Purpose, Timeline, & Tips for Awards & Scholarships Process
Leylo Hamud of FOCAF Head Start receiving the Parent of the Year award in 2025
Purpose
The purpose of the IHSA Scholarships & Awards is to celebrate the successes of individuals involved with Head Start, support their efforts to further their education, and to promote Head Start programs to those not yet involved with Head Start.
EACH SCHOLARSHIP IS $1,000! Three awards have an accompanying scholarship:
Head Start Staff Scholarship
Head Start Alumni Scholarship, High School Junior or Senior
Parent Scholarship, Continuing Education
All applications are available in Spanish and the parent applications are available in Arabic.
TIMELINE *New in 2026, the banquet will be a dinner!
Aug 1, 2025 - IHSA Awards Cycle opens
Nov 16, 2025 - All applications are due in their entirety
Dec 8, 2025 - Scholarship & award recipients informed
Jan 29, 2026 - Recipients honored at 2026 IHSA Awards & Scholarships Dinner at the Boise Centre East 5:30-7:00
If needed, IHSA will provide transportation and lodging for parent and alumni scholarship & award winners
Tips
If you are a former Head Start student or parent, please reach out to the Head Start program that you attended to inform them of your desire to apply.
Start early and involve your whole program!
Discuss potential nominations and application statuses at staff meetings regularly. This is a chance to check in and support each other throughout the process.
Assign a lead person to spearhead the Scholarships & Award process at the program level.
Turn it into an opportunity for a program award! Have each location make nominations and create a committee to select the top nomination for a program award.
Have nominees complete their documents in electronic format. This makes it easier to submit AND make formatting corrections.
References and applications should all be submitted to IHSA in .PDF format. This solidifies the integrity of the document and allows it to be viewed without formatting changes.
Programs should maintain a relationship with high schools, informing them know of the scholarship opportunities.