Do schools give financial aid to families with one income?

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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling

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amother

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 7:56 am

Just curious...and wondering if it varies between right wing/left wing schools.
My kids are in middle or the road school and I’ve heard that it’s almost impossible to get financial aid if both parents don’t work.

avrahamama

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:00 am

My school does. But I am very involved and give as much of my time and help as I can. As does my husband.

Lady A

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:06 am

They do. I live OOT. But I was laid off and we got aid for children.
I know other women who have a special needs child or very small children at home and they get aid.
If all of your children are in school, you might have a harder time.

saw50st8

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:07 am

It depends on the circumstances of each family.

I'm curious why someone without extenuating circumstances would rely on tzedaka rather than get a job?

Lady A

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:11 am

As an fyi, our school is Centrist/Zionist.

There are many factors why one spouse, usually the mom, still needs to be at home. Every case is different.

avrahamama

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:19 am

saw50st8 wrote:

It depends on the circumstances of each family.

I'm curious why someone without extenuating circumstances would rely on tzedaka rather than get a job?

The board that makes these decisions knows people's circumstances. No one else needs to know.

mha3484

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:20 am

They do in my kids school. Large oot style bais yaakov/yeshiva. They ask on the forms what full time child care would cost you and then they calculate from there. I will say that most families here are two income but not necessarily two full time incomes.

Ruchel

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:29 am

Of course. Also they're aware childcare for a baby or two will be more than many jobs.

watergirl

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:31 am

From the financial aid page of one of the local schools where I live:

If a family's children are all over the age of six, it is expected that both parents will be employed. If one parent chooses not to work, then a full time income at minimum wage will be imputed to that parent for the purposes of awards calculation.

I think this is very important. If one parent is sitting at home but has no children at home, and that parent is able bodied and able minded (ie has no other reason not to work such as a physical or mental health issue, in which case they should be receiving disability and that should be noted on tuition assistance applications), they should be imputed income before FA is awarded.

Financial aid dollars are very limited and there needs to be real criteria for distributing it.

Last edited by watergirl on Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:47 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Blush

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:40 am

My relatives have one parent home and dad is working low income job, so I am assuming they get financial aid for school, otherwise I dont understand how they afford tuition....but their baby is home with the parent...the other kids are in school....

So, it depends on the school/family circumstances...etc.

amother

Plum

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:44 am

Be prepared to be questioned why you’re staying home and not working. If you have a good reason like a special needs kid, caring for an ill/elderly parent, or multiple kids too young for school and babysitting costs aren’t worth it, they’ll probably give aid.
If you’re able to work but unable to find a job they’ll probably offer aid but request that you come into school to volunteer with assorted projects.
If you’re unable to work because of mental health issues, you’ll be expected to explain all that to the committee.
If you just don’t feel like working because then all your money will just go to tuition, they might be polite enough not to laugh in your face as they say no way.

amother

Lilac

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 8:59 am

My sisters husband is lazy and does not work she got financial help from many organizations oorah

PeanutMama

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 9:23 am

This is something I’m wondering and my son isn’t in school yet!!

amother

Tangerine

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 9:40 am

I dont work but my husband does. He works a lot of hours and doesn't contribute to housekeeping or parenting except on the weekends. The only way our family survives is because I stay at home and do everything here and he brings in the money.

When I can ie I find such a job or dont have tiny babies I work from home/freelance.

We get a discount on tuition.

amother

Slategray

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 10:43 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

What if one spouse is in graduate school?

Ruchel

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 10:44 am

The school ady (charedi rebbetzin) said I have a lot on my plate kah with the children and of course I'm not working

SixOfWands

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 10:47 am

watergirl wrote:

I'd attribute more than minimum wage, and would do it for kids over the age of 2, but I love this. Evening the playing field.

saw50st8

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 10:49 am

amother [ Slategray ] wrote:

What if one spouse is in graduate school?

Most schools would offer financial aid for that.

watergirl

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 10:55 am

SixOfWands wrote:

I'd attribute more than minimum wage, and would do it for kids over the age of 2, but I love this. Evening the playing field.

I am assuming the age limit is set at 6 because by that time all kids in the house are in school (or can be) and the excuse of paying for daycare is no longer in effect. How many people say they can not work because they figure their income is less than the cost of paying for one, two, even three kids daycare for them to work daytime working hours?

I love that they do this also. If someone is able bodied/minded and no kids at home, they should not be getting FA and taking it from someone else who needs it. I think it's quite generous as it is to do this at age 6. Because really, the school can let it at a lower age like you said and expect the parent who is home during the day to find a work from home job at night. But those are few and far between and it would really not be fair of the school to do that.

I will say, at the time I had one kid in daycare and preschool from age 2-5 (before kindergarten), I was bringing home almost nothing after I paid the tuition and I worked full time and was in school full time at night. BH I got a raise when I graduated college at the age of 35.

saw50st8

Fri, Aug 28 2020, 10:57 am

My kids school sends out a letter every year stating that they prioritize scholarship funds for families that make paying tuition a priority. They expect families to put tuition in their priority list the same way they do basic living expenses like housing, food etc. They say straight out that scholarship allocation may be impacted by economic choices like spending on home renovations, vacations, vehicles, spending on smachot, summer programs, etc. They also state that scholarships may be impacted regardless of who is paying the expenses as "we would expect that financial assistance provided by other family members should first contribute to a family's basic living expenses such as tuition."

They fund-raise for scholarships separately from tuition dollars, so they are limited to whatever funds they get. They are also cheaper than the other area schools, although this is really a community wide value.

So it would depend on the reason for the stay at home parent.

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