Diane Stout

Early Childhood Educators Scholarship

Supporting educators committed to providing high-quality early childhood experiences.

Winter Scholarship - Closed Closed This scholarship is part of the Winter application cycle. The application is open December 1st to February 1st every year. How to Apply

Eligibility Criteria

Applicant must:

- Be pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in early childhood education or a childcare director qualification. 

Written Prompt

Each CFNIL scholarship is created with a specific purpose in mind. As you complete the application, the system automatically matches you with every scholarship for which you are eligible and will present you with a specific written prompt for each. You're encouraged to craft a unique response to each prompt to show the reviewers why you're the best candidate for that scholarship.

Scholarship Background and Intent

The Early Childhood Educators Scholarship Fund is inspired by Diane Stout. Diane dedicated her career to working with children and their families. She served as Executive Director of Circles of Learning from September 1980 to March 2013 when her sudden and unexpected death shocked the child care community.

In addition to being a loving daughter, wife, mother and grandmother, Diane worked tirelessly on behalf of working families in Illinois to ensure that all children had access to excellent early childhood experiences. Diane had high expectations for child care programs. She was devoted to further her students' education to expand their early childhood knowledge and strive for high quality programming.