Partners in Practice provides Early Childhood Professionals in Central Oregon an opportunity to gain college course credits and increase their step on the Oregon Registry. The goal of the Partners in Practice Scholarship is to increase access to professional development through higher education, in order to promote quality in Early Childhood Education programs.

 Your privacy is important to us - we adhere to FERPA laws and regulations. We will not share your individual information. We will share anonymous, summarized information with our granting agency, the Department of Early Learning & Care (DELC). 

FALL TERM APPLICATION DUE: 9/2/25

WINTER TERM APPLICATION DUE: 12/10/25

SPRING TERM APPLICATION DUE: 3/1/26

SUMMER TERM APPLICATION DUE: 6/3/25

Due to the limitations of the new biennium budget, tuition support will be capped at a maximum of two classes per term to ensure we can continue supporting students holistically. Priority for funding will be given to students enrolled at COCC. If you are in need of additional assistance, please reach out to us directly for support and guidance on alternative scholarship opportunities.

Scholarship Funds

If accepted, the 2025–2026 Partners in Practice (PIP) Scholarship may provide support for:

• Tuition costs for up to 2 classes and/or required degree/certification courses.
• Opportunity to check out a laptop to complete course assignments
  Financial support for textbook purchases.
• Ongoing support from peer mentors throughout the term.
• Prioritization will be given to COCC scholars pursuing an AAS, AAOT or ECE relevant Certificate.Student Obligations During the Semester
• Communicate any additions or drops of classes to the PIP Specialist
  Note: Any unauthorized changes will be the student’s financial responsibility.
• Maintain good academic standing with COCC/SOU and any other Higher Education Institutions.
  Student Responsibility After the Semester
• Contact your PIP Specialist to share your grades after each semester.
• Important: Missing grade reports may result in denial of future funding
  Academic Honesty
• Complete your own work and properly cite any sources used.
• Cheating, plagiarism, or any form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.
• Refer to the COCC/SOU Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities
  Consequences for plagiarism or dishonesty may include:
   - A zero on the assignment.
   - A disciplinary hearing for repeated offenses
   - Possible course failure and/or suspension.
   - All violations will be documented and reported to the Director of  Student Life.

 

Personal Information:

Demographic Information:

Oregon Registry information:

Education Goals:

Education Information:

The following two questions are for grant statistical purposes only and will in no way effect scholarship consideration or eligibility.

Computer Option: We currently have 18 laptops to check out to Partners in Practice Scholars each term. These are ched out on a term-by-term basis. Scholars are responsible for any loss or damage incurred.

Book Option: There are many textbooks availabe via your class instructor, so please ensure you check that resource. We also have a limited number of textbooks available to borrow from our PIP lending library.

That being said, we do have limited funds for books.  Funding for books will be prioritized based on your financial need, as well as other funds you may have available to you (i.e. Pell Grant, other scholarships and/or financial aid).

READ THIS:

Agreements: Students who receive the Partners in Practice Scholarship will be required to maintain a C or better in their coursework to maintain eligibility in the program. Students’ who drop PIP funded courses after tuition has been paid by the scholarship may lose future scholarship eligibility. Students’ needing to drop courses for extenuating circumstances should notify the Partners in Practice team in writing, if they wish to receive scholarship funding in future terms. Students’ completion and academic performance in PIP funded courses may impact their future financial aid eligibility.

Release of Information Waiver: As the Partners in Practice Scholarship Program is a partnership between Central Oregon Community College, Southern Oregon University and NeighborImpact Child Care Resources, applicants understand that this application and student information such as course schedule, student ID number, and grades will be shared between the two agencies in order to administer the scholarship. Only information relevant to scholarship eligibility and grant-related reporting (e.g. SPARK participation & Oregon Registry Step) will be shared.

Award Notification Information: Thank you for your application! You will be notified of your award status before the start of the term, as soon as we are able. If for any reason, we are not able to cover your tuition, we will let you know in plenty of time to drop classes without any consequences. Partners in Practice is not able to determine funding until after all scholarship applications are in. We appreciate your patience with this process!

Important Information: The PIP scholarship pays student accounts later than the COCC deadline to allow other student grants and funding to be received. PIP payments exclusively fund Early Childhood Education tuition. Student accounts will not be credited with PIP funding.

You will be notified by email a week prior to classes beginning each term regarding the status of your application (acceptance or denial.)

PLEASE COMPLETE APPLICATION EACH TERM FOR ACCESS TO TUITION SUPPORT

Questions: Please outreach Clare Nieto, claren@neighborimpact.org / 541 280 5395

I certify that the information listed in my application is true. I agree to the release of information waiver above and commit to following the agreements set forth by the program to the best of my ability.