Local

• While local grants and scholarships (school and state) for education majors might be worth less money, don't forget that the pool of applicants is lower, which increases the chance of successfully navigating the process. $500 here and $250 there is nothing to scorn. There's no limit to how many of these you can apply for and don't forget that they can be combined with larger national scholarships and grants. Your school's financial aid office is a wealth of information on local money for education. It's what they get paid to do, so don't neglect this resource.
  
  

National

• National organizations, like the Phi Delta Kappa International Education Foundation, give out multiple scholarships to high school seniors and undergraduate education majors each year to help them achieve their goal of eventually leading a classroom. Bright Horizons offers four annual scholarships to prospective teachers who plan on specializing in early childhood care. There are, of course, others. Enter "undergraduate teacher scholarships" in your favorite search engine or speak to the financial aid office at your school.
  
  

Diversity

• America remains in a continuous search to broaden teaching opportunities for every minority group. The assumption is that, as a primary influence on children, it is incumbent upon society to provide as diverse a group of educators as possible. Both private and public sources, such as the State Farm Companies Hispanic Scholarship Fund or the National Federation of the Blind Educator of Tomorrow award, have set aside scholarship money to help minority members reach their teaching goals.
  
  

TEACH

• Perhaps one of the most sought after undergraduate teacher scholarships is simply called TEACH, which stands for Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education. TEACH is for future educators who plan to teach at the public or private elementary or secondary school level serving areas with a high percentage of low-income families. As a grant, the $4,000 TEACH provides annually, as of 2011, does not have to be paid back, provided you agree to teach four years in these particularly needy areas.