Compass Early Learning Center

 

MCUM is happy to offer 10 annual scholarships for tuition at the Compass Early Learning Center! Our goal is to help families who do not qualify for the federal (CCDF/CASY) or state (On My Way PreK) voucher programs but are below Monroe County’s “Self-Sufficiency Standard” find relief by discounting your weekly tuition and build stability and assets.

 

Scholarships are offered on a rolling basis and are awarded in one of the three tiers described below. All funds will be credited directly to your account in Procare.

 

Basic Eligibility:

• Family must fall in the $115-170 per child weekly fee scale range.
• All caregivers (adults) in the home must be working full time, in school full time, or working 25+ hours/week while attending school. 
• The enrolling head of household parent/guardian must complete an exit interview at the end of the year.

 

Scholarships in all tiers begin at the starting discount, plus a 5% increase for each of the following criteria:

• single parent families
• recipient meets 1 of the following criteria: minority, non-native English speaker, child has a disability
• adult agrees to meet with a coach to design and pursue a savings plan for the money diverted from tuition
• adult in household has completed a Your Path module in 6 months preceding scholarship and/or has been an active Your Path client for 90 days preceding scholarship application
  • adult in household completes a Your Path module during the scholarship year and/or has been an active Your Path client in good standing for 6 months during the scholarship year

 

Scholarship Tiers are Organized as Fol

 

Application Process:

Step 1: Complete this application. You will need to upload the following documents: ID, two most recent consecutive pay stubs for all earners in the household.

Scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis.

 

Step 2: Your application will be reviewed to ensure you meet eligibility criteria and determine your starting tier and percentage discount. A team of 3-5 reviewers will make a final determination. 

 

Step 3: If your application is awarded, you will be notified to schedule your initial Bridge Assessment meeting. A Bridge Assessment meeting is required to ensure MCUM is providing full and meaningful support to your family. If your application is denied or you are placed on the waitlist, you will be notified.

Decisions will be made within 31 days.

 

Because there are a limited number of scholarships we can offer each year, they will be awarded based on a combination of factors from your application, including:

 

• Availability: We can offer 10 scholarships per year, with a cap of 5 in Tier 1, 3 in Tier 2, and 2 in Tier 3. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and awarded as funds become available. We will maintain a wait list for scholarships.
• Eligibility (Questions 1-5): Recipient must fall into the weekly scale range of $115-170, with all adults in the home working full time, in school full time, or a combination thereof. Must be willing to complete two Bridge Assessments and an Exit Interview.
• Financial goals: Ability to explain/demonstrate savings plans (if applicable), financial goals, etc. in your application and show how saving childcare tuition income contributes toward your achievement of those goals.
• Quality of Application: Because these scholarships are worth up to $7,000 each, we are looking for applications that are complete, with thoughtful answers. If more applications are submitted than scholarships to distribute for any tier, priority will go to the application(s) that demonstrates the applicant’s commitment to pursuing savings goals or a specific asset.

 

 

Commitment to the Goals:

This program is designed with very specific goals to help families (1) find relief by discounting your weekly tuition and (2) build assets by helping you reinvest a portion of your weekly tuition discount into a savings account. If a recipient does not maintain eligibility, good standing in the Compass program (on time tuition, adherence to policies), and/or meet the obligations of their scholarship tier as defined above, the scholarship may be reallocated to a new recipient.

Please attach the following documents:

• Driver's License / State ID
• Two (2) months most recent, consecutive pay stubs for all wage earners in the household

11. Bridge Assessment

This is MCUM's Self-Sufficiency Center Bridge Assessment Tool. Please select the answer that most closely resembles your current position in each of the categories described below. 

 

Your responses to these questions will not determine the value of your scholarship, but rather will help guide some conversations about local resources and your personal goals over the scholarship year. 

Thank you for your interest in Compass Early Learning Centers Scholarship and for taking the time to complete an application. Click the button below to Submit your application.