Purpose and Scope 

This policy describes the Tuition Assistance Program and the procedures through which families may apply for tuition assistance. 

Policy 

The goals of the Tuition Assistance Program are to enable children of economically disadvantaged families to benefit from UCP’s cooperative learning environment and to diversify the preschool. 

New families and currently enrolled families may apply for tuition assistance when they submit their child(ren)’s registration forms, no later than February 15^th (or, when applicable the following business day) of the year preceding their child(ren)’s enrollment.  To apply, each family must complete the "Confidential Tuition Assistance Application" (Attachment A).  UCP will also accept emergency tuition assistance applications during the school year, but the availability of such funds is extremely limited, as the tuition assistance budget is allocated at the beginning of the school year (via the process described below) and excess funds are rarely available. 

Regardless of need, all UCP staff who work at the preschool for at least 20 hours a week are eligible to receive a 50% tuition discount for their child(ren) who are enrolled in the preschool (as per the terms of the staff handbook).  In order to receive the 50% tuition discount, the staff person must have registered his/her child(ren) as of the close of the registration period in the preceding school year.  To apply for any additional amount of tuition assistance, UCP staff must complete and submit the Tuition Assistance Application no later than the time of registration, following the same process that applies to new and current preschool families (as described above). 

The maximum tuition assistance grant covers the period of one school year (September to July) Each family must reapply at the end of the specified grant duration, regardless of whether the familiy’s income or financial status has changed.  Due to financial constraints, UCP cannot guarantee that any Tuition Assistance Application will be granted or renewed, regardless of a family’s income or financial status. 
 

Process 

All Tuition Assistance Applications must be submitted to the Director and reviewed by the UCP Sub-Committee on Socioeconomic Diversity.  The Sub-Committee will be composed of the Director, one UCP Board of Directors Co-President, the UCP Board of Directors Treasurer, the bookkeeper, and one or two additional members of the UCP Board of Directors.  Additonally, UCP staff and administration may review the application. 

Members of the Sub-Committee will review and rank Tuition Assistance Applications based on the available funds and the goals of the Tuition Assistance Program, as set forth above and in the UCP Strategic Plan.  For each school year, the Sub-Committee will submit a list of proposed tuition assistance grant(s) to the UCP Board of Directors for review and approval.  To preserve confidentiality, the names of the families applying for tuition assistance will not be disclosed to the full UCP Board of Directors.  

Any family that is eligible to receive a child care subsidy from any source other than the UCP Tuition Assistance Plan (e.g., the YMCA Alternative Payment Plan) is expected to apply for that assistance, prior to submitting a Tuition Assistance Application to UCP.  Any subsidy received from alternative sources must be applied towards UCP tuition, and any UCP tuition assistance grant awarded will be reduced in an amount equal to that received from the alternative source.

Click here to download an application.