Program Highlights and Supports

Degree Completion in 2 years: Accelerate your education.
Full Funding Opportunity: Secure your degree without financial worries.
Recognition of Child Development Associate Credential: Earn up to 9 college credit hours.
Flexible Class Options: Choose from online, hybrid, and evening classes.
Licensure and Non-licensure Degree Options: Including ESL and EC Special Ed approval.
Personalized Advising: Tailored guidance for your academic journey.
Supportive Resources: Job-embedded field experiences, mentor coaches, tutoring, mental health sevices, childcare, and content test preparation.

Eligibility

AA, AAS, or BA degree in Early Childhood or 60 EC-related credit hours.
Minimum 2.0 GPA.
Work experience in a child-serving setting (full or part-time) for ages birth to 5.

Begin Your Early Childhood Education Journey at CSU

Contact CSU’s assigned State Navigator to assess eligibility for the ECACE Project.
Apply to Chicago State University.
Plan your degree completion with a mentor coach.
Contact the Financial Aid Office to confirm your enrollment.

Eligibility for the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship

To be eligible for the Illinois Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship, a student must work in an position (full- or part-time), including roles including teacher, teacher’s assistant, director, preschool classroom-based paraprofessional, or similar) in an early childhood congregate care setting, such as

Contact CSU’s assigned State Navigator to assess eligibility for the ECACE Project.
Apply to Chicago State University.
Plan your degree completion with a mentor coach.
Contact the Financial Aid Office to confirm your enrollment.

ECACE scholarships are awarded annually, and like FAFSA, students must reapply each year as they move through their education journey. For more details on ECACE eligibility, please visit the

To learn more about ECACE and CSU's role,
contact our Mentor Coaches.

Isaiah Allen

iallen20@csu.edu

Shamara Carter

scarte23@csu.edu

Contact Us:

ECACE Office
tel: (773) 995-2391
Education Building, Room 312
Hours: 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday (appointments are suggested)

Questions?

Check out our FAQs below, or contact your CSU Financial Aid Advisors who can offer additional guidance.

FAQs

What is ECACE?

The Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity was created through IL Public Act 102-0174, and charges the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) with serving the needs of the incumbent early childhood workforce and the employers of early childhood educators.

The Consortium’s overarching goal is to advance racial equity while meeting the needs of employers by streamlining, coordinating and improving the accessibility of degree completion pathways for upskilling future leaders. It’s also intended to:

Support the sustained expansion of educational pipelines at Illinois institutions of higher education,
Develop a common standard for methods to provide credit for prior learning, and
Ensure the full transferability of the AAS degree to universities, as consistent with the law.

Tours & Advising

Tours and advising every Tuesday from 10am to 6pm in room 318 in the College of Education building

How is CSU Involved?

CSU is proud to participate in this groundbreaking cooperative designed to have a long-term, systemic positive impact on early childhood development through early childhood educators and employers.

Our commitment is to prioritize and upskill students working towards early childhood development career paths by providing scholarships and dedicated support resources while also working to increase enrollment and completion of early childhood development programs.

What are the Standards for Prior Learning Assessments (PLA) and Credit?

The Public Act that created the Consortium calls for the creation of new standard methods to provide credit for prior learning, and although CSU may offer additional pathways in the future for defining PLA credit, will maintain the common new standard set by the Consortium.

The Gateway competencies are intentionally aligned with Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, the InTASC standards and the former and newly updated NAEYC standards.

How does the Cross-Institutional Access to Coursework initiative impact CSU students?

A significant pillar of the Consortium’s mission is to allow students to attend their “home institution,” and also take courses at other institutions without having to be admitted to the other institution(s). This new approach will give students more access and flexibility to pursue the courses necessary to advance their degree program by taking classes that best fit their needs and schedule.

Do you recognize the Child Development Associate Credential?

Yes, CSU honors the Child Development Associate credential. Students can secure up to 9 college credit hours for either the toddler or preschool credentials.

Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity