You are receiving this email because you are a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship recipient or sponsor. |
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In This Issue
- Take Note From Your Counselors
- 10,000 and Counting: Reaching a Milestone
- It's Tax Time!
- Training Opportunity: Professional Development for Group Child Care Centers
- Tips and Resources for Programs Sponsoring T.E.A.C.H. Recipients
- Common Question: Why does T.E.A.C.H. Have a Commitment Period?
- T.E.A.C.H. Handbook is Online!
- Save Time, Save Money, Get Resources: Join WEESSN Today!
- Your Voice Matters: Share Your Story
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Take Note from Your Counselors:
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Week of the Young Child is April 2-8, 2022. Watch for an email from WECA with fun and meaningful ways to celebrate!
- Please let your counselor know when you register for summer classes. This allows us to create the Direct Billing Authorizations (DBA).
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10,000 and Counting: Reaching a Milestone
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The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Wisconsin program recently reached a significant milestone! We awarded a scholarship to our 10,000th recipient in December, marking an important point in the program’s history and impact.
“This shines an important light on the hard work, accomplishments and dedication of T.E.A.C.H. scholarship recipients,” said Mary Erickson Gerbig, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Wisconsin Director. “Balancing the demands of school, work, family and personal lives is not an easy task, and the successes of TEACH recipients should be celebrated.”
T.E.A.C.H. provides scholarships to professionals who work in regulated early childhood and school-age care settings in an effort to make higher education more affordable, improve teacher compensation and increase retention.
Since its inception in 1999, T.E.A.C.H. has been proven to enhance the educational qualifications of child care professionals, reduce staff turnover costs and increase teacher commitment. In total, scholarship recipients have completed more than 55,000 courses for more than 87,000 credits, with 18,275 scholarships awarded to date.
“We are proud of all these milestones and look forward to the future of the program,” Erickson Gerbig said.
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It’s Tax Time!
It’s that time of year when people are asking questions about taxes. So, here are the details! The IRS expects ALL income, including any bonuses you receive from T.E.A.C.H., to be reported when one files taxes. Centers are required to take taxes out of your bonus because it is taxable income. T.E.A.C.H. does not take taxes out of the bonuses we send. However, if an individual gets over $600 in bonuses and/or REWARD stipends from WECA, we send an IRS 1099 Form, which must be recorded on one’s taxes as “other income.” If you have questions, please consult a tax professional.
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Training Opportunity: Professional Development for Group Child Care Centers
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Mark your calendars for an upcoming training opportunity for sponsoring programs to gain a stronger understanding of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Wisconsin program! This virtual session will be held Wednesday, April 6th from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and will cover how the T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship is a tool to support center-based staff in accessing higher education as they grow their professional career. T.E.A.C.H. staff will explain, in detail, the scholarship components, benefits for participating centers and employees, and a deeper explanation of program responsibilities and commitments.
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Tips and Resources for Programs Sponsoring T.E.A.C.H. Recipients |
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We know that the T.E.A.C.H. program has a variety of choices for participants to choose a path that is right for them. As a sponsoring program, you may not be able to support recipients on every path due to budgets, staffing, etc. We pulled together some tips from a T.E.A.C.H. Counselor to help programs figure out their options when it comes to sponsoring a T.E.A.C.H. recipient:
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Use our T.E.A.C.H. Cost Calculator to get an estimated cost of your scholarship shares to help plan your budget. See the cost difference between Technical colleges, UW schools, and Private schools.
- Discuss with the T.E.A.C.H. recipient about the school interested in attending to ensure the cost is affordable for both of you. You can choose a school that fits within your budget while keeping in mind about T.E.A.C.H. recipient’s learning mode for the courses.
- Talk with the T.E.A.C.H. recipient about the number of credits they plan on taking each semester. You can set the number of credits you are willing to support for each semester if you are on a budget.
- Plan and provide the 15 hours of release time that fits your needs as well as the T.E.A.C.H. recipient’s schedule. Release time is reimbursed to the program at the rate of $12.50 (15 hours X $12.50 = $187.50). This will be applied to any balance due to our program first. Then any reimbursement left will be issued a reimbursement check.
- Discuss when and how the bonus or raise will be issued at the end of the contract period. For example, it can be given when you receive the letter right away, halfway during the commitment period, or at the end of the comment period. This way, the T.E.A.C.H. recipient will know when to expect your bonus/raise from you when in the commitment period of the scholarship.
