Build, Learn, Grow Scholarships Help Hoosiers Working in Essential Businesses with Early Education Costs

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Build, Learn, Grow initiative, has made 50,000 scholarships available to help get Hoosier children from families working in essential industries – regardless of income - enrolled in early care and education, summer learning or out-of-school care. Scholarships run from May through October 2021 and will cover up to 80% of the early care and education program’s tuition for each child age 12 and younger. Information is available at www.BuildLearnGrow.org.

For families to qualify for Build, Learn, Grow scholarships, an adult in the household must work in an essential business (examples include health care, human services (like FSSA), retail, restaurant and food service, essential infrastructure, media, manufacturing and logistics, religious and charitable organizations and many others). Income guidelines are outlined here. Families will qualify for The Build, Learn, Grow scholarship to cover 80% of their cost with incomes of up to 250% of the federal poverty level. Families with incomes between 251% and 400% of FPL will qualify for 60% of costs covered and those with incomes at 401% of FPL and above will qualify for 20% of costs covered.

Families should complete the Build, Learn, Grow Scholarship Fund application found here and submit it to their early care and education provider. Families not currently connected to an early care and education program will be able to find a list of participating programs on the Build, Learn, Grow website also on the eligibility page. All providers who currently accept federal child care assistance are encouraged to enroll.

The scholarships are funded by more than $101 million provided to Indiana by the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, or CRRSA. To administer the Build, Learn, Grow scholarship program, the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning has partnered with Early Learning Indiana and Indiana Afterschool Network, the state’s leading organizations supporting early care and education and out-of-school-time programs. Early care and education and out-of-school-time programs interested in receiving children with Build, Learn, Grow scholarships can learn more at www.BuildLearnGrow.org.