During your two years as a corps member in Kansas City, you will be working towards a teaching license by completing requirements from one of our university partners. For traditionally certified teachers and some early childhood corps members, this is optional.
Becoming Certified to Teach
Getting certified in Kansas City, Missouri requires passing a content-based exam, completing a background check, and enrolling in and maintaining good standing in a university program.
Graduate School
Our certification partner is The University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL). UMSL’s alternative certification program is completely online and has an optional master's program available for all content areas. Most of the programs can be completed in two years; however, some programs take additional semesters to complete. All unlicensed corps members must participate in the certification program aligned to the role they’re ultimately hired into and can decide whether or not to pursue the additional master's degree.
Program Hours & Costs
The below table includes the total costs of tuition and fees for all coursework (not textbooks). Total tuition is calculated on the current tuition rate of $636.80 p/hour. The below rates will vary depending on tuition rate increases. TFA students do not pay out‐of‐state tuition. TFA students receive a one‐time UMSL scholarship in the amount of $2,600.00. This scholarship is paid out during the first fall term. The scholarship and the
Americorps award should be deducted from the below calculations (total awards = $15,290.00).
|
PROGRAM |
Certification Only |
Certification + Master’s Degree |
Cost for certification + master’s degree - all awards ($15,290.00) |
|
Early Childhood Birth- grade 3 |
34 Hours $21,651.20 |
34 + 9 = 43 Hours |
$12,092.40 |
|
Elementary Grades 1-6 |
23 Hours $14,646.40 |
23 + 9 = 32 Hours $20,377.60 |
$5,087.60 |
|
Middle School Grades 5-9 |
19 Hours $12,099.20 |
19 + 9 = 28 Hours $17.830.40 |
$2,540.40 |
|
Secondary (High School) Grades 9-12 |
19 Hours $12,099.20 |
19 + 9 = 28 Hours $17.830.40 |
$2,540.40 |
|
Special Education Grades K-12 |
33 Hours $2,1014.40 |
33 + 9 = 42 Hours $26,745.60 |
$11,455.60 |
Teach For America Pre-Service Training
The summer before you begin teaching, Teach For America Kansas City’s corps members will engage in pre-service programming. The programming is in four parts. The dates and locations are as follows:
- Launch: May 1- May 19, 2023. This training is virtual asynchronous.
- Launch Live: May 25 & 26, 2023. This training is virtual synchronous
- Pre-Service Training: May 30-June 9, 2023. This training is virtual synchronous and asynchronous
***TFAKC corps members must transition to KC by June 14, 2023***
- Practicum & Pre-Service Training: June 20- July 7, 2023. This training is a mix of in-person and virtual synchronous and asynchronous.
Estimated Costs
We want you to be able to focus on training and student impact, not worry about finances. In addition to earning a full salary and benefits from your district, TFA provides a baseline transitional financial support to help you get settled in your new community. The baseline transitional stipend for all 2023 corps members is a $5,000 grant and a $10,000 grant for all corps members who are Pell Grant or DACA/qualifying immigration status recipients or who would have otherwise qualified for Pell. Your Transitional Financial Support may be used for such expenses like travel to your region, rent and other basic living expenses during summer training, and testing or application fees.
TFA offers need-based funding packages for those who qualify in addition to the baseline transitional financial support. The need-based financial support packages are commonly used to supplement housing start-up costs and living expenses, onboarding costs, miscellaneous needs during the summer, and other costs as you settle into your region