Illinois DCFS offers college
scholarships to current and former youth in care
DCFS Scholarship Program applications
accepted until March 31
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[February 07, 2023]
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is
currently accepting applications for the 2023 DCFS Scholarship
Program. Through the program, a minimum of 53 academic scholarships
will be awarded to current and former youth in care for the upcoming
school year, with four awards reserved for the children of veterans.
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Scholarship
recipients receive up to five consecutive years of tuition and
academic fee waivers to be used at participating Illinois state
community colleges and public universities, a monthly grant of
$1,506 to offset other expenses and a medical card. On average, the
department receives 200 application packets each year, and has
awarded over 1,500 scholarships since the program began in 1971.
“Students who have been involved in the foster care system face a
unique set of challenges from a young age that often set them at a
disadvantage when it comes to funding their education,” said
Governor JB Pritzker. “The DCFS Scholarship Program gives current
and former youth in care the opportunity to plan for their future
without incurring crippling debt or working long hours that distract
from their schooling. It’s a necessary step towards building equity
for all our Illinois students regardless of their family
background.”
“It’s
our mission to provide our youth in care with the resources and
support they need to succeed as they prepare to enter adulthood,”
said Illinois DCFS Director Marc D. Smith. “These scholarships will
help ease the burden of paying for school and allow them to focus on
their studies and plan for their futures.”
The DCFS Scholarship Program is available to youth who have an open
DCFS case, whose cases were closed through adoption or guardianship
or who aged out of care at 18 or older. Youth who are at least 16
years old and not yet 21 on March 31 may apply.
“This
scholarship has allowed me to reduce my work hours so I can stay
focused on school and on getting good grades,” said Rileigh, a 2022
scholarship recipient. “With this scholarship I’m able to pay my
bills, buy groceries, make my car payment and afford other
necessities.”
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2022 scholarship recipient Chloe adds, "The DCFS
scholarship gives us an opportunity to show that the circumstances
we were given are not the circumstances that have to define our
future success.”
Scholarship recipients are selected based on their scholastic record
and aptitude, community and extracurricular activities, three
letters of recommendation from non-relatives and a personal essay
illustrating their purpose for higher education.
Applications are available at any DCFS regional office and on the
DCFS website: www2.illinois.gov/dcfs (Form CFS 438 under DCFS
Features on the homepage). Students or caregivers may call the DCFS
Office of Education and Transition Services at 217-557-2689 or email
DCFS.Scholarship@illinois.gov with questions about the application
process or for more information.
About the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)
Founded in 1964, DCFS is responsible for protecting children from
abuse or neglect by responding to calls received on the Child Abuse
Hotline, 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873). With the goal of keeping
children safe, DCFS strengthens and supports families with a wide
range of services. When keeping a child safe means removing them
from the home, DCFS makes every effort to reunite them with their
family. When the best interest of the child makes this impossible,
DCFS is committed to pursuing guardianship or adoption by loving
families to provide children with a safe and permanent home. DCFS is
also responsible for licensing and monitoring of all Illinois child
welfare agencies.
[Illinois Office of Communication and
Information] |