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Financial Opportunities for Aspiring and In-service Educators
Multiple opportunities to recruit educators via stipends, scholarships, and other awards are currently available. Below is a list of these opportunities with links to more detailed information. A downloadable version of this page can be accessed here. This page was last updated on September 27, 2024.
Support For | Strategy | Partner | Initiative Explanation | Funding | CDE or Resource Link |
Aspiring educators | TEACH Colorado | Free information on teacher preparation programs; 1:1 licensure coaching from current educators; application fee reimbursements; scholarships; and testing, resume, and cover letter guides | Variable scholarships and application fee reimbursements for subscribers | ||
Alternative teachers, educators on a TEE, aspiring CTE teachers, paraprofessionals in an educator preparation program | Tuition financial assistance |
Educator candidates committing to teach in a shortage area for 3 years can receive up to $10,000 in one-time financial assistance toward their educator preparation program tuition. |
Up to $10,000 to pay for the educator preparation program fees | ||
Rural student teachers (those completing student teaching/clinical residency at a Colorado educator preparation program) | Colorado Rural Teaching Stipend |
The value of the stipend is up to $4,000 for the semester of student teaching. Stipend recipients are expected to complete student teaching in a Colorado rural school district and then apply to and work in a rural school district for two years. |
Up to $4,000 | ||
Rural student teachers in a year-long clinical residency | Colorado Rural Teaching Fellowship |
The $10,000 Colorado Rural Teaching Fellowship is available to selected candidates who complete a year-long clinical experience (student teaching residency) in a rural school district during the final year of their teacher preparation programs. Candidates who are selected for this fellowship, Rural Teaching Fellows, receive $5000 from their institute of higher education and $5000 from the Colorado Department of Higher Education and $5,000 in matching funds from their institute of higher education (IHE). School districts can partner with the IHE to help cover the $5,000 match to include ESSER funds. |
$10,000 | ||
Rural in-service teachers | Rural In-service Educator Stipend | The Colorado Center for Rural Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education encourage talented in-service PK-12 educators working in a rural Colorado school district to pursue the coursework necessary to: (a) qualify to teach concurrent enrollment courses, (b) add an additional endorsement; or (c) fulfill a local need. The Rural Inservice Educator Stipend provides recipients who commit to teach in a rural district for 3 years with up to $6,000 to offset costs associated with a qualifying program provided by one of Colorado’s institutions of higher education. | Up to $6,000 | ||
Rural in-service teachers | National Board Certified Teacher – Application | The Colorado Center for Rural Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education encourage talented K-12 educators in rural Colorado school districts to pursue National Board Teacher Certification (NBCT). All NBCT stipend recipients who commit to teach in a rural district for three years will receive support and mentorship from NBCT facilitators in a Colorado Rural National Board cohort. | $4,250 | ||
Special Services Providers (Rural) | Special Services Provider Stipends | The Special Services Provider Stipend (SSPS) provides recipients who commit to serve in a rural district for three years with up to $6,000 to pay for a variety of program-related costs (e.g., application fees, official transcripts, evaluation, tuition and fees, exams, fingerprinting, licensing, technology and travel costs). The Colorado Department of Education recognizes these special services providers: school audiologists, school counselors, school nurses, school occupational therapists, school orientation and mobility specialists, school physical therapists, school psychologists, school social workers and school speech-language pathologists. | Up to $6,000 | ||
K-12 Educators & Special Service Providers - mainly for those who serve in rural and hard-to-fill positions in Colorado early in their career |
Colorado Educator Loan Forgiveness | Those who qualify are eligible to receive up to $5,000 in loan forgiveness for a given cycle of the program. Program qualifications can be found at the link to the right. The application is currently closed and will reopen Spring 2025. |
Up to $5,000 annually for up to 5 years | Colorado Educator Loan Forgiveness | |
Tutors | AmeriCorps, TutorCorps Reading Tutors, Math Tutors |
Become an AmeriCorps member to serve as a reading or math tutor in Colorado or serve in the Youth Mental Health Corps. *Tutoring often can lead to being prepared as a licensed educator. If you become a member, you can learn more about using your tutoring service to help become a licensed educator. |
Variable living stipend | ||
High School Aspiring Educators | Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation (TREP) | High school students interested in becoming an educator can enroll in TREP, a concurrent enrollment program that allows them to take an articulated pathway of courses tuition-free for up to two years after their 12th-grade year. | TREP | ||
Educator Preparation Candidates | Student Educator Stipends |
The student educator stipend program awards money to an eligible student to compensate them for their clinical experience in an academic residency position. |
Candidates placed in a semester-long academic residency may receive a stipend of up to $11,000, and those in a year-long academic residency may receive a stipend of up to $22,000. | CDHE | |
Educator Preparation Candidates | Student Educator Test Stipend Program | The educator test stipend program awards stipend money to approved preparation programs to reduce financial barriers for eligible students preparing for or taking the Praxis exam(s) required for licensure. Stipends are paid by the preparation program to eligible students to pay the fees and costs associated with the assessment of professional competencies, which may include preparation materials or courses, and travel and lodging costs for getting to a testing site. | CDHE | ||
Aspiring educators enrolled in Education or Early Childhood Education programs at Colorado community colleges | Career Advance Colorado | Starting in August of 2023, students enrolled in qualifying programs will have their tuition, fees, course materials, and other costs covered while funding is available. | Varies | Career Advance Colorado | |
Aspiring educators enrolled in Colorado public institutions of higher education | Colorado Promise | Beginning in Fall 2024, students who attend Colorado public institutions of higher education with family incomes of $90,000 or less are eligible for complete reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs for tuition and fees for the first two years of postsecondary education in the form of a tax credit. | Colorado Promise |
Additional Information for Job Postings and Positions
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