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Heartland Community College

ECE News and Opportunities

ECE Scholarship Opportunities

ECACE Scholarship

Information on Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship status can be found here. You can access a comparison of state funding sources here.

Gateways Scholarship

The Gateways Scholarship Program pays a portion of tuition for eligible professionals working for at least one year in their current job. (90 days if employed at an Excelerate Bronze, Silver or Gold Circle of Quality program.) Recipients must work an average of 15 hours per week and meet wage requirements. They also must commit to future work in ECE. More information on the Gateways Scholarship can be found here. For the Gateways Scholarship FAQs please check here. More information on the work commitment is here and the Gateways Scholarship application can be accessed here.

Heartland Community College Foundation Scholarships

The Heartland Community College Foundation awarded over 250 scholarships to local students totaling over $475,000 in financial support this year. The scholarship application for the FALL 2024/SPRING 2025 school year is currently available, and the deadline for submission is Sept. 1, 2024. More information on the scholarships can be found here. If you have any questions, please contact scholarships@heartland.edu.

State Navigator

Kerisa Fish, the state navigator assigned to assist ECE students in HCC’s district, helps students with scholarship applications, FAFSA, the Gateways Registry, transfer to four-year institutions and professional development. You can reach her at Kerisa@ccrrn.com or 309-531-2959.

Transfer to Four-year Institutions

Students who earn an associate’s degree at Heartland and are interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in ECE have many options including Heartland’s main transfer partner Illinois State University. ISU offers both a traditional in-person education curriculum and an Early Childhood Online Workforce Program for students who have acquired their ECE Level 4 Credential. This two-year program is built for professionals working in settings with children ages birth through five to obtain a bachelor’s degree and Professional Educator License in Early Childhood (birth-grade 2). More information is here.

HCC Advising or State Navigator Kerisa Fish can help students find other four-year institutions across the state that offer both online and in-person curriculums.