Virginia Law

A. Priority will be given to applicants currently employed in the field of child care. If funds remain available, the applications will be processed and scholarships awarded in order of date received.

B. In order for an applicant to be eligible for a scholarship, he must meet all of the following criteria. The applicant must:

1. Be one of the following:

a. An employee of a child care program located in Virginia; or

b. Domiciled in Virginia as defined in § 23-7.4 of the Code of Virginia and (i) employed in a child care program outside of Virginia or (ii) have declared an intent to become employed in child care.

2. Select a department-approved course for which he has not previously received scholarship funds; and

3. Have no more than one occurrence of the following for courses for which the applicant received a Virginia Child Care Provider Scholarship:

a. Did not register for the course after receiving an award;

b. Did not complete the course and received a grade of "W" for withdrawal; or

c. Did not receive a passing grade.

In the event of such an occurrence, the department will not award future scholarships to an individual until the applicant reimburses the state for the course(s) tuition and fees that were paid to the college or university on behalf of the applicant.

C. An applicant does not have to be enrolled in or have already taken a course in early childhood education or a related major to be eligible for a scholarship.

D. Scholarships will only be awarded if the department has adequate information to process scholarship requests. The department must have received final course grades and payment information on courses that have been previously approved for scholarships. In addition, scholarships will be awarded on a conditional basis for those persons who are in jeopardy of becoming ineligible to receive a scholarship as specified in subdivision B 3 of this section. In these instances, the department will review enrollment and grade information when provided by the institution for the current enrollment period and if the applicant is in compliance with subdivision B 3 of this section, the scholarship will be fully awarded.

E. The scholarship will only pay tuition and the technology fee for each course.

F. Applicants shall not receive scholarships for more than two courses per semester.

G. Scholarships shall not be transferred between semesters or individuals.

H. Scholarships are awarded only for courses approved by the department. The department will determine whether a course meets the definition of a "course" as defined in 8VAC20-840-10.

I. Recipients may receive a total lifetime award of no more than the average tuition for eight community college courses or their monetary equivalent.

J. A recipient may use scholarship funds to attend any combination of Virginia public or private accredited two-year or four-year institutions over a period of time.

K. All applicants will be notified in writing regarding the acceptance or denial of their application.