T.E.A.C.H. TALKVOLUME 3 •  NOVEMBER 2020

T.E.A.C.H. EARLY CHILDHOOD® NORTH CAROLINAQUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

A MESSAGE FROM THET.E.A.C.H. NC TEAMThe T.E.A.C.H. staff at Child Care Services Associationwould like to express our gratitude to all of the earlychild care educators and child care programs for yourdedication to the children and families of NorthCarolina. Each of you are essential workers and are onthe front lines every day of this pandemic. Being on thefront lines is not new to you. Before the pandemic youwere on the front lines working hard to educate andcare for our state’s most precious resource, ourchildren. We thank you for everything you do each dayto care for and teach those young minds and for givingparents the peace of mind to go to their jobs knowingthat their child is being cared for, taught and safe. Wesalute you and thank you tremendously for yourservice!

TAKE A PEEK!RECIPIENT

SPOTLIGHT - 1

SPONSORSPOTLIGHT - 3

SEMESTERREMINDERS - 4

OTHERANNOUNCEMENTS - 5

MEET YOUR T.E.A.C.H.NC TEAM - 10

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RECIPIENT SPOTLIGHT

"My name is Quawona Hill. I am a T.E.A.C.H. EarlyChildhood Scholarship recipient. The T.E.A.C.H.program is helping me achieve my Bachelor ofScience degree through the Birth-KindergartenEducation program. With 16 years of experienceworking with children in early childhood, I havereceived associate degrees in Early Childhood, inSchool-Age Development, in General Education andin Office Administration.

"I started T.E.A.C.H. in 2018. Without T.E.A.C.H. I amsure that I would not have had the opportunity tofurther my education. The benefits of T.E.A.C.H. havebeen great to me [for] paying for my school tuitionalong with the books. The paid time off to attendschool has been amazing. Fast-forwarding, I am fourclasses away from receiving my Bachelor of ScienceDegree at Western Carolina University. My futureplans are to teach children that are in Kindergarten."

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DID YOU KNOW...

Providing equitable access to the scholarship program where the racial/ethnic distribution ofscholarship participants closely resembles the racial/ethnic distribution of the generalpopulationEnsuring positive outcomes for children of color when their teacher matches their race/ethnicity

51% of the early care and education teacher workforce statewide are people of color (2019Working in Early Care and Education in North Carolina)53% of T.E.A.C.H. scholarship recipients were people of color, an increase from last year’sdistribution of 50%Nearly 48% of North Carolina’s

The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® North Carolina Scholarship Program is committed to achieving racialand ethnic diversity scholarship participants for two reasons:

In FY20, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® NC scholarship recipients represented the ethnic diversity of theearly care and education workforce and the children in our state.

population of children under 5 are children of color, and is expected to increase over time (2018 Kids Count data) See the chart comparing the specificdistribution of T.E.A.C.H. scholarshiprecipients’ ethnicities in FY19 and FY20to illustrate gains made in this area.

T.E.A.C.H. NC HAS CONSISTENTLY SUPPORTED THE STATE'S DIVERSEWORKFORCE? HERE'S OUTCOME DATA FROM FISCAL YEAR 2020.

Children’s Services – Head Start, Early Head Start and NC Pre-KHousing – Section 8 housing vouchers and family self-sufficiencyOlder Adults Services – Mobile meals, congregate meals and liquid nutritionTransportation – Public transit, medical para-transit and transportation for seniors and thedisabled.

Western Carolina Community Action (WCCA) serves four Western North Carolina counties byoffering programs and services that encourage self-sufficiency and healthier living in four areas:

With more than 200 employees, WCCA believes inthe power of professional development! In additionto annual training and certifications, WCCA’sChildren’s Services (CS) program activelyencourages and offers a formal educationassistance initiative to staff seeking to improve jobskills and/or expand their professional credentials.

