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Stipends

Child Care Personnel & PreK Literacy Micro-Credentials 

Congratulations on successfully completing the Emergent or Elementary Literacy Micro-Credential! Complete the secure form below to facilitate payment of your $2,000 completion stipend. Please be sure to provide accurate information as soon as possible so your stipend can be processed quickly! 

All applications will be reviewed in the order they were received by our Stipends Processing Team to determine eligibility according to the requirements set by the Division of Early Learning (DEL) and FDOE (Florida Department of Education). Our team will reach out with next steps. 

A reminder for all applicants that stipends are currently only available for courses officially ending between July 1, 2024 and October 8, 2024.

Applications will close at midnight on October 8, 2024. Stipend applications are reviewed in the order they were received and are dependent upon budget availability.

Stipend Eligibility

If you are not an Early Childhood Personnel*, you are not eligible for the stipend at this time. 

Micro-Credential Completions between July 1, 2024 and October 8, 2024

• Be a VPK Instructor or Early Childhood Personnel* 
• Be employed at a Child Care Facility or SR/VPK Contracted Provider upon successful completion of the Emergent or Elementary Literacy Micro-Credential 
• Successfully complete mastery of the Emergent or Elementary Literacy Micro-Credential 

*Child care personnel is defined in ss. 1002.88(1)(e) and 402.302(3), F.S.; and VPK instructors are defined in ss. 1002.55, 1002.61, and 1002.63, F.S.

Stipend Application Steps

Applications for Micro-Credential stipends for programs completed between July 1, 2024 and October 8, 2024.

The application for stipends will close at midnight on October 8, 2024. The stipend application for programs ending after October 8, 2024, will be released later this fall. Stipend applications for programs ending before June 30, 2024, are now closed. 

• All submissions will be reviewed in the order they are received.
• Learners can only earn one (1) stipend for completing one of the three Literacy Micro-Credentials (Emergent, Elementary, or Secondary)
• Learners who have already received one (1) Micro-Credential stipend, will not receive another stipend. Those who have been previously paid a Literacy Micro-Credential stipend for courses prior to July 2024 will not be eligible to receive a second stipend for the completion of an additional Literacy Micro-Credential.
• Stipends are not guaranteed and dependent upon budget availability and eligibility. Stipend processing may take up to 8 weeks to process, please understand this is just an estimation and processing times vary by participant.
• Stipends are only available for courses officially ending between July 1, 2024 and October 8, 2024

Payment Distribution

Stipend distribution will be via Zelle (direct deposit) 

• You must have access to a smartphone or to online banking through your financial institution to receive the stipend.
• You must provide an email address or mobile number that’s already connected to your bank profile; or you can connect your bank account later with the mobile number or email address you provide and a debit card. The University of Florida is not responsible for any erroneous payment information.
• You will not  be asked to share your banking information with UF. 
• Please follow all steps in the Zelle Guide for Stipend Payments.
• To get started with Zelle please visit: https://www.zellepay.com/ 

Stipends Application and Employment Verification

At the end of the application, you must  upload your most recent pay slip as verification of your employment at an SR/VPK provider or child care facility. Contact your supervisor or school director, if you need help downloading your paystub. Please carefully follow the file upload instructions on the form closely to ensure your application can be processed. 

Recommended paystub file types: PDF, PNG, JPG. 

To be eligible for the stipend, you must complete mastery of the micro-credential and submit your application by October 8, 2024.

Stipends are only available for courses officially ending between July 1, 2024 and October 8, 2024. Please note, courses are only considered complete, and grading is only considered final, after the official end date of the course.  If the official end date of your course is not between July 1, 2024 and October 8, 2024 you may not be eligible for a stipend at this time.

For Child Care personnel, please ensure your workplace information for provider name, address, and License Number matches the information on https://caressearch.myflfamilies.com/PublicSearch  

By completing the application, you agree to the terms of stipend application, payment, eligibility upon completion of all requirements, aiding in verifying your eligibility, and that your employer must be eligible at the time of completion as a child care facility or VPK and/or SR contracted as applicable.