Maine Roads Scholarship Program Degree Information

Transcription

1 Maine Roads Scholarship Program Degree Information PLEASE READ BEFORE COMPLETING APPLICATION FORM I. DEFINITION The Maine Roads Scholarship Program is a financial incentive to support those employed in the child care and early education field in Maine who are pursuing a college degree in early childhood education or a related field. Related fields of study include Child Development, Social Work with a concentration in Early Childhood, Child Care Administration and Leadership, and Children with Special Needs. Eligible courses of study are available at many accredited colleges, universities and distance learning programs throughout the state. Scholarships are awarded annually through a competitive basis, as funds are available. II. ELIGIBILITY To be eligible for scholarship, all Maine Roads Scholarship Applicants must: Be a Maine resident. Work in Maine in a licensed or certified child care and early education program. Your current worksite must be enrolled with Quality for ME. FMI: Plan to use the college degree to pursue a career in the programs described above. Have a total family income that does not exceed 300% poverty level as defined by the 2014 Federal Income Guidelines. Be accepted / enrolled / matriculated into a one-year certificate, Associate s, Bachelor s, Master s or Doctorate level degree program at an accredited college in the state of Maine, or be pursuing the 081 or 282 teacher certification. If enrolled in college half time or more (2 courses / 6 credit hours in any semester during the academic year), scholarship applicants must have applied for Financial Aid through FAFSA. Be a member of the Maine Roads to Quality Registry. III. APPLICATION DEADLINES AND AWARD SELECTION Scholarship Application Deadlines: November 1, 2015 for Spring and Summer 2016 classes. Scholarship applicants are notified of their status by . A copy of the award letter and a request for an itemized bill for coursework is sent to the recipient s college. Upon receipt of an itemized bill from the college, payment is forwarded to the college on behalf of the student. We do not reimburse the student or the student s worksite directly. The amount of money awarded is for 1/2016 through 8/2016 and the course of study indicated on the application form. Scholarship funds not used by the recipient will be returned to the Maine Roads Scholarship fund. For recipients pursuing a One Year Certificate or an Associate s degree the award is up to $100 per credit hour with a maximum of $1,800; Bachelor s degree is up to $219 per credit hour with a maximum award of $2628; Master s & Doctorate degree is up to $294 per credit hour with a maximum of $3528. The scholarship assists in paying the cost of tuition and fees at up to the rate per credit hour indicated above. Maine Roads Scholarship does not necessarily cover the entire cost per course and does not pay for student fees unrelated to coursework taken.

2 IV. TO APPLY Fill out the enclosed application form and attach all requested documentation. You may want to make a copy of your application to keep for your records. Mail the completed Maine Roads Scholarship application and all requested documentation to: Muskie School of Public Service, Maine Roads to Quality, 12 East Chestnut Street, Augusta, Maine Questions? Call Maine Roads Scholarship Program: Pam Soucy FAX Application Deadline: November 1, 2015 for Spring 2015 & Summer 2016 semesters All required information and documents must be provided. Please note that since awards are competitive and are available based on funding availability, incomplete and/or late applications may be denied. Please enclose: A completed application form A letter of acceptance/enrollment from your college/degree program or documentation of current course enrollment if you are pursuing the 081 or 282 certification. Goal statements (typed) about your future career choices in child care as outlined in Section 4 Summary and official documentation of special circumstances, if applicable A copy of your college s financial aid award A copy of your bill for the upcoming semester (thereafter must send a bill for the next semester) A copy of your income documentation, as outlined in Section 5 A copy of your most recent college transcript A completed MRTQ Registry application form and $10 application fee if you are not already a Registry member. The Maine Roads Scholarship Program is funded by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services, Early Childhood Division

3 ki i Maine Roads to Quality Degree Scholarship Application SECTION 1 ABOUT YOURSELF Name: Home Address: City: State: Zip: County: Home Telephone: Home Date of Birth: Social Security #: _ - (last 5 digits only) or College ID# Total Number of all Members in Household: Please List All Household Members: Household Member Name Relationship to You Age SECTION 2 CHILD CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION WORK EXPERIENCE Please use the spaces below to list your total years of experience working in child care, early education, and early intervention programs. Include all paid experience. You may include supervised experiences such as practicum or volunteer work, but please include a letter from your volunteer / practicum site indicating the number of volunteer / practicum hours you complete per month. Do not include babysitting, occasional volunteer work, scouts, parenting etc. Please list employment history starting with your current position: Agency or Program Position Held From (date) To (date) # of Years Total number of years including current position: Current Agency/Program: Phone: Fax: Worksite: Phone: Fax: (If Different than Agency/Program) Agency Address: City: State: Zip: Is your current Agency/Program a member of Quality for ME? Yes: No: Please indicate the groups with whom you specifically work. (Check all that apply) Infant (6 weeks to 12 months) Toddler (12 months 30 months) Preschool (30 months to kindergarten) Kindergarten School Age (7-9 years) School Age (10-12 years) School Age (13-15 years) Families

4 SECTION 3 DEGREE INFORMATION Have you been accepted in a degree program at an accredited college in Maine? Yes Application in process Please enclose a copy of your acceptance letter if available; otherwise mail one in before the deadline date. Type of Program: One Year Certificate Associate s Degree Bachelor s Degree Master s/doctorate Degree Note: If you already have a Bachelor s or Master s Degree and are working towards certification, please indicate which endorsement you are seeking, and include proof of current course registration: 081 Teacher of Young Children 282 Teacher of Children with Disabilities, birth to school age 5 Name of College: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone Number: Website: Location of class meeting site, if different from above: What is your major area of study in this degree program? Anticipated # of courses you will take : Spring 2016: Summer 2016: What is your anticipated graduation date/date of certification? SECTION 4 GOAL STATEMENT Please respond to the following questions using a separate sheet of paper. Goal statement must be a minimum of 250 words. The Goal Statement must be typed, handwritten responses will not be accepted. 1. After completing my degree/certification, I plan to work directly with children by 2. Earning my degree/certification will impact my work in child care/early intervention by SECTION 5 INCOME VERIFICATION Do you own a child care business? Yes No If you own a child care business, please enclose your family s most recent signed Federal Income Tax Forms, including documentation of your business income and expenses. If you are employed and are required to file a Federal Income Tax Form, please enclose your family s 2014 Federal Income Tax Forms which indicates total adjusted gross income and family size. If you did not have to file a Federal Income Tax Form, please enclose documented proof of your total income for 2014 such as TANF funds, child support, unemployment funds, workman s compensation, pay stubs, etc. SECTION 6 SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES Sometimes there are circumstances that affect an applicant s financial ability to attend/return to school, such as a change in family income, illness or disability, etc. If you have circumstances that impact your financial ability to attend school, which you would like the Award Committee to consider when reviewing your request for scholarship, please summarize your situation and enclose official documentation of those circumstances.

5 SECTION 7 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE/ EMPLOYER SPONSORED ASSISTANCE Applicants must list any other financial assistance/scholarship for which they have applied and the amount they have received for Applicants attending college half-time or more (2 courses/6 hours in any semester ), must apply for financial aid and provide official documentation from FAFSA (SAR Student Aid Report) or the college s financial aid award. Students can apply for these funds at or call or TTY, All Sources of Financial Assistance: Financial Aid from school, Work Reimbursement for : Amount received: SECTION 8 SIGNATURE & MAILING INSTRUCTIONS I certify under penalty of perjury that to the best of my knowledge the enclosed information is correct. I understand that the information provided will be reviewed by the members of the Maine Roads Scholarship Award Committee, by the Muskie School of Public Service and by my college s Financial Aid/Bursar s office for use in administering this grant program. Printed Name: Signature: Date: SECTION 9 CHECKLIST Please use the checklist below to make sure you have attached all supporting documentation with your application. CHECKLIST Degree Application Application Deadline: November 1, 2015 for Spring and Summer 2016 semesters All required information and documents must be provided. Incomplete applications may be denied. Please enclose: A completed application form personal info, work experience, education/training site, etc. A letter of acceptance/enrollment from your college/degree program or documentation of current course enrollment if you are pursuing the 081 or 282 certification. Goal statements (typed) about your future career choices in child care, as outlined in Section 4. Summary and official documentation of special circumstances, if applicable. A copy of your college s financial aid award. A copy of your most recent college transcript A copy of your bill for the upcoming semester (thereafter must send a bill for the next semester) A copy of your income documentation, as outlined in Section 5. A completed MRTQ Registry application form and $10 application fee if you are not already a Registry member. Mail completed application and supporting documentation to: Muskie School of Public Service Questions? Need more information? Maine Roads to Quality Call: Pam Soucy East Chestnut Street or psoucy@usm.maine.edu Augusta, ME Fax: