New York Child Care Scholarship: Up to $2,500

If you work directly with children in a regulated child care program in New York, you may be able to get help paying for college courses, professional credentials, coaching, CPR training, workshops, and other approved professional development.

The Educational Incentive Program, or EIP, is a New York scholarship program designed to help eligible child care professionals pay for education and training that can strengthen their skills and improve the quality of care they provide.

Applications for the 2026 program must be submitted by December 1, 2026, but funding can run out before the end of the scholarship year, so eligible providers should not wait until the deadline.

How Much Funding Is Available?

Depending on the type of education or training, eligible applicants can receive up to:

$2,500 for college courses
$2,500 for CDA and other approved credential training
$1,100 for approved coaching
$700 for approved trainings, workshops, and conferences
$125 for classroom CPR and First Aid training
$95 for approved blended CPR and First Aid training

The amount you receive depends on your eligibility, household income, and the training you choose. Some applicants may qualify for 100% of the eligible amount requested, while others may qualify for 75%. Income thresholds are also higher for people living in New York City, Nassau, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester counties.

Who Can Apply?

For most EIP scholarships, applicants must be paid employees or directly supervise paid employees, in an eligible child care program regulated by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services or the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Eligible settings can include licensed day care centers, registered family day care programs, licensed group family day care programs, registered school-age childcare programs, and qualifying child care Head Start programs.

Applicants must normally be caring for children as part of the program’s required adult-to-child ratio, or directly supervise employees who do.

Volunteers, consultants, legally exempt programs, summer day camp staff, and some other roles are not eligible for the main EIP scholarship. However, all paid staff working in qualifying regulated programs can apply for EIP assistance for CPR and First Aid training, subject to the program requirements.

What Can the Scholarship Pay For?

EIP can help with approved college tuition and mandatory college fees, CDA preparation and assessment costs, approved credential programs, coaching, conferences, workshops, and certain professional development training.

It does not normally cover books, training materials, room and board, elective student fees, membership fees, or examination preparation.

One important rule for anyone applying now is that the training or coursework must begin and end during the 2026 calendar year to qualify for a 2026 EIP scholarship.

What Will You Need to Apply?

Applicants should prepare their documents before starting the application. EIP may require proof of current childcare employment, such as a recent paystub, as well as income documentation.

For applications submitted after April 15, 2026, the program requires the first two pages of the applicant’s 2025 federal Form 1040 for income verification. Additional identity or Social Security verification may also be required depending on the documents submitted.

EIP says applications normally take around four to six weeks to process, so applying early is especially important this late in the year.

How to Apply

You can create or sign into an ECETP account and complete the EIP application online. Supporting documents can be uploaded as part of the application.

Use the official application page here:

Apply for the New York Educational Incentive Program Official EIP application and scholarship page

You can also review the full eligibility rules, income requirements, approved training types, and scholarship limits before applying:

Check full EIP eligibility requirements Educational Incentive Program eligibility information

The deadline for completed 2026 EIP applications is December 1, 2026. If you work in childcare in New York and have been considering a CDA, college coursework, professional training, or another approved credential, this is worth checking before the application window closes.