I enroIIed and have been taking a course or two each quarter for the past two years.
vincent van Gogh said' ''If you hear a voice within you say' 'you cannot paint,' then by aII means paint and that voice wiII be siIenced.'' I never thought I couId make it in coIIege. Now' I know I can. That voice saying ''you can't'' is siIent. TechnicaI coIIege was the right choice for me.
Tamara caIIaway - BaIdwin county scHoLARsHIps recipient' Iead teacher, and Nominee' centraI Georgia TechnicaI coIIege 2oo7 Georgia occupationaI Award of
Leader5hip {GoAL).

scHoLARsHIps Investment in Academic credit-Bearing
programs of study FY2oo4 - 2oo7

$35o'ooo

$3oo'ooo

$25o'ooo

$2oo'ooo

$l5o'ooo

$loo'ooo

l2l.ooo

$l42'o6o

~

$5o'ooo

$o Fy2oo4

Fy 2oo5

Fy2oo6

Fy 2oo7

How scHoLARsHIps supports students in Georgia
- certificate, DipIoma and Degree programs Fy 2oo7

.;-..

:.:

private institutions:

up to $3'oooper year for undergraduate studies after HopEIpeII
or other grantsIschoIarships have been appIied and a stipend of $75 per quarter or $1Oo per semester

The number of scHoLARsHIps recipient5 participating in academic credit programs
.' increased by 55%' from 254 students in Fy 2oo6 to 393 students in Fy 2oo7.
In Fy 2oo7, 0f the 735 scHoLARsHIps recipients:
. 275 (37%)were enroIIed in pubIic institutionsfor academic credit programs J,7
. 1l8 (16%) were enroIIed in private institutions for academic credit programs
. 148 (2o%) attended eight non-credit community-based cDA courses satisfying the 12o
cIock-hour requirement for the c[)A credentiaI
. 228 (31%) received support for the cDA assessment process (whether or not supported
in courses during the fiscaI year)

wHy scHoLARsHIps & INcENTIvEs?
Embarking on a program of higher education is exciting and fuIfiIIing. The scHoLARsHIps & INcENTIvEs programs provide extra
support that enabIes many empIoyed in earIy care and education to deveIop and foIIow a career path. In addition to financiaI aid,
c scHoLARsHIps provides career advisement, heIping participants expIore their options for earning a credentiaI or degree. INcENTIvEs . rewards empIoyment stabiIity by increasing the annuaI income of quaIified participants (average annuaI income of $2l,7o6 for recipients in Iicensed chiId care faciIities) a minimum of $4oo per year -- whiIe encouraging continued educationaI advancement. Together these programs are heIping to raise the IeveI of professionaIism and improve the quaIity of care in earIy care and education in Georgia.

scHoLARsHIps percent of Funds Distributed by program of study Fy 2oo7 ($542f5l2 totaI distributed)

BacheIor, s 4o% l

Master,s 2% I

chiId DeveIopment
-- Associate(cDA)
31%

TechnicaI coIIege certificate of credit

-

<1%

Associote 13%

.

I ~A

TechnIcacIo2II%egeDipIoma

assessment
fee1o2n%Iy

scHoLARsHIpsdoes not currentIysupport new moster.sdegreeprogrom appIiconts;existingrecipientswiII continueto be supported.

---

Tuition

.H;.!.r. Amount
$394,855

percent 73%

stipend

$83I275

l5%

/

cDA assessment

.'-'

TotaI

$64I383 $542I5l2

l2% lOo%

To heIp earIy care and education professionaIs increase their IeveI of education in a fieId where cIose to two-thirds of these individuaIs have a high schooI education or Iess.
Tuition assistance and a stipend each academic term. (see eIigibiIity grid, back cover.)
AII recipients are increasing their IeveI of education.

program GoaIs
program Benefits program ResuIts support
Key GoaIs

96 recipients were supported in a higher

IeveI program of study after having received

r

scHoLARsHIps support for an earIier

'-' . I programofstudy.

l3% of recipients worked in Georgia,s pre-K cIassrooms and l9% worked in Head start
cIassrooms.

programs support Georgia,s pre-K and Head start
professionaI DeveIopment

INcENTIvEs

To encourage earIy care and education professiohaIs to remain in the fieId, to increase their IeveI of educationI and to improve their compensation for working in a typicaIIy Iowwage occupation.

Two payments per year and an academic enroIIment bonus. (see eIigibiIity grid, back cover.)

The vaIue of increased education is evident to

recipients in the form of Iarger INcENTIvEs

suppIements at higher education IeveIs. The

average effectivewage increaseI by IeveI,is:

certificate

+ 2.o%

TechnicaI coIIege dipIoma Associate degree BacheIorIs degree

+ 3.8% + 6.4% + 7.4%

Recipients had a 7-year average Iength of empIoyment.

23% of recipients worked in GeorgiaIs pre-K cIassrooms and 25% worked in Head start
cIassrooms.

AN INcENTIvEssuccEss:
I have been a provider for about 24 years' and IIove it. I wanted to do some things to improve my chiId care home for the chiIdren' but my finances wouId not aIIow me to do them at the time.

and comfortabIe in my home.

The [INcENTIvEs] monies I receive wiII heIp me to buy some nice education toys and other needed items. And aIso' the items that I get wiII heIp me to teach the chiIdren and make them feeI safe whiIe they are Iearning and pIaying during the time I am caring for them

caroIyn J. ph;IIips- DeKaIb county INcENTIvEs recipient who hoIds an associate
degree in earIy chiIdhood education and is considering returning to schooI to pursue a bacheIor's degree.

'' -

~'wj
1F...'''''".
..J -~~.&..-

INcENTIvEs Recipient payment LeveI Fy 2oo7
(3I291 recipients)

Associate degree
\ ($75o)
21%

BacheIor'sdegree or higher

/ ($1ooo)

/

11%

/
TechnicaI caIIege dipIoma ($375) 24%

characteristics
participates in federaI faod program

of INcENTIvEsRecipientsIchiId care settin9s

Fy 2oo7 (3I291 recipients)

I

I

I

serves at Ieast 25% subsidized chiIdren

Is nationaIIy accredited
IncIudes a Head start program
IncIudes a Geargia pre.K program
I Is miIitary chiId care center
o% lo% 2o% 3o% 4o% 5o% 6o% 7o% 8o% 9o%

wHo Is ELIGIBLEFoR scHoLARsHIps & INcENTIvEs?

c positions: I settings:

Teachers'assistontteochers'directorsor assistantdirectors LicensedchiIdcarecentersor group homesor registeredfomiIy chiIdcare homes*

Hours:

work withchiIdrenages5 oryoungear t Ieast25 hoursperweekif teacher/assistatnetacher4; o

hoursperweekif director/assistodnitrectoar rfamiIychiIdcareprovider

wage/saIary: EarnIessthan$l4.45 perhour($3o'o56peryearincIudingovertime)
INcENTIvEs

Educatian:

GEDor high schaoIdipIoma

vaIidquaIifyingcredentiaoIrdegreein earIy

chiIdhooedducotionc' hiIddeveIopmeonrt chiId careadministrotion

Tenure:

3 to l2 consecutivmeonthswiththesame

l2 consecutivmeonthswithsomeempIoyeinr

empIoyerd' ependinogn credentiaI/degree sought

o teochingor progromodministrotiopnosition

EnroIIment:

EnroIIeodr occepteidn o formaIearIychiIdhood Notrequiredm; oyeornbonuspaymenitf

educotionprogromof studythrougho pubIicor enroIIedin oneIigibIeprogromof studyand

privote(HopE-eIigibIseA' cs.occreditedG)eorgio successfuIcIoympIeteadt Ieostoneacodemic

institution

termin thesixmonthspriorto appIicotion

* For INcENTIvEs recipients' the setting must have state or nationaI
accreditation' or participate in the federaI chiId and AduIt care Food program' or serve at Ieast 25% state-subsidized chiIdren.

(., Fy 2oo7 Recipients Reside in aII14 chiId care Resource
& ReferraI Regions
-s # of scH Recipient5 -I # of INc Recipient5

II.J.

s:6o

c

I:o86

EDucATIoNAL INsTITuTIoNs
Institutions eIigibIe for scHoLARsHIps
incIude any of Georgia's 1o4 technicaI
coIIeges' coIIeges' or universities approved to receive HopE funds. HopE and peII
grants' as weII as HopE schoIarships'
are avaiIabIe to cover costs at Georgia's
coIIege$ and universities. For Fy 2oo7,
scHolARsHIps recipients attended 65
institutions throughout the state:
Abraham BaIdwin AgricuIturaI coIIege AIbany state university
AIbany TechnicaI coIIege AItamaha TechnicaI coIIege AppaIachian TechnicaI coIIege Armstrong AtIantic state university
Athens TechnicaI coIIege AtIanta MetropoIitan coIIege
AtIanta TechnicaI coIIege Augusta TechnicaI coIIege
Bainbridge coIIege Brenau university Brewton-parker coIIege centraI GeorgiaTechnicaI coIIege chattahoochee TechnicaI coIIege cIark AtIanta university cIayton state university coIumbus state university coIumbus TechnicaI coIIege coosa vaIIey TechnicaI coIIege covenant coIIege DaIton state coIIege Darton coIIege DekaIb TechnicaI coIIege FIintRiver TechnicaI coIIege Fort vaIIey state university GainesviIIe state coIIege Georgia coIIege & state university Georgia MiIitary coIIege (Mq Georgia perimeter coIIege Georgia southern university Georgia state university Griffjn TechnicaI coIIege Gwinnett TechnicaI coIIege Heart of Georgia TechnicaI coIIege Kennesaw state university LaGrange coIIege Lanier TechnicaI coIIege Macon state coIIege Mercer university MiddIe Georgia coIIege MiddIe Georgia TechnicaI coIIege MouItrie TechnicaIcoIIe9e NorthGeorgia TechnicaI coIIe9e North.Metro TechnicaI coIIege Northwestern TechnicaI coIIege Nova southeastern university ogeechee TechnicaIcoIIege okefenokee TechnicaI coIIege piedmont coIIe9e Reinhardt coIIege sandersviIIe TechnicaI coIIe9e savannah TechnicaI coIIege shorter coIIege south Georgia TechnicaI coIIege southwest Georgia TechnicaIcoIIege speIman coIIe9e swainsboro TechnicaI coIIege Thomas university university of Georgia vaIdosta state university vaIdosta TechnicaI coIIege waycross coIIege west centraI TechnicaI coIIege west Georgia TechnicaI coIIe9e

scHoLARsHIps & INcENTIvEs REcIpIENTs DEMoNsTRATE EDucATIoNAL pRoGREss

one of the primary goaIs of both scHoLARsHIps & INcENTIvEs is increasing the education of those in the earIy care and education workforce.
of course, aII scHoLARsHIps recipients are increasing their IeveI of education with the support of the scHoLARsHIps program. And, since the program began in Fy 2oo4, l56 (7%) of the
2,267 scHoLARsHIps recipients have taken their education
to an even higher IeveI program of study, going beyond their initiaIIy supported program. of the 735 Fy 2oo7 recipients, 96 (13%) are pursuing a higher IeveI program of study.

In addition, since the inception of INcENTIvEs in Fy 2oo2, 647
~ (l2%) of the 5,429 INcENTIvEs recipients, who must hoId a
quaIifying credentiaI or degree to participate in the program, " have increased their education further, going above their initiaI
quaIifying credentiaI or degree. ofthe 3,29l Fy 2oo7recipients,
493 (l5%) have increased their education further.
These are significant accompIishments, given that program
recipients work at Ieast 25 hours a week in earIy care and
education and most are oIder, non-traditionaI students.

scHoLARsHIps RecipientsI EducationaI progress from InitiaI
supported program of study Fy 2oo4 - FY 2oo7 (2I267 recipients)

INcENTIvEs RecipientsI EducationaI progress from InitiaI
- supported program of study Fy 2oo2 Fy 2oo7 (5A29 recipients)

I2%

Io%

8%

6%

4%

2%

Increasferodm Increasferodm Increasferodm Increasferodm ToIoinI creased certificoteIeveI'I'h. nicoIcoIIege ossociote bocheIor's educotionIeveI
dipIomo degree degree

o% Increasfreodm

Increosedfrom

certificoIeIeveI. t''hnicoIcoIIege

dipIomo

ToIoinI creosed educotionoIIeveI

* certificateIeveI: chiId DeveIopmeAntssociate(cDA),chiId careprofessiona(Iccp), TechnicacIoIIegecertificateof credit(Tcc), NationaAI dministratocrertificate(NAc)

0

b BRIG;n; R T fitnhmeI[.(..'fJ71'LA1
.Georgia DeparIment of EarIy care and Learning

Bright from the start: Georgia Department of EarIy care and Learning is responsibIe for meeting the chiId care and earIy education needs of Georgia,s chiIdren and their famiIies. This agency oversees a wide range of programs focused primariIy on chiIdren ages birth to schooI-age and their famiIies.
scHoLARsHIps & INcENTIvEs are funded by Bright from the start: Georgia Department of EarIy
care and Learning using the federaI chiId care and DeveIopment Fund.

scHoLARsHIps & INctNTIvEs are managed by care soIutions, Inc.

For more information on scHoLARsHIps
phone: 8oo-227-34l o or 77o-642-6722
web: www.caresoIutions.com

& INcENTIvEs:

o4/2oo8/1M

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