Illinois DCFS Offers Post-Secondary Scholarships
•January 17, 2024•
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is currently accepting applications for the 2024 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 and two reserved for students pursuing degrees in social work in honor of Pamela Knight and Deidre Silas, two DCFS caseworkers who succumbed to injuries sustained in the line of duty.
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 $1,577 to offset other expenses and a medical card. Last year DCFS awarded scholarships to 259 college-bound youth, the most in the agency’s history.