In order to be eligible for the Back to Work Scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:

• Student experienced an economic loss within the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as lost or adverse changes in employment, increased food or housing insecurity, had to withdraw from college after March 13, 2020, or suffered another form of economic loss.
• Student is seeking to enroll or already enrolled in an undergraduate degree or certificate program related to the Early Childhood field.
• Student is enrolled (or plans to enroll) at a Colorado Public Institution of Higher Education.
• Student can complete credential or degree by June 30, 2024.
• Student is a Colorado resident with in-state tuition and has an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of 14614 or less as determined by FAFSA or CASFA. To learn more about the EFC requirement, click here.
• Student has not already received a Back to Work Scholarship or another Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative (COSI) Scholarship.

The Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) is an equal opportunity scholarship provider. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, military status, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in any of its activities or operations. Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students are welcome to apply!

Applicants do NOT need to be employed in order to qualify for the Back to Work Scholarship. The Scholarship and Career Navigation Coordinator can even help you find your next job in the ECE field!

Yes. The Back to Work Scholarship is for students that want to earn a degree or a certificate from a Colorado Public Institution of Higher Education.

Applications for the Back to Work Scholarship are submitted online through ECCLA’s scholarship application platform. The online application uses SSL encryption which ensures your application information is 100% secure. Visit this link to apply!

Yes! Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students are welcome to apply! The Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) is an equal opportunity scholarship provider. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, military status, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in any of its activities or operations.

Participants who have been awarded the Back to Work Scholarship are required to:

• Complete required scholarship forms (Scholarship Packet, Surveys, etc.)
• Schedule and attend an initial scholarship meeting with Cameron Fall, the Scholarship and Career Navigation Coordinator
• Attend and successfully pass all courses required for your degree or certificate
• Complete your degree or certificate by June 30, 2024, or the end of the Spring 2024 semester.
• Submit grades to ECCLA after each semester
• Submit expenses and receipts/billing statements to document educational expenses
• Communicate regularly with Cameron Fall, the Scholarship and Career Navigation Coordinator
• Create an account with the State’s Professional Development Information System (PDIS) – if not already created

Participants will receive a one-time scholarship award, up to $2,500! Funds can be spread across your entire degree or certificate, so you can save them for when you need them. Funds can also be used to cover a variety of expenses, including:

• Tuition costs and any fees related to admission or enrollment
• Books and supplies (including up to $1,000 towards the cost of a personal computer)
• Living expenses defined as A: housing, food, clothing, transportation and out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, for students who do not contract with a school for room and board, and B: the cost of room and board, an allowance for the cost of housing and food while attending college or career school)
• Transportation costs to/from classes
• Student loan fees
• Child Care or other dependent care
• Costs related to a disability

Participants are offered the following supports:

• Support in enrollment, registration, understanding the total cost of obtaining your degree, FAFSA, CASFA, financial aid, scholarships, and more!
• Support in navigating institutional barriers, academic hurdles, and social, wellness, familial, and personal concerns
• 1:1 support to ensure progression toward the completion of your credential/degree
• Support in connecting to resources, careers, and transitioning back into the workforce

You will be working with Cameron Fall, the Scholarship and Career Navigation Coordinator at ECCLA. You can reach Cameron by email or phone at 720-899-3048.

Yes. All applicants are required to complete either the FAFSA or the CASFA and must have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of 14614 or less

Students who are eligible for Federal Title IV aid should complete the FAFSA, not the CAFSA. Students who do not have lawful immigration status and who do not meet the qualifications of the FAFSA should complete the CASFA.

“Verification of FAFSA/CASFA” means that you need to upload documentation that shows that you’ve applied for either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA) and that you have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of 14614 or less. An example of documentation would be a PDF or screenshot of your most recent EFC number.

The Back to Work: Early Childhood Education Scholarship Program works with all Colorado Public Institutions of Higher Education that offer early childhood degrees and certificates. You can find the list of approved colleges here.

“Impacted by COVID-19” is a term that comes from Back to Work’s eligibility guidelines. When we say, “impacted by COVID-19,” we mean that the student experienced an economic loss within the last 2 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as lost or adverse changes in employment, increased food or housing insecurity, had to withdraw from college after March 13, 2020, or suffered another form of economic loss.

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is a number that determines your eligibility for certain types of federal student aid. This number is calculated with the EFC formulas, which use the information that students provide on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). Financial aid administrators at colleges subtract your EFC from your cost of attendance to determine your need for the following federal student financial assistance offered by the U.S. Department of Education:

• Federal Pell Grants
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
• Subsidized Loans through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program
• Federal Work-Study (FWS)

The Back to Work Scholarship is for students that want to earn a degree or a certificate from a Colorado Public Institution of Higher Education. Students have many different options when choosing a degree or certificate program. In fact, Back to Work can be applied to any college degree or certificate that is related to Early Childhood Education. Click here to check out the colleges along with what degrees and certificates they offer!

Impact by the COVID-19 pandemic can be qualified as:

• You lost or experienced adverse changes in your employment, or
• You experienced increased food or housing insecurity, or
• You had to withdraw from college after March 13, 2020 (the beginning of the pandemic), or
• You suffered another form of economic loss

This eligibility guideline is meant to be broad and vague to allow for as many students as possible.

To find your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA, follow these steps:

• Login as a student to the FAFSA form (Click on the option that says “I am a student and want to access the FAFSA form”)
• Once logged in as a student, the most recent FAFSAs you have completed should show up. It may say 2021-2022, 2022-2023, or 2023-2024. The Back to Work Scholarship Application asks for documentation of your most recent FAFSA.
• Click on the academic year that you want to see the EFC Number for, scroll down, then click View Student Aid Report.
• Your EFC Number will on the first page of your Student Aid Report. It will look like this: Expected Family Contribution: #####
• You can save your SAR as a PDF or take a screenshot and attach it to your application  (or you can email it to Cameron Fall).