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The QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship

Application

Apply now for exciting career opportunities in early childhood education

Spring 2026 Open
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QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship

If you work in an early childhood program participating in QUALITYstarsNY and you are pursuing an early childhood education degree or credit-bearing coursework, you may be eligible to apply for the QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship.

The QUALITYstarsNY Academic Scholarship, made possible by a partnership between QUALITYstarsNY and the Early Childhood Career Development Center, is a competitive scholarship that funds tuition for one course per semester (a maximum of two courses per year) for eligible QUALITYstarsNY participants.

Start finding your profile below to check your eligibility and apply for this opportunity!

Your Career Development Center Profile

The first step of the application is to let us know who you are. Click "Find Profile" button below to locate your Early Childhood Career Developent Center profile. Once we've found your profile, we'll send you a link to get started!

If you've ever reached out to us for help, registered for one of our events or applied to one of our programs, you probably already have a Career Development Center profile. If you are new to the Career Development Center, you will be able start a new profile and complete this application.

Note: If you are new to the QUALITYstarsNY scholarship, or have not met with your advisor for 3 months or more, you MUST meet with your advisor as soon as possible.

Find Profile

The first step of the application is to let us know who you are. Fill out the form below to locate your Early Childhood Career Developent Center profile. Once we've found your profile, we'll send you a link to get started!

Create Member Profile

Fill out your information below to create a profile with the Early Childhood Career Development Center.

Note: If you are new to the QUALITYstarsNY scholarship, or have not met with your advisor for 3 months or more, you MUST meet with your advisor as soon as possible.

You can schedule an appointment with your advisor by using the following link: Meet with an Advisor.

What county do you primarily / usually work in? If unemployed, what county do you live in?

What is this?

The Aspire Registry is New York's registry for early childhood professionals. The Registry allows the creation of an educational and professional profile and connects professionals to their licensed child care program.

Learn more about joining the Aspire Registry

Application Pre-Check

Answer the questions below to check your possible eligibility for this scholarship. Please don't forget to click "Submit Pre-Check" at the bottom of the form when you're done.

QUALITYstarsNY Employment

This scholarship program is available to the teaching staff and leadership in programs that are currently participating in QUALITYstarsNY. To qualify, you must have worked in QUALITYstarsNY programs for at least 1 year (12 months) as of January 26th, 2026 (the start of the upcoming Spring semester).

Note: If you've worked at multiple QUALITYstarsNY participating programs, you can add up your cumulative time at multiple programs to qualify as long as there was not a significant gap between positions.

Employment

College Enrollment

This scholarship is open only to students who have applied to college for the upcoming Spring 2026 semester, or are already admitted or enrolled in an ECE or related program of study.

Note: If you haven't yet applied to college, please wait to fill out this scholarship application until you have applied. If you need help applying, we encourage you to meet with one of our advisors. If you are new to the QUALITYstarsNY scholarship, or have not met with your advisor for 3 months or more, you MUST meet with your advisor as soon as possible.

QUALITYstarsNY Employment

You have not yet provided an Aspire Registry ID. Your employment at a QUALITYstarsNY program cannot be verified without your Aspire Registry ID. Please reach out to your Career Development Center advisor to add your aspire ID to your profile. To find your Aspire Registry ID, please log into your Aspire Registry account to ensure sure that you've provided the correct Aspire Registry ID.

To find your Aspire Registry ID, please log into your Aspire Registry account to ensure sure that you've provided the correct Aspire Registry ID.

The ID you provide should be your individual ID, not the Aspire Registry ID of your program.

Also check your employment tab to confirm that you have entered your current employment and it has been verified by your director.

Enter Employment Information

If you'd like to continue with the application while your records are being confirmed and matched, you may enter your employment manually. If you'd like to continue with the application while your records are being confirmed and matched, you may enter your employment manually.

Note: Your eligibility for the scholarship cannot be determined until your employment is entered and verified through The Aspire Registry.

Enter Current QUALITYstarsNY Employment

This scholarship is designed for current employees of QUALITYstarsNY participating programs.

If you are not currently employed at a QUALITYstarsNY participating program, you are ineligible for the QUALITYstarsNy Academic Scholarship. Please reach out to your regional Career Development Center Advisor and/or fill out our general Workforce Scholarships application..

Program / Site Information

Find your program's license

Years at Program

How long have you been employed at this program?

How long have you been in your current role at this program?

Employment In The Aspire Registry

Have you entered this information and had it verified in The Aspire Registry? If you need help, please reach out to The Aspire Registry support team.

Education Records

We couldn't find any existing education plan connected to your profile.

If you've worked with an Early Childhood Career Development Center Advisor before and believe you have education plans on file with us, please reach out to your advisor for assistance.

If you are new to the Career Center, please enter your educational enrollment details.

Note: If you are new to the QUALITYstarsNY scholarship, or have not met with your advisor for 3 months or more to discuss your education planning, you MUST meet with your advisor as soon as possible.

Enter Education Records

Please enter the name of the college and details about the degree or program of study you are requesting scholarship funds for.

You need to have applied to the college of your choice before filling out this application.

You will be required to provide an admission letter from this college by the end of the application period (November 14th) in order to be considered for this scholarship.

Note: If you have not yet applied to college, or have not yet decided what college you are attending, please reach out to your Regional Career Advisor for assistance before completing this application.

College

Select the college system.

Enrollment / Admission

Degree Details

Please select the major and minor closest to your program of study. If you don't see an option similar to your major/minor, please reach out to your regional Career Development Center Advisor and/or fill out our general Workforce Scholarships application..

Additional Education Details

Please answer ALL questions below to the best of your knowledge. Leaving any selection blank will prevent your application from being submitted.

College Admission / Enrollment Status

Note: If you have applied to college, you must provide an admission letter from your college before the end of the application period (November 14th) in order to be considered for this scholarship.

Confirm your current admission / enrollment status in this college.

Final Semester / Remaining Credits

Will the upcoming Spring 2026 semester be your final semester before completing your degree / program?

How many credits do you still need to earn to compelete your degree / program?

Required Study Plan

Are you currently required to be on a Study Plan in order to qualify to work in your current position?

Note: Study Plans are required when you do not meet the minimum education requirements for your current position. Study plans are a requirement of city, state or federal regulations and must be documented with your licensor / regulator (OCFS, DOHMH, NYSED or Head Start)

Select One

Required Study Plan
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Select your regional Career Development Center

We now have Career Development Centers in all 10 economic development regions of New York State. Select the county you most often work, or plan to work in to help us match you with your regional team. We'll remember your selection for the next time you visit.

Coursework

Add any courses you are enrolled in or are planning to take for the semester.

If you have any existing courses in your account, they should appear below.

If you do not know your courses yet, please click "Education Details" below to open a form and change your College Admission / Enrollment Status to "Admitted".

This education record currently has no courses listed for . You may add courses below, or reach out to your regional Career Advisor for guidance.
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