Summary

The cost of higher education can be a major obstacle for early educators seeking to pursue higher education, but there are financial relief strategies states are employing to help. This research-to-practice brief outlines five strategies states are using to promote early educators’ access to higher education, as well as opportunities to advance our knowledge of what strategies work best to meet early educators’ needs.

• Offering student loan forgiveness options
• Using established scholarship models, such as T.E.A.C.H., to provide tuition assistance
• Incentivizing degree completion with refundable tax credits 
• Offering state- or institution-specific scholarships 
• Increasing compensation for those who obtain degrees 

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