While WCCA’s Children’s Services program receivestraining funds from Head Start, participation in theT.E.A.C.H. Scholarship program helps stretch thoseresources even further by providing direct financialsupport to help staff obtain advanced degrees, Birth to Kindergarten Certification and otherprofessional credentials. WCCA currently has T.E.A.C.H. recipients employed at seven child carecenters working toward earning their associate and bachelor’s degrees, and Birth-Kindergartencertification.

For some, the T.E.A.C.H. scholarship has made a meaningful difference in their professional career.In the words of one teacher assistant:

“Overall, T.E.A.C.H. has made it possible for me to actually get an education in the field I love. Theyare helping me get ahead in my life, set goals and work toward being able to provide more for my

own family. I owe my educational success to T.E.A.C.H. and WCCA!”

WCCA also has a Home Visitor and a Family Advocate staff member who are recipients of theEarly Care and Education Community Specialist scholarship. Partnering with T.E.A.C.H. supportsWCCA’s commitment to continuous quality improvement by attracting and nurturing a highlyqualified workforce.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

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SEMESTER REMINDERS

RECIPIENT CHECKLIST

Send in your signed contract to activateyour scholarship. This document MUST bereceived before any scholarship activitycan occur.Send your Request for Permission toRelease Information. You must check oneof the boxes, granting or denying uspermission to release personalinformation. Remember to sign and datethis document.You MUST send your Form B with itemizedreceipts for tuition and book, ifapplicable, every semester. You should beable to access itemized tuition statementsfrom Self Service or Web-Advisor.Itemized book receipts should beobtained from the bookstore or youronline purchaser.

T.E.A.C.H. NC wants to help ensure your academic success by including an abbreviatedrecipient checklist in this section of semester reminders. These reminders are our way ofcalling your attention to some of the more important aspects of the scholarship process thatcan pause or delay your scholarship process if ignored. If you need further explanation aboutany of these items please feel free to contact your scholarship counselor.

If you receive an invoice please makesure it is paid on or before the due date. Ifnot, this may pause your scholarship. Ifyou are not able to pay the invoice in full,please call our office to discuss paymentoptions.Send your unofficial transcript at the endof each semester. Please make sure youridentifying information and the school'sidentifying information are on thedocument. Please DO NOT write orhighlight on the document itself.

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OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTSCCSA will be closed November 26–27, 2020, and from December 24, 2020, through January1, 2021.

FAFSA DEADLINES2021-2022

North Carolina: As soon as possible after October 1, 2020. Awards are made until funds aredepleted.

College/University: Visit the school’s website or contact its financial aid office. Schooldeadlines are usually early in the year, often in February or March, although some are evenearlier.

Federal: The FAFSA form must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central time (CT) on June 30,2022. Any corrections or updates must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CT on September 10,2022.

VIRTUAL SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION SESSION WITH T.E.A.C.H.EARLY CHILDHOOD® SCHOLARSHIP NC

December 9, 2020, and December 14, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.Think college is not affordable? Learn how to earn a degree debt free and support staff ontheir college path. Teacher education points are a critical component of your program’s starrating.

Join us in this free virtual session! This session is ideal for early care and education providersincluding child care program owners, administrators and teachers.

Continue to check our website for more upcoming virtual scholarship information sessions.

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MASTER'S DEGREE

L’nette StokesNicole McCaskillLatoya SidesDoris GardnerJoseph CoffeyCassandra JohnsonRobin Fuller-JonesPriscilla Hayes

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KUDOS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

BACHELOR'S DEGREE

Teresa PrattAshley Pollard-MarlowAmanda EfirdDonna Lamb ScottLashonda BrooksShiniqua JordanKatie AllenMichelle DelkTopaz HolmanShaqueena BarrowASSOCIATE'S DEGREE

Regina YountDakota LocklearAlice BlackwellKrisha HubbardAlana NastCheryl ThompsonJoanna MaynorGrace OgbonnayaBurdette AugustinLavern LeachJenna BrewerMisty CottonMarquita JordanKayla Williamson

BIRTH-KINDERGARTENLICENSURE

Linda BullockTyesha BoggsJade MillerSequita SteeleMindy LaPanneGwendecker Conover

This section is dedicated to our Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 graduates. We are so proudof you!!!

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T.E.A.C.H. NC MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Name: Kawon Wood

Position: Counselor II

Education: BS Early Childhood Education

Experience in Early Childhood: 25 years

Time with T.E.A.C.H.: 8 months

Primary Counselor For: Alamance, Beaufort, Bladen,Brunswick, Cape Fear, Carteret, Central Carolina, CoastalCarolina, College of the Albemarle, Craven, Edgecombe,Fayetteville Tech, Halifax, James Sprunt, Johnston,Lenoir, Martin, Nash, Pamlico, Pitt, Robeson, Rockingham,Sampson, Sandhills, Southeastern, Wilson Tech, Vance-Granville and Wayne

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MEET YOUR T.E.A.C.H. NC TEAMEdith Locke, Division Vice President

Amy Duffy, Program Manager

Kimberly Bynum, Program Manager and Primary Counselor for recipients on our: Master’sDegree, LITL, and Preschool Add-On Scholarships

Takeasia McArn, Scholarship Counselor III and Primary Counselor for receipts attendingDurham Technical Community College, Piedmont Community College and StanlyCommunity College

Pam McGowan, Scholarship Counselor III and Primary Counselor for recipients attending:East Carolina University, Forsyth Technical Community College, Guilford TechnicalCommunity College, Shaw University, UNC- Greensboro, University of Mount Olive andWestern Carolina University

Tomonica Rice-Yarborough, Field-Based Outreach Coordinator and Primary Counselor forrecipients attending: Barton College, Brevard College, Catawba College, Elizabeth City StateUniversity, Fayetteville State University, Gardner Webb University, Greensboro College,North Carolina Central University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Pembroke, UNCWilmington, Wake Technical Community College and Winston-Salem State University

Kawon Wood, Scholarship Counselor II for recipients attending: Alamance CommunityCollege, Beaufort County Community College, Bladen Community College, BrunswickCommunity College, Cape Fear Community College, Carteret Community College, CentralCarolina Community College, Coastal Carolina Community College, College of theAlbemarle, Craven Community College, Edgecombe Community College, FayettevilleTechnical Community College, Halifax Community College, James Sprunt CommunityCollege, Johnston Community College, Lenoir Community College, Martin CommunityCollege, Nash Community College, Pamlico Community College, Pitt Community College...

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Felica Olds, Scholarship Counselor II and Primary Counselor for recipients attending: A-BTechnical Community College, Blue Ridge Community College, Caldwell TechnicalCommunity College, Catawba Valley Community College, Cleveland Community College,Davidson County Community College, Gaston Community College, Isothermal CommunityCollege, McDowell Technical Community College, Mitchell Community College, MontgomeryCommunity College, Randolph Community College, Richmond Community College, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, South Piedmont Community College, SouthwesternCommunity College, Surry Community College, Tri- County Community College, WesternPiedmont Community College and Wilkes Community College

Kathy Thornton, Quality Control Systems Coordinator and Primary Counselor for recipientsattending: Appalachian State University, Central Piedmont Community College andHaywood Community College

Schquita Battle, Administrative Department Manager and Primary Counselor for recipientson our Community Specialist Scholarship

Christie Warren, Administrative Assistant II

Monica Livingston, Administrative Assistant II

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Robeson Community College, Rockingham Community College, Sampson Community College, Sandhills Community College, Southeastern Community College, Wilson Technical Community College, Vance-Granville Community College and Wayne Community College

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MEET YOUR T.E.A.C.H. NC TEAM

Child Care Services AssociationT.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® North Carolina Scholarship Program

PO Box 231, Chapel Hill, NC 27514Phone: | Fax: 919-967-3272 919-967-7040