Oregon ITMH Scholarships are OPEN

The Scholarships of ITMH

for those who work or live in Oregon

Scholarships for the Graduate Certificate in Infant Toddler Mental Health for those billing Medicaid-eligible families. Individuals must commit to one year of working with Medicaid-eligible families after graduation. 10 scholarships will be awarded.

APPLY HERE

Scholarships are Due July 15, 2025

All ten scholarship awards are contingent upon final budget approval and full execution of the contract with the funder. While we anticipate notifying pending awardees in mid-July, scholarship awards will not be confirmed or disbursed until the contract is fully executed. Final contract status is expected by August, and awards may not be finalized until late summer.

Introduction

Portland State University, in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority, is pleased to offer scholarships for the Infant/Toddler Mental Health (ITMH) Graduate Certificate Program.

This scholarship fully covers the cost of the 20-credit ITMH certificate, which is designed for professionals seeking to deepen their knowledge of supporting the mental health and development of infants and toddlers (birth to age three) and their families. Priority is given to bilingual and/or bicultural professionals with a master’s degree who work with priority populations. However, all individuals serving Medicaid-eligible children (ages 0–5) and their families are encouraged to apply.

Applicants may apply for the scholarship before applying for admission to the graduate certificate program. Those selected for a scholarship will be required to formally apply for admission to the ITMH Graduate Certificate by July 15, 2025, as a condition of the award.

About the Program

The graduate certificate in Infant/Toddler Mental Health: A Relationship-Based Approach is designed for professionals who are working with families who have children from the prenatal period to 36 months of age.

This online program is designed for professionals who are interested in ...

Dynamics of infant and toddler development
Protective factors in family environments
Risk factors for mental health problems in family environments
Social, emotional, and developmental difficulties of infants, toddlers, and their families
Early screening and assessment
Theories of treatment
Home- and community-based intervention
Diagnostic classification systems for mental health disorders in young children
Collaborative service approaches

Scholarship Service Commitment & Program Requirements

Recipients of the Infant Toddler Mental Health (ITMH) Graduate Certificate Scholarship, funded by the Oregon Health Authority, must meet the following program and service commitments to retain their scholarship and remain in good standing.

Service Commitment

Scholarship recipients must commit to serving Medicaid-eligible children (ages 0–5) and their families in Oregon by:

Working full-time for one year or part-time for two years in a mental health-related role at an Oregon-based agency or organization that serves this population.
Completing this service requirement within two years of finishing the ITMH Graduate Certificate Program.

This service obligation ensures that scholarship funding directly contributes to building statewide capacity to support infant and toddler mental health.

Important: Failure to fulfill this requirement—or leaving a qualifying position before completing one full year of service—may result in repayment of all or a portion of the scholarship funds received.

Program Completion & Academic Requirements

To remain eligible for the scholarship and continue in the program, recipients must meet the following academic expectations:

Maintain a minimum grade of B in each course throughout the program.
Complete all coursework by the start of the following academic term, unless otherwise approved.
If a student is unable to complete the program, they may be required to repay a prorated portion of the tuition for any courses completed with scholarship support.

These policies are in place to ensure student success and to uphold the integrity and accountability of the scholarship program.

Scholarship Essay Questions – Infant Toddler Mental Health Graduate Certificate

Please upload your responses as one PDF document, using your first and last name as the file name. Include your name at the top of each page. Use Times New Roman, font size 12pt, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. Please respond with approximately one page for each of the first three questions and a short paragraph for the fourth.

1. How will the Infant Toddler Mental Health Graduate Certificate support your professional growth and strengthen your work with infants, toddlers, and families? In your response, please describe the connections between your current work or goals and the focus of the ITMH program, including your commitment to early relational health, mental health promotion, and trauma-informed care.

2. How do you approach equity and inclusion in your work with infants, toddlers, and families? Please share specific ways you center culture, language, and identity in your practice or community setting. You may include examples from direct care, program design, advocacy, or interdisciplinary collaboration.

3. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) scholarship requires recipients to commit to one year of employment serving Medicaid-eligible children (ages 0–5) and their families in a role focused on mental health within two years of completing the program. Please describe how you intend to meet this requirement, including the agency or setting, your role, and how your work supports access to early childhood mental health services for Medicaid-eligible families.

4. What do you see as your strengths and challenges in being a learner in an online graduate program? Beyond the flexibility of an online format, how do you plan to stay engaged in a relationship-based, reflective learning community?

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