[196] TECTA Providing New Scholarship Program For Tennesseans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 17, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Debbie Simpson, 615-898-5448

TECTA PROVIDING NEW SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR TENNESSEANS
Full Tuition Support Offered for Child Care Training

(MURFREESBORO)—Tennesseans who want to pursue their educations in child care or early childhood education have a new scholarship option, thanks to the Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance.

TECTA will be providing scholarships for the 2009-10 academic year to cover 100 percent of a recipient’s tuition, plus related expenses for Child Development Associate or Infant Toddler credentials, technical certificates and academic degrees as funds allow.

These scholarships provide full tuition support for one or two courses per term to retrain displaced and underemployed workers in the child care field as well as those who want to make the transition to a career in child care, organizers say. This is the first initiative to allow TECTA to provide full tuition support for students at both public and private two- and four-year institutions and is designed to remove the financial constraints for adults entering and returning to school.

The scholarship program is open to permanent residents of Tennessee who meet the requirements for admission.

“In keeping with the illustrious history of TECTA, we are extending our services to assist Tennesseans in overcoming the current economic condition with the provision of funding for tuition and mentoring in the field of early childhood education to individuals that have been affected,” says Katari Coleman, TECTA statewide program director.

An applicant may qualify if he/she:
• has lost a job due to a plant or job closing or layoff caused by corporate economic hardship or competition;
• is underemployed (employed but not in the desired capacity in terms of compensation, hours, or level of skill and experience);
• lives in a county affected by the current national economic crises; and
• is currently working directly or indirectly in the child care industry.

Those interested in applying for the scholarships should contact the TECTA site in their region. At MTSU, the TECA site phone number is 615-904-8318, or applicants may contact Site Director Debbie Simpson at dsimpson@mtsu.edu.

The TECTA program, managed by the Center of Excellence for Learning Sciences at Tennessee State University, is sponsored and funded by the Tennessee Department of Human Services. TECTA is a consortium of nine Tennessee Board of Regents universities and community colleges that provides an academic gateway for preparation of professional early childhood personnel. It provides support for tuition and services such as technical assistance for CDA applications and renewals.

The TECTA program is funded through a contract with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and the Center of Excellence for Learning Sciences at Tennessee State.


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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.