Other helpful tips for T.E.A.C.H. Sponsoring Programs:
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Ask your T.E.A.C.H. recipient once they are enrolled to give you the semester tuition cost. You will be able to determine what your actual scholarship shares will be. For example, if the tuition is $2000, then your scholarship shares would be $100.
- Inquire about reimbursement forms and grades turned in by or on semester due dates/ deadlines. Reimbursements will be applied to any balance due to our program first. Then any reimbursement left will be issued a reimbursement check.
- When there is a change such as the T.E.A.C.H. recipient’s employment, please let the scholarship counselor know immediately.
- Remind the T.E.A.C.H. recipient in the last semester when you will be issuing the bonus or raise again.
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Common Question: Why Does T.E.A.C.H. Have a Commitment Period? |
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Wisconsin is one of 25 states that offer a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship. The scholarship’s goals include promoting the professional development of the Early Childhood Education workforce by increasing education and compensation, reducing turnover, and increasing consistency of care for children.
T.E.A.C.H. is a unique and comprehensive scholarship in the supports it offers to students. T.E.A.C.H. is also unique in that it is a partnership program between the scholarship recipient, the sponsoring program and T.E.A.C.H.
Each of the 3 partners has a financial commitment with the scholarship. T.E.A.C.H. pays the majority of tuition, textbook and credential fee costs (if you are completing one of The Registry credentials on scholarship), along with a $75.00 travel stipend each semester. Each recipient also works with a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship counselor who supports them throughout the scholarship contract. At the end of each contract, T.E.A.C.H. issues a bonus to the recipient.
The sponsoring center pays 5% of your tuition each semester. Your center also provides you with 15 hours of paid release time each semester. In most scholarship models, your center has agreed to give you either a raise or a bonus for each scholarship contract you complete.
As a recipient, you are responsible for 5% of your tuition, and 25% of books and credential fee costs. Additionally, you make a commitment to remain employed at your center and/or a regulated child care program in Wisconsin (depending on scholarship model) for a designated period of time once you complete your course work and Registry commission (if applicable).
This commitment period is an important part of your scholarship, as it directly affects the scholarship goals of reducing turnover and increasing consistency of care. Your center has committed to financially supporting you in your education, and in turn, you commit to remaining employed at the center. It is something you should consider carefully when you are signing your scholarship contract, and when making the decision to renew your scholarship for another year. While T.E.A.C.H. pays you your bonus at the completion of your course work and submission of all required documentation, your center has the entire length of your commitment period in which to pay your raise or bonus. Centers may choose how and when they are going to issue your compensation; some may pay it when T.E.A.C.H. pays the bonus, some may split it into installments and pay it throughout the commitment period, while others will wait until the end of the commitment period.
If you have questions about your commitment period, T.E.A.C.H. bonus or the timing of your raise or bonus from your center, please contact your counselor.
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T.E.A.C.H. Handbook is Online! |
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If you have any questions or need more information about your T.E.A.C.H. scholarship, please keep this link handy to view the T.E.A.C.H. Handbook online! The handbook is designed to be a resource throughout your educational experience with T.E.A.C.H. In it, you will find:
- A welcome letter
- A checklist to keep you organized
- Tips for success
- Information you need to know about the scholarship program
- Important forms and other resources
You will receive (or have received) a hard copy of this handbook in the mail within one month of your scholarship award.
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Save Time, Save Money, Get Resources:
Join WEESSN Today!
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Group Center Directors and Family Child Care Providers: Do you wish you had more time? More resources? A dedicated team gathering the latest updates to help your ECE business thrive? The Wisconsin Early Education Shared Services Network (WEESSN) brings together family and center-based early care and education programs to pool resources and a network of supports.
Child care programs can save time and money by sharing resources, knowledge, and expertise. Being a part of a network allows you to be BIG where big is important (purchasing and sharing resources), while still staying small, where small is everything – providing care and education in your community, the way you know best. Read about our tiered level of services and how to join!
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Your Voice Matters: Share Your Story
Please share your T.E.A.C.H. success stories with us. How did the education you received on a T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship impact you, your family, and the children you teach? By giving us your story, we, in turn, share your story and its impact with potential T.E.A.C.H. recipients and funders.
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T.E.A.C.H. Talk is published once per month by the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association.
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T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Wisconsin
Wisconsin Early Childhood Association
2908 Marketplace Dr. Suite 101
Fitchburg, WI 53719
608-240-9880
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Explore more of what WECA has to offer:
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