If you are a child care educator in DC, you can apply to receive a scholarship to work towards your associate or bachelor’s degree through the DC Leading Educators toward Advanced Degrees (DC LEAD) program. We—the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)—want to support and celebrate DC child care educators meeting the
education requirements for teachers, assistant teachers, directors and home/expanded home caregivers and associate caregivers in licensed child development centers and homes in the District of Columbia.
Scholarship
Scholarships cover the cost of tuition and books for associate and bachelor's degrees at Southeast Children’s Fund
partnering colleges and universities. You may also receive:
- Help and guidance in applying to a college or university, if needed;
- Mentorship and advisor support;
- Technology, such as a laptop, to help you with your studies; and
- Paid time off from work to attend classes while enrolled in college.
How do I apply?
Fill out this application to apply for the scholarship program. It typically takes around 10-15 minutes to complete. If you need to pause while completing the application, you can save your responses and return later by clicking the "Save and Continue Later" button at the top right of your screen. If you have them handy, please gather transcripts, foreign credential evaluations and/or college acceptance letters. If you don't have them, that’s OK. You can apply without them and we'll follow-up via email to gather them in the coming weeks. The documents that may be needed based on your application are included below: