Child Care Providers Get Stipend ProgramOctober 27, 2008 |
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 Our county faces an ongoing child care crisis - a shortage of quality child care options and a dearth of credentialed teachers. To help fill this gap, the L.A. County's Child Care Planning Committee developed the Investing in Early Educators Stipend Program. Funded by the California Department of Education (CDE), the program assists early childhood teachers in going back to school to finish their credential by paying a percentage of tuition and expenses. The stipend program was created by legislative bill AB 212, to increase and reward career longevity in state-sponsored child development programs. Each county has a planning committee which decides how to award the stipends and in L.A. County, the award has been linked with attending classes and holding a child development permit. To qualify, the teacher must work in a center or home-based setting contracted by the CDE, or in a licensed setting in which 51 percent or more of the children receive subsidy from the CDE. Applicants also must teach 15 to 20 hours a week, have been employed for at least a year and hold a Child Development Permit awarded by the California Commission on Teaching. Qualifying family day care homes must have been licensed for a year. In state subsidized programs, the children are fully-subsidized. Now in its 10th year, the program has helped more than 10,000 students work toward an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree or a teaching credential. To learn more about the stipend program click here or call (213) 974-4103. First 5 LA contractor L.A. Universal Preschool has a similar program for teachers. To find out if you are eligible for the LAUP Professional Growth Plan (PGP) go to www.laup.net. ‹‹Back to this week's Monday Morning Report |
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