Financial Aid For Single Mom

Archive for the ‘College Education’ Category

TEACH Grant Program

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants up to $4,000 to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families. The first TEACH Grants will be awarded to eligible students for the 2008-2009 school year.
Teaching Obligation

In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must be a highly-qualified, full-time teacher in a high-need subject area for at least four years at a school serving low-income students. You must complete the four years of teaching within eight years of finishing the program for which you received the grant. You incur a four-year teaching obligation for each educational program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, although you may work off multiple four-year obligations simultaneously under certain circumstances. Specific definitions of these terms are included below.
Highly-Qualified Teacher

You must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher, which is defined in federal law. The informational sheet and can also be found online at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg107.html.
Full-Time Teacher

You must meet the state’s definition of a full-time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of your time teaching one of the high-need subject areas. Elementary school teachers who teach many subjects would not be able to fulfill their service agreement.
High-Need Subject Areas

* Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition
* Foreign Language
* Mathematics
* Reading Specialist
* Science
* Special Education

Other teacher shortage areas are listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.doc .
Schools Serving Low-Income Students

Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school that is listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits at https://www.tcli.ed.gov/CBSWebApp/tcli/TCLIPubSchoolSearch.jsp.
TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve. The Agreement is a legally binding document that defines the teaching obligations you must meet and specifies your repayment obligation if a TEACH Grant that you receive is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. When you sign the service agreement, you are agreeing to repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date that the grant funds were disbursed, if you do not complete the teaching obligation. Once the grant has been converted to a loan, it cannot be converted back to a grant.
Documentation

You must respond promptly to any requests for information or documentation from the U.S. Department of Education, even if they seem repetitive. These requests will be sent to you while you are still in school as well as once you are out of school. You will be asked regularly to confirm that you either still intend to teach or that you are teaching as required. You must provide documentation to the U.S. Department of Education at the end of each year of teaching.

If you temporarily cease enrollment in your program of study or if you encounter situations that affect your ability to begin or continue teaching, you will need to stay in touch with the U.S. Department of Education to avoid your grants being converted to loans before you are able to complete your teaching obligation.
Eligibility Requirements

At the University of Maryland, you must:

* Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
* Be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen
* Be enrolled as a full-time student in the EDCI Master’s Teacher Certification Program or the Special Education Master’s Certification Program.
o All other programs are not eligible
* Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework. Such coursework may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher)
* Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 throughout the academic year
* Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve

Awarding Process

Students that qualify for the TEACH Grant will be reviewed based on the information reported on the 2008-09 FAFSA and the College of Education. Students will be notified by the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) if they are eligible to receive the TEACH Grant. Once students have been offered the TEACH Grant they may accept and/or decline the award via Testudo. Accepting the award will also require students to fulfill the teaching obligation and complete the TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve.
IMPORTANT REMINDER

Failure to complete the teaching obligation, respond to requests for information, or properly document your teaching service will cause the TEACH Grant to be permanently converted to a loan with interest.

Once a grant is converted to a loan it can’t be converted back to a grant!

For further information, please see http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/TEACH.jsp or contact our financial aid office.

Being a single mother can be a daunting and fearful experience. There are always things to worry about, problems to solve, and things to do and sometimes these may even happen simultaneously. The fear of running out of resources to put food on the table, pay for the bills or buy the necessities is an overwhelming fear that every single mother shares. It’s important for them to know that they are not alone – with different types of financial aid for single mothers available, they can sleep easy at night.

What Are Grants?

Grants, as they are commonly known, are a form of financial assistance for single mothers. However, it is not a benefit or an entitlement. There are over 1000 different grants that an individual, such as a single mother, group or organizations can avail of, from the 26 Federal Grant making agencies.

Grant Eligibility

An individual submits a grant application on his/her own behalf, and not on behalf of a group, company, institution or government. Individuals sign the grant application and its associated certifications, along with assurances that are required and necessary for the application process. Signing up as an individual will only allow you to avail of the grant programs that are open only to individuals. Each grant has special instructions and program guidelines on how to prepare an application. Any citizen of the US or US Territory who has resided in the US or US Territory for at least 3 years preceding an application can apply and be eligible for a grant.

Educational Assistance for Single Mothers

Other forms of assistance include educational grants, scholarships for single moms, job training, and career development programs to assist single mothers in obtaining their G.E.D., a college degree or vocational training. Other sites provide employment help for single mothers, such as assistance in resume writing, job application and interview skills as well as job hunting resources.

Medical Assistance for Single Mothers

Medical assistance for single mothers can be in the form of medical financial aids, which can be availed of during pregnancy with prenatal classes and medical care from birth through childhood. Various government sponsored nutrition and programs for single mothers, such as cooking and menu planning promote healthy children without the burden of increased costs.

Where do I Even Start Looking for Them?

Along with the Internet, the public library is no fee resource for finding different types of financial aid for single mothers. Local, state and federal government websites can provide you with the information that you need for programs for single mothers. Government websites can also provide ways to find financial assistance, as well as helping one obtain housing, health care, food and medical care.

Financial aid for single mothers includes a multitude of programs, which range from housing assistance, home improvement programs, educational opportunities to health care. The government has a vested interest your success. These programs are in place to assist you. We firmly believe that one of the best investments you can make is in yourself by applying for grants and scholarships for single mothers. The American Dream can be yours.

from http://www.usagrantsforsinglemothers.com/financial-assistance-for-single-mothers-%E2%80%93-making-life-easier

An education is an important thing for anybody. Without a college education, even a high school education, there are very few jobs out there that will offer you the financial stability needed for your future. An education for single moms is especially important because not only do you have to fend for yourself financially, but you also have one or maybe more children to take care of. Juggling a job and trying to take care of the children at the same time can be a daunting process, and it is imperative that you find a way to get an education.

It is probably true that if you are a single mom, getting an education is something that you really want, but probably do not have time nor the money. There are special educational grants, scholarships
, and other financial resources that are out there, but they will not come to you, you have to go out there and find them. Go online or talk to a financial aid officer at your local school and you’ll be able to find a program that will fit into your budget, if not your time. There are also some community colleges
who offer free shopping opportunities for prospective students. If you find that your local college does not offer the services, there are several government programs that will pay a partial or full amount of child care while you are attending school.

An education for single moms is very important. And only when you get the career that you want, will you have a more secure future in which to raise your child. You’ll also be a role model for your child as they become older. A child of the college graduated mother is more likely to go to college themselves than if their mother had a high school graduate education or GED.

Time management is your biggest issue after your finances are covered. How can any woman manage a child, a household, an education, and a job? It can be done with the right management. Join a network of other single moms that have alternative schedules. You can take care of their children while they are at school and you can have your child taken care of while you are in school. If there is not a single mom network within your college, create one. Put up flyers and have a meeting. You’ll find that there are a lot of people in your situation that have the same difficulties with finances and time management that you do.

Use family members if they are available. Take advantage of the opportunity without taking advantage of the people around you. Show them that you’re responsible and that you want to have an education. They should understand that you know an education for single moms is a must if you are to have a financially secure family. Sit down and talk with your family and say to them that you want to graduate from college to make your life better and your child’s life better. Tell them that once you have a job and graduate from college that you will reciprocate all the assistance, love and the understanding, and maybe the finances that they give you.

About Author Lana Hawkins is the author of Mom Pays for College blog. If you’re a single mom that needs to finance an education for yourself or your kids, get the free audio and a detailed report covering many ideas on how single moms can earn money for college. Go to Free Report and Audio – How Single Moms Can Pay for College .