The Substitute Stipend program supports DECAL Scholars Scholarship recipients in the time and effort it takes to further their professional growth. It also encourages employers to advocate for their employees’ educational pursuits, recognizing the beneficial impact of higher-quality care on the children they serve. Through this program, employers of Academic, Montessori, or CDA Training Scholarships recipients can opt to receive a $15-per-hour stipend to help cover the cost of a substitute, offsetting part of the expense of providing paid time off for employees to attend classes, study, complete assignments, or take exams as they commit to their professional development.

To participate, employers must provide their employee with paid time off for the purposes mentioned above. The program offers a standard rate of $15 per hour to help offset expenses incurred while the employee is on paid time off. Each scholarship recipient’s employer is eligible to receive a maximum of $1,500 in substitute stipends for a maximum of 100 hours of paid time off per recipient per semester, term, or CDA class.

To qualify for reimbursement, this accurately completed log must be signed by both the employer and the employee and submitted to support@decalscholars.com. Logs can be submitted monthly or at the end of the semester or CDA class, but all submissions must be received by the end of the final month of classes to be eligible for the stipend.