Virginia Child Care Provider Scholarship Program

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) values the efforts of early childhood professionals to increase their knowledge and skills in early care and education. To support access to education, the Virginia Child Care Provider Scholarship Program (VCCPSP) awards scholarships for undergraduate courses at Virginia Community Colleges and SCHEV-accredited Montessori Certification Programs. The courses eligible for this scholarship program focus on the care and education of young children.

Eligibility: This scholarship program is primarily available for early care and education professionals working toward a Career Studies Certificate or AAS degree in Early Childhood Development.

To be considered eligible for a scholarship, individuals will be:

• an employee of a child care program located in Virginia, or
• a Virginia resident (as defined by the Code of Virginia) who is employed in a non-Virginia child care program, or
• a Virginia resident who intends to become employed in a Virginia child care program.

PRIORITY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS: Based on eligibility and the availability of funding, priority for scholarships will be given to applicants employed in the field of early care and education. For those not yet employed in early care and education, applications will be processed if funding is available.

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS: Scholarships support the cost of in-state tuition at Virginia’s Community Colleges and SCHEV-approved Montessori Certification Programs for up to two (2) APPROVED COURSES per semester when eligibility criteria are met, as long as the student has not exceeded the lifetime maximum scholarship award amount. Reduced scholarships may be awarded based on a student’s lifetime maximum scholarship award balance. Students are responsible for the cost of college fees, textbooks, and additional expenses.

The maximum lifetime award amount for VCCPSP scholarships is $4,255 (effective Fall 2025) for new scholarship accounts.

• When a scholarship account is created, the maximum lifetime amount will not change even if the maximum lifetime amount is increased for new applicants.
• For approved (equivalent) undergraduate courses at a four-year college or university, the scholarship will pay $500 per course (effective March 2024) depending on the student’s scholarship balance.

Course Options: Scholarships are available for students enrolled in APPROVED COURSES at a Virginia Community College or SCHEV-accredited Montessori Certification Program. Scholarships may also be awarded for equivalent courses at SCHEV-approved four-year colleges/universities. All equivalent courses must be approved by VDOE on a case-by-case basis.

HOW TO APPLY: Students need to ENROLL in college courses PRIOR to submitting a scholarship application to be sure the courses desired are offered during the upcoming semester. After enrolling in courses, students may submit an online scholarship application for courses on the VDOE scholarship APPROVED COURSE list.

Scholarship applications are accepted during open application periods for each semester.

• Students may apply for scholarships each semester until they have reached their maximum lifetime award amount.
• Scholarships cannot be transferred from one semester to another nor can they be transferred from one student to another.

WHEN TO APPLY: Scholarship applications are accepted for FALL, SPRING, and SUMMER academic terms. Students need to register for courses PRIOR to submitting a scholarship application to be sure the courses desired are offered during the applicable semester.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION PERIODS FOR UPCOMING SEMESTERS

• FALL 2025 Scholarship Applications Accepted June 15 through July 25, 2025
• SPRING 2026 Scholarship Applications Accepted October 15 through November 21, 2025
• SUMMER 2026 Scholarship Applications Accepted March 15 through April 24, 2026

NOTE: Application periods may close early if scholarship funds are no longer available for an academic semester.

COURSE ENROLLMENT/SCHOLARSHIP AWARD LETTER: Recipients of scholarships are responsible for enrolling in courses and providing their scholarship award letter to the school’s business/financial aid office. If the award letter is not provided to the college, the business/financial aid office may not properly apply the scholarship award to the student’s account.

CHANGE/DROP SCHOLARSHIP: If a student is awarded a scholarship and educational plans change, they need to drop or change the course(s) during the college’s add/drop timeframe to avoid a financial penalty and a grade of “W.” A grade of “W” will disqualify a student from future eligibility for this scholarship program.

Students may notify VDOE about a change/drop in course(s) awarded scholarship funds by:

• Requesting a scholarship change/drop in their online Scholarship Account

- OR -

• Sending VDOE an EMAIL requesting the scholarship change/drop.

Verification of Enrollment: After each scholarship application period closes, VDOE will send colleges a roster of students/courses awarded scholarships for that semester. If students are not enrolled in courses awarded scholarships, scholarship funds will be dropped for that semester.

Payment of Scholarship Awards: VDOE will pay scholarship funds to the college/institution of higher education directly after the college/institution of higher education invoices VDOE (generally after the college’s census date per the applicable semester). The scholarship program does not pay or reimburse students directly.

Course Grades: Students are required to earn a PASSING GRADE for all courses awarded scholarships. If a student receives a grade of “W” or “F” for courses paid by scholarship funds, the student will no longer be eligible for this scholarship program.

UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT: When students receive scholarships, they agree to provide a current unofficial transcript to VDOE (via email) at the end of each semester to verify final grades for courses awarded scholarships.

• If a student does not report grades for courses awarded scholarship funds, eligibility for additional scholarship awards will be conditional until grades are received.

• Students will no longer be eligible for VCCPSP awards if they receive a failing grade or withdrew from a course with penalty (grade of “W”) for courses paid by scholarship funds.

QUESTIONS? If you have questions or need more information about the Virginia Child Care Provider Scholarship Program, please email us at: vaccscholarship@doe.virginia.gov

VCCPSP is funded by the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), which is administered by VDOE. CCDF provides financial resources to improve the quality of early care and education in Virginia. The scholarship program is managed in accordance with Virginia Administrative Code.

Project Pathfinders: Additional financial assistance to help pay for college courses may be available through Project Pathfinders.

Project Pathfinders funding is available to educators either (1) employed and currently working with preschool-aged children (birth-five) or (2) dually enrolled in high school and community college to pursue an Early Childhood Development certificate/degree at a Virginia Community College. Project Pathfinders funding may be used in conjunction with VDOE scholarships to pay for additional courses, fees, and textbooks.

Learn more about Project Pathfinders at vecf.org/pathfinders or send an email requesting information to: pathfinders@vecf.org