Counselor's Message

Hello, T.E.A.C.H. MINNESOTA recipient!

I hope you are settling into your fall semester well and are also adjusting to the cooler weather.

Here is information that will help you continue to be a successful T.E.A.C.H. recipient.                  
– Shelly Hendricks, program counselor

Pre-authorization request forms due November 30

Pre-authorization request forms for spring 2010 must be emailed, faxed or mailed to our office by November 30, 2009. Only by receiving the form by November 30 do we have time to send the college a “third-party billing letter,” notifying them that we will pay for your approved credits. If you miss this deadline, you may be responsible for paying for your tuition and then requesting reimbursement.

You do not need to register for your classes before completing this form. However, if you have already registered and we do not approve payment for all credits, you are responsible for either dropping those credits or paying for them yourself. Also if you drop or add classes, you must send us an updated pre-authorization form. Updated pre-authorization forms will be accepted after the November 15 deadline. The pre-authorization request form is online at: http://www.mnchildcare.org/TEACH/forms.php.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (651) 290-9704, ext. 106 or shellyh@mnchildcare.org.

Document submission timeline for spring/winter 2010 term

You must submit documents on time or communicate promptly with us if you are unable to do so. Any late documents may have an adverse affect on your application for a future T.E.A.C.H. scholarship.

Email, mail or fax all the documents listed below. If you fax them, include your name on every page.

• Send in pre-authorization request form by November 30, 2009.
• Send in fall 2009 grades no later than three weeks after the end of the term.
• As soon as you have purchased your books for the term, send in a completed Form B (available on our Web site at http://mnchildcare.org/TEACH/forms.php), copies of book receipts and of your college course registration. (The course registration will list all the classes you are taking for the term. ) If you do not purchase books, please indicate this on Form B.
• Once we receive all of the paperwork listed above and the bill from the college, you will receive a check or an invoice from us. In general, colleges send us their invoices about four to six weeks after the start of the term, so you can expect to receive a check or bill from us about halfway through the term.
• In February or March of 2010, we will send you our annual recipient satisfaction survey. The information you provide strengthens and improves the scholarship program.

T.E.A.C.H. office hours

With rare exceptions (such as vacations or sick time), you can reach T.E.A.C.H. staff by phone Monday through Thursday, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Christina usually staffs the office on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Shelly usually staffs the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you call and no one answers, please leave a message! We may be in a meeting or processing paperwork, and we will call you back as soon as possible. You may also reach Christina and Shelly via email outside of these office hours.

As mentioned, there are some exceptions to these hours. Our office will be closed the following two weeks in 2009: November 23-27 and December 21-25.

Contact information:

• Christina Schwartz: (651) 290-9704, ext. 109            christinas@mnchildcare.org
• Shelly Hendricks: (651) 290-9704, ext. 106                shellyh@mnchildcare.org

Funding your college education

We recognize that a college education is expensive, and we hope T.E.A.C.H. helps reduce your use of loans to pay for your degree. With its 15 credit maximum, T.E.A.C.H. MINNESOTA is mainly designed to help those attending school part time. However, we understand some of you are in programs that require you to attend full time or that you want to graduate sooner. As a result, you may need additional financial support.

One popular site for scholarships is www.scholarships.com. You enter your individual information into a search engine, and the program lists scholarships for which you may qualify. In addition to using this and other online scholarship search programs (there are plenty!), don’t forget to meet with your school’s financial aid office. They are there to help.

Finally, it is important that you apply for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) every spring for the following academic year. Not only is this now required to receive your T.E.A.C.H. funds, but you may also find that you are eligible for grants, even if you were not in the past.

In the spring of 2010, apply for FAFSA online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ for the 2010-2011 school year. It may seem like a long way off, but it will come quickly!

You are receiving this newsletter because you have expressed interest in T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® MINNESOTA