The Scholarships and Grant program occurs once a year. There are three types of Conference scholarships and one Grant. In 2025, we created a new scholarship called the Betsy Hiteshew Chapter Leadership Scholarship. Scroll down to read about the criteria for this opportunity.
View the Scholarships and Grant descriptions below. All applications must be submitted online and will allow applicants to upload documents that are required with each application.
We are streamlining the application form to better support applicants and to efficiently compile all applicant information into one document for the scholarships and grant workgroup. This means there will be one form. Applicants will check the boxes for the scholarships and/or grant they are interested in. Essentially, you can apply for more than one scholarship or grant or apply for all. If the applicant meets the criteria for more than one opportunity, the applicant will be eligible to receive one opportunity.
Our goal is to provide opportunities to as many people as possible.
The Scholarships and Grant applications will be open sometime in October. The deadline to submit applications, along with the notification timeline, has not yet been established.
Presidents Education Grant
Originally established by CAAEYC to honor Docia Zavitkovsky, the Presidents Education Grant is a $1,000 grant offered to CAAEYC members to encourage pursuit of advanced educational degrees and leadership in the profession.
Docia Zavitkovsky, an icon in early childhood education, served as NAEYC President (1984-86) and was the Director of the Santa Monica Children’s Centers. In 2003, she founded Play Matters, an organization dedicated to enhancing the role of play in the lives of young children.
It is the intent of the Presidents Educational Grant to provide encouragement to those members who wish to pursue a graduate degree or credential and to provide fiscal support for books, tuition or general costs of advanced education.
Irv Kaplan Conference Scholarship
The Irv Kaplan Annual Conference Scholarship was created to recognize and honor CAAEYC member Irv Kaplan. “This conference is so important! I don’t understand why more people won’t go,” are the words Irv Kaplan would say each year after attending the informative and motivating CAAEYC Annual Conference & Expo. He would return energized and would bring back “gems” to the ECE center where he taught young children and the many ECE students he taught at the community college level.
The CAAEYC Irv Kaplan Annual Conference Scholarship offers three (3) scholarships for CAAEYC members to attend the CAAEYC Annual Conference and Expo – Two days (Early Bird Registration & Cash Stipend: $475 value). The goal of sharing the Conference with more people, especially those who may be financially restricted, was Irv’s vision. This Conference Scholarship is funded by the generous donations from Francene Kaplan, PhD (Irv’s sister) and many others.
Conference Scholarship
The CAAEYC Annual Conference Scholarship offers five (5) scholarships for members to attend the CAAEYC Annual Conference and Expo –Full Conference (Early Bird Registration). The Conference Award hopes to promote attendance for those members who are interested in learning new and innovative techniques, share resources and meet new members of their profession. This scholarship encourages involvement in the organization and provides continual growth and vitality in the field of early childhood education.
Betsy Hiteshew Chapter Leadership Scholarship
The CAAEYC Betsy Hiteshew Chapter Leadership Scholarship is sponsored by the Council of Past Presidents, a CAAEYC Board Committee. CAAEYC Past Presidents began their leadership development by attending the CAAEYC Annual Conference. The leadership and professional development skills they gained supported their journeys at the local Chapter level, which led to serving on the State Board. This scholarship offers one recipient complimentary three-day attendance at the CAAEYC Annual Conference and Expo, along with a cash stipend to support conference participation and expenses. The scholarship is funded through a combination of the CAAEYC budget and contributions from the Past Presidents and others.