Academic Scholarships – Montessori
Academic Scholarships – Montessori provides tuition assistance and a support stipend to approved early childhood educators who are pursuing their Montessori program credential at a MACTE Accredited Montessori Program (infant/toddler and early childhood programs of study only).
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Apply to Scholarships no earlier than 60 days before your course begins.
Am I eligible?
To qualify for our Scholarships program, you must meet the following criteria:
Legal Status
You’re one of the following:
- United States citizen
- Legal permanent resident
- Qualified alien
Employment
- You must have maintained 6 months of continuous employment in one of the following roles (volunteer work, practicums, and internships do not qualify):
- Teacher
- Assistant teacher
- Floater
- Director
- Assistant director
- Owner
- You must work a minimum of 30 hours per week if your employer is one of the following:
- A child care learning center licensed by DECAL or the Department of Defense
- A family child care learning home licensed by DECAL
- An exempt Georgia Head Start center
- A Georgia Lottery-funded Pre-K program in a public school
- You must work a minimum of 15 hours per week if your employer is:
- A before/after school program licensed by DECAL
Download:
Your guide to Academic Scholarships – Montessori
Our team created a handout that has all of the important details about Academic Scholarships for Montessori programs on one page. Feel free to download, print it out, and share it.
What is Montessori?
Montessori is a type of school founded on the Montessori method of education – a type of educational method that involves children’s natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills.
Academic Scholarships – Montessori
Frequently Asked Questions
The Academic Scholarships POWER-ED wage supplement program will end at the conclusion of the Fall 2024 semester.
DECAL Scholars Academic Scholarships recipients (earning college credentials/degrees and the Montessori Program Credential) will receive one final $1,000 POWER-ED wage supplement for fall of 2024. There is not a separate application for this final POWER-ED payment.
The CDA Training POWER-ED program will remain.
Renewal is easy if you’ve received Academic Scholarships for a Montessori program credential for a previous term (within the past year) and remain employed at your eligible place of employment. You don’t need to fill out new application – simply submit the following documents prior to your next semester:
- Proof of Enrollment and Good Standing Letter
- Copies of two recent pay stubs reflecting your name, the name of your employer, and your gross (before deductions) wages. Family child care learning home providers and owners who do not pay themselves W2 wages submit a copy of last year’s Schedule C or other federal tax form documenting net business income.
Montessori program terms are defined for the DECAL Scholarships program as follows: January-May, June-July, and August-December.
If you change employers, please submit a new application.
DECAL Scholars Montessori Program Scholarships recipients are not eligible to receive Incentives until they complete their educational program and have received their credential. You can apply for our Incentives program once you have received your MACTE-accredited Montessori credential (for Infant/toddler and Early Childhood Programs only).
More information can be found here.
No. State and federal financial aid is not offered for MACTE-accredited Montessori Program Credentials.
If you meet the eligibility requirements each term you are enrolled, you will receive Scholarships funds as follows:
- A maximum of $2,496 per term (Montessori program terms are defined for the DECAL Scholarships program as follows: January-May, June-July, and August-December) toward the cost of tuition and mandatory fees at your Montessori program
You will also receive a support stipend as follows:
- $500 per term
Montessori program terms are defined for the DECAL Scholarships program as follows: January-May, June-July, and August-December.
Only if your administrative position is as an assistant director, director, or owner.
For the full list of eligible roles, please refer to the eligibility requirements towards the top of this webpage.
At this time, there are only two MACTE-accredited programs that meet the requirements for our Scholarships program: the Montessori Teacher Education Institute of Atlanta and Grace Montessori Teacher Education.
MACTE is the international standard setting and accrediting body for Montessori teacher education. MACTE was granted initial recognition by the U.S. Department of Education in 1995. The Montessori Teacher Education Institute of Atlanta holds accredited status for its Early Childhood and Infant Toddler certification course levels from the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE). Click here to learn more.
Montessori is a type of school founded on the Montessori method of education – a type of educational method that involves children’s natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills.
It is important that you send all supporting documents at the time of completing your application to avoid any delays in processing.
DECAL Scholars accepts legible PDFs, screenshots, photo copies, scans, and photos. Please do not send documents as links.
ALL documents must be received by the last day of classes in the semester of which you are applying, to be considered for eligibility.
The Montessori Program Credential is a certification awarded by an eligible MACTE-accredited training program. The only two institutions that meet this requirement at this time are: the Montessori Teacher Education Institute of Atlanta and Grace Montessori Teacher Education. The credential is recognized by Montessori schools and is valuable for a teacher that is working or desires to work at a Montessori school.
Learn more about Montessori Program Credential Scholarships here.
- Acceptance letter
- Copy of two recent pay stubs
- Copy of your Georgia Professional Development System Profile – click here to learn more about GaPDS
- Copy of the front and back of a secure and verifiable document – click here to see the list
- (Optional) Enrollment contract
- (Optional) Course schedule