ISAC Student PortalEarly Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship Program
The below reflects program information for the 2024-25 academic year, which in some cases is different from previous years. Please be sure to read the page in its entirety prior to applying for the scholarship. See the Processing Updates for further details.
You may either scroll through this page, or click on any of the following links to go directly to a specific topic:
Program Description
Eligibility
Participating Schools
How to Apply
Required Documentation
Attending More than One College during Same Term
What's Next
Details
Changes to Application Data
How Funds Are Disbursed
Processing Updates
Comparison Chart
Program Description
If you work or have worked in early childhood education and you're seeking additional credentials and/or a degree in early childhood education, you may be eligible for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program. The program was created to address the shortage of qualified early childhood educators by encouraging the pursuit of credentials and advancement of already-held degrees in early childhood education, with an aim toward building a strong, well-prepared workforce. If you would like to be connected to someone who can walk you through all the available educational opportunities, consider completing the Higher Education Navigator Interest Form. A Higher Education Navigator from your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency will reach out to you and can help you find and enroll in the college that best meets your needs.
Awards are available for undergraduate study at public and non-profit private 2- and 4-year Gateways-entitled and Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity member institutions, with priority given to renewal applicants.The scholarship will help pay the applicant's total cost of attendance for an academic year after other financial aid received, up to $7,500. Please note that awards for the summer term are no longer available. Recipients of the scholarship are expected to continue or return to teaching or direct services in the early childhood care and education field in Illinois after they complete their program of study.
Eligibility
To be eligible for an award during the 2024-25 academic year, you must:
- be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen or meet the undocumented student criteria of the RISE Act.
- be a member of the incumbent workforce, currently working or having worked in the early childhood field (in either a licensed or license-exempt facility), including home-based child care (e.g., family, friend, neighbor), center-/community-based child care, Preschool for All programs, school-based preschool settings, and Head Start programs, that serve children from birth to age 5. Acceptable positions include teachers, assistant teachers, directors, family child care providers and assistants. Applicants must provide documentation confirming their current membership in the Gateways to Opportunity® Registry.
- A licensed facility is a child care program in a center or home (family child care) that is licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Most programs that serve more than three children aged 0 – 12 in a center or home are required to be licensed. Public and private schools and programs in other settings may not be required to be licensed and are typically categorized as "license-exempt", if serving children aged three and older.
- License-exempt refers to child care that is not required to be licensed by DCFS. They may include programs operated by public or private elementary school systems, high schools or institutions of higher learning; programs conducted on federal government premises; and other programs recognized or registered with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), if children in the program are aged three and older.
- be enrolled or accepted for enrollment on a full- or part-time (at least 3 credit hours) basis at the undergraduate level at a public or non-profit private 2- or 4-year Gateways-entitled and Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) member institution, and be pursuing at least one of the following:
- an Associate of Applied Science degree (or related certificate) in early childhood education or an associate degree with a concentration in early childhood at an approved college; or
- a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, with or without a Professional Educator License.
- maintain satisfactory academic progress as established by your college.
- complete the online application process by submitting a complete Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship Program application and a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) on or before by the ISAC-established date in order to receive priority access to funding.
- be certified as meeting eligibility requirements by the college at which you will use the scholarship.
- not be in default on any federal student loan, nor owe a refund on any State or federal grant. If you are in default, you may re-establish your eligibility.
You do not have to demonstrate financial need to receive this scholarship, although applicants are prioritized for awarding based on their Student Aid Index (SAI) (from information on the FAFSA or Alternative Application), from lowest to highest.
Participating Schools
To view a listing of Illinois colleges approved to participate in this program, click on the link below. Click on the name of the school you are interested in to be linked to information about its Early Childhood Education programs.
How to Apply
The 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship Program application is no longer being accepted.
An ECACE Scholarship application must be submitted for each academic year in which benefits are to be used. Applicants are also required to complete the FAFSA or Alternative Application for the same academic year that you are applying for the scholarship. To determine your eligibility for the scholarship, the ECACE-participating Illinois college(s) at which you plan to use the award must be listed on your FAFSA or Alternative Application (see below if attending more than one college during the same term). The Student Aid Index (SAI) from the information you provide on the FAFSA or Alternative Application is used to prioritize awarding, although you do not need to demonstrate financial need to receive the award.
If you haven't filed an online FAFSA before, you will first need to create an FSA ID at studentaid.gov/fsa-id to login and use as your electronic signature. Once you access the online FAFSA, you will be asked to choose the school year for which you will be completing the FAFSA. This will need to be the same year as the ECACE application you are submitting. For example, applicants who submit an ECACE application for the 2024-25 school year must also have completed the 2024-25 FAFSA or Alternative Application.
You are encouraged to complete and submit both the ECACE application and the FAFSA/Alternative Application on or before the date for priority access to funding. The priority access to funding date for the 2024-25 academic year was August 11, 2024. Untimely applications (i.e., those received after that date) continued to be considered for as long as funding remained available after timely, qualified applicants had been awarded. A notification is sent to applicants after a final decision has been made regarding their award status.
On the ECACE application, you will be asked to list the college you plan to attend. If you are undecided, list your first choice; if necessary, the college of record can be changed after your application has been submitted. See below if attending more than one college during the same term. You will also be asked to provide the job title for your most recent position, which must match what is listed on the Eligibility Verification Form. See below for information about the Eligibility Verification Form.
Required Documentation
The application process requires proof of employment as part of the incumbent workforce through an Eligibility Verification Form. Incumbent workforce is defined as having worked in the early childhood industry (in either a licensed or license-exempt facility), including home-based child care (e.g., family, friend, neighbor), center-/community-based child care, Preschool for All programs, school-based preschool settings, and Head Start programs, that serve children from birth to age 5. Acceptable positions include teachers, assistant teachers, directors, family child care providers and assistants.
An Eligibility Verification Form from the Gateways Registry must be downloaded and/or printed and then uploaded when completing the application. You will not be allowed to proceed through the application without uploading the required documentation, so it is recommended to obtain and print your verification form before starting the online application. No other documentation of your employment history will be accepted. Registry members will enter through the Dashboard Login to access the form. Follow these instructions to access your Eligibility Verification Form. If you're not already a member, you can complete your registration on the site and then obtain your verification form. You must be a current Gateways Registry member to qualify for the scholarship. The Eligibility Verification Form contains members' employment history, with assigned position codes. For award consideration, at least one of the position codes must be an eligible code, and the job title for your most recent position reported on your ECACE application must match what is listed on the Eligibility Verification Form.
If you have prior employment that is not listed on your Eligibility Verification Form, you may request that it be added by completing the Reporting Prior Employment for ECACE Scholarship form. Once the information has been added (usually 2 business days), you will receive an e-mail notification, at which point you will be able to again access the Registry and obtain an updated Eligibility Verification Form. The updated form can then be uploaded during the application process.
Attending More than One College during Same Term
If you plan to or are attending more than one college during the same term, list only your college of record on the ECACE Scholarship Program application. Contact your financial aid office(s) for assistance if you are unsure which college is considered your college of record. Your college of record and the other college at which you plan to take additional courses must be ECACE-participating schools, and both colleges must be listed on your FAFSA or Alternative Application. Be sure to notify both colleges that you have submitted an ECACE Scholarship Program application.
What's Next
After you submit your ECACE Scholarship application, the process is as follows:
- You will immediately receive an e-mail confirming that your application was received at ISAC. Application processing time may be up to 4 weeks.
- Be sure the financial aid office at your college knows you will be enrolling and that you have submitted an ECACE Scholarship Program application.
- If your application, including required documentation, is incomplete, you will receive a letter from ISAC explaining the reason(s) and advising you how to resolve the issue.
- If, based on information you provided on your application, you are not eligible, you will receive a Notice of Ineligibility.
- Once ISAC determines that both the ECACE Scholarship application and the FAFSA or Alternative Application have been submitted, you will receive a letter stating that your application is considered complete. Unless you need to change any of your application data (see Changes to Application Data below), there is nothing more for you to do at this point.
- Your college will certify your eligibility and request payment on your behalf. Program funds are disbursed directly to the college.
- If the college determines you are not eligible, you will receive a Notice of Ineligibility.
Details
- Applications are processed in date-received order.
- Renewal applicants (applicants who were paid ECACE Scholarship benefits in the previous academic year) whose application is received on or before the priority for access to funding date will receive priority consideration for awarding.
- ISAC prioritizes recipients from among the neediest of applicants, according to information from the FAFSA or Alternative Application.
- Qualified applicants may receive ECACE Scholarship funds only up to the amount by which their cost of attendance exceeds the amount of other financial aid they are receiving, up to $7,500.
Changes to Application Data
Only one application for this program may be submitted per academic year. Consequently, if you need to change your response(s) to any item(s) and/or update any information after the application has been submitted, you will need to provide the information to ISAC. Examples of items that may need to be updated include demographic information (i.e., name, address, telephone number, etc.), your college of record and the impacted terms (e.g., full year, or fall or spring semester). These changes can be submitted to ISAC using one of the below methods, but cannot be done over the telephone.
- via e-mail to [email protected]
- via FAX to 847.831.8549
- via letter to ISAC Dept D, 1755 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL 60015-5209
The request must include the last four digits of your Social Security number (for identification purposes) and clearly state what change(s) need to be made. These changes will not affect the application "received date." In order to allow adequate processing time and prevent a loss of benefits, changes to your college of record should to be reported prior to the beginning of the applicable term(s).
How Funds Are Disbursed
ISAC works with the college to disburse funds for this program. The college certifies student eligibility and then submits a payment request on behalf of the student. ISAC processes the payment request and submits the information as needed so that the State Comptroller's Office can release funds.
Depending on the college, students may be responsible for payment until program funds are received. Qualified applicants who are awaiting receipt of funds from this program should contact the Financial Aid Office to determine the college's policy.
Processing Updates
Note that ISAC routinely updates this section as new information becomes available. Be sure to check back periodically for the current processing status.
For the 2024-25 Academic Year
(last updated on September 24, 2024)
The 2024-25 ECACE Scholarship Program application is no longer being accepted.
For the first time since the program's creation, it is funded in fiscal year 2025 (for 2024-25 academic year awards) by the State of Illinois rather than by federal funds. Because considerably less funding is available, the number of recipients in 2024-25 is significantly limited, and the program is able to support only a portion of timely renewal applicants. August 11, 2024 was the priority for access to funding date. Untimely applications (i.e., those received after that date) were accepted through late August.
Award notifications are being delivered to awarded students by ISAC. Eligible students unable to receive an award due to funding limitations will also receive communication from ISAC informing them of this status. Please note that it is highly unlikely that any students receiving a letter notifying them of insufficient funds for an award will receive an ECACE Scholarship this year.
Comparison Chart
ISAC offers programs designed specifically for individuals studying to become teachers. A comparison chart provides a side-by-side view of the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship, Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW), ECACE Scholarship, Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois, and federal TEACH Grant programs.
