Award Amount
Cost of attendance (tuition, fees and living expenses) up to $7,500 per year.
Learn moreApplication Process
Complete the ECACE Scholarship application and FAFSA or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid every year.
Learn moreProgram Details
The Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship was created to address the severe shortage of qualified early childhood educators in Illinois. It aims to build a well-prepared workforce by offering financial aid to current professionals pursuing degrees or credentials.
NOTICE: 2026-27 Alternative Application
As of July 24, 2026, a federal district court ruled that undocumented students are no longer eligible to receive state financial assistance from the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the 2026-2027 school year. As a result, the 2026-27 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, the application certain undocumented students would have used to apply for state financial aid programs this academic year, is no longer available. This means that students who have submitted or planned to submit the 2026-27 Alternative Application, such as Illinois undocumented students, cannot be considered for this program for the 2026-27 school year.
The eligibility criteria for the 2027–28 Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid will be changing. This application is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2026. Please visit isac.org/AlternativeApp for more information.
For Students & Parents
To be eligible for the scholarship during the 2026-27 academic year, you must:
- be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen
- currently or have previously worked as a teacher, assistant teacher, director, family childcare provider, family childcare assistant or other eligible positions in a licensed or license-exempt facility that serves children from birth to age 5. (A listing of all eligible positions is available in the ECACE Applicant FAQs)
- have current membership in the Gateways to Opportunity® Registry
- be enrolled for at least 3 credit hours in an approved two-year or four-year ECACE member institution and be working toward one of the following undergraduate degrees:
- an associate of applied science degree or a related certificate in early childhood education,
- an associate degree with a concentration in early childhood education, OR
- a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, with or without a Professional Educator License (PEL)
- maintain good academic standing as determined by your college
- not be in default on federal student loans or owe refunds on state or federal grants. If you are in default, you may re-establish your eligibility using the Default Resolution Options to Regain Federal and State Student Aid
Scholarship recipients are expected to continue or return to teaching or providing direct services in the early childhood care and education field in the State of Illinois after completion of their program of study.
- Create a profile in the Application Portal or log into your existing account.
- Complete and submit the ECACE Scholarship Application. You must complete the annual program application every academic year you want to be considered for an award. You will be asked to submit REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION. An application is not considered complete until you submit all the following: (A) the Gateways to Opportunity Registry’s Eligibility Verification form, and only if required (B) the Reporting Prior Employment for ECACE Scholarship form if you have prior employment that is not listed in the Gateways to Opportunity Registry,
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA ®), or if applicable, the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid.
- You will get a confirmation email when ISAC receives your application. Applications may take up to 12 weeks to process.
- After your application has been reviewed, ISAC will notify you of your eligibility status and provide information about next steps. If your application remains incomplete, ISAC will contact you with instructions on how to provide the missing information.
Apply by May 31, 2026, for priority consideration. Applications received after March 31, 2026, will be considered only if funds remain after awarding all timely eligible applicants.
ISAC will notify all applicants of the decision on their application, including whether they have been selected to receive an award. The ECACE Scholarship pays up to $7,500 per year toward the cost of attendance after other financial aid is considered.
Depending on the college, students may be responsible for making tuition and fee payments until scholarship funds are received. Awardees who are waiting for scholarship funds should contact their college’s financial aid office, provide the scholarship award notice, and ask about the college’s payment policies.
- Licensed facility: A licensed facility is a childcare program in a center or home (family childcare) that is licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Most programs that serve more than three children aged 0-12 in a center or home are required to be licensed. Public and private schools and programs in other settings may not be required to be licensed and are typically categorized as “license-exempt”, if serving children aged three and older. These facilities include home-based childcare, community-based centers, school-based preschool, Preschool for All programs and HeadStart programs.
- License-exempt facility: A license-exempt facility refers to childcare that is not required to be licensed by DCFS. This may include programs operated by public or private elementary school systems, high schools, or institutions of higher learning; programs conducted on federal government premises; and other programs recognized or registered with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), if children in the program are aged three and older.
For the purposes of this program, licensed or license-exempt facilities must serve children from birth to age 5.
Applicant FAQs
Common questions are addressed in the ECACE Applicant FAQs. If you have other questions, contact an ISAC Student Engagement Representative by calling 800.899.ISAC (4722) or send an email to [email protected].
For Partners & Professionals
Program Details
Please review the applicant Eligibility, How to Apply, Dates and Timelines, and Award Amounts areas, above, for information on the ECACE Scholarship Program.
Program Funding/Appropriation
The 2027 fiscal year (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027) appropriation for the ECACE Scholarship Program is $5,000,000.
2026-27
The 2026-27 ECACE Scholarship application is now available.
The priority consideration date for the 2026-27 academic year was May 31, 2026.
As of July 9, 2026, colleges may now certify ECACE eligibility via the ECACE System. In order to ensure qualified applicants are considered when awarding takes place later this year, colleges are encouraged to complete and submit all certifications as soon as possible.
2026-27 ECACE Scholarship Priority Payment Request Deadline Dates
As part of our ongoing efforts to best leverage appropriated funds to award as many eligible students as possible, priority payment request deadline dates are established for each term.
- Term 1 (fall for semester and quarter schools) Priority Payment Request Deadline Date: Not yet determined
- Term 2 (spring for semester schools; winter for quarter schools) Priority Payment Request Deadline Date: Not yet determined
- Term 3 (spring for quarter schools) Priority Payment Request Deadline Date: Not yet determined
After submitting an application, applicants will receive an email confirming receipt. Applications may take up to 12 weeks to process. An application is considered timely if the application and any required documents are submitted on or before the priority consideration deadline.
After ISAC staff completes the initial review of the application and any required materials, all applicants are notified of their application status and will receive one of the following notices:
- Timely, complete application – student eligible
- Timely, complete application – student ineligible
- Untimely, complete application – student eligible
- Untimely, complete application – student ineligible
- Incomplete application – additional information is needed
- Eligible, but insufficient program funds are available for an award
After ISAC has determined that students meet the eligibility criteria for an ECACE Scholarship, schools must certify that students are eligible as part of the awarding and payment process. A certification record will be created in GAP Access for any student that requires certification, and only these students will be shown. Learn more about Certification in the ECACE User Guide.
After colleges have completed the Certification process, the award determination process begins. All timely applicants whose colleges or universities have certified their eligibility by the requested ISAC receipt date are included in the awarding process. The number of scholarship awards is based on the number of eligible applicants and the funds available for the program.
Eligible applicants will be awarded based on application complete dates, with renewal applications receiving priority consideration. The ECACE Scholarship is intended to be last payer after all other aid has been provided. Colleges determine the term award amount(s) for eligible recipients based on cost of attendance and other aid received.
All ECACE awards are paid directly to the college or university. A payment claim is submitted by the school to ISAC. Schools may submit ECACE Scholarship claims beginning 10 days prior to the start of the term for which payment is being requested. Funds are issued by the Illinois Comptroller’s Office on behalf of ISAC and the scholarship recipients. Learn more about payment processing in the ECACE User Guide.