The Scholarship Committee considers several factors to evaluate eligibility and scholarship award amounts.

• In order to be eligible for an Apple Playschools scholarship, the applicant’s household income must fall below 500% of the Federal Poverty Level (see income guidelines for the Great Start to Readiness Program) OR the applicant must provide information regarding an acute hardship or extenuating circumstance in their narrative. We give priority to households below the ALICE income level for their household size, and to those whose child care costs equal >25% of the family’s household income.

• Starting in October 2020, applicants must contact the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Child Care Network Family Support Program to determine eligibility for tuition assistance from those programs prior to being considered for scholarship assistance at Apple Playschools. Assistance from these programs does not necessarily disqualify families from receiving a scholarship from Apple Playschools.

• A separate contract and application must be filled out for each child.

• Applicants must review and acknowledge all policies outlined in the Family Handbook & Policy Manual, and submit a current contract with their application.

• Applicants must follow all Apple Playschools policies, except in the cases of waived fees or contract changes as mentioned above.

Complete the Scholarship Application and a Contract (sent to you by the Program Director) for each child. To identify the full-cost tuition associated with your preferred contract, please review the tuition rates for our various contract options.

1. Attach supporting documentation. Be sure to black out social security numbers. For your protection, never send anything by email with your social security number on it.

2. Email your application, contract, and supporting documentation to the Operations Manager (mariarios@appleplayschools.org) with the subject line “Scholarship Application for [CHILD NAME]”

3. The Senior Financial Clerk will notify your family of your award decision after the Scholarship Committee reviews your application, and you will proceed with the regular enrollment process. Families who wish to enroll prior to receiving information regarding their scholarship award are responsible for all associated fees and payments.

General Information

• The Scholarship Committee of our Board of Directors meets annually in late summer or early fall to allocate scholarship funds. Scholarship applications that are received after the annual meeting will be reviewed on a rolling basis within one month after the application is submitted.

• Funds are limited. Scholarship assistance is designed to pay a portion of the total childcare cost for each child. If approved, families are expected to follow all policies outlined in the Family Handbook & Policy Manual.

• Apple Playschools is not able to guarantee any scholarship funding unless already approved by the Scholarship Committee.

• Scholarship awards are based on a family's selected contract terms and rates. A reduction of hours or change to the contract will result in a reduction or change to the scholarship awarded.

• Scholarship rates also apply to drop-in care.

• Families who wish to change their contract based on the scholarship award given are able to do so two times annually without fee or penalty.

• Families who are awarded a scholarship are not required to pay the Annual Registration Fee, Early Termination Deposit, or ½ month tuition.

• All information provided shall remain confidential to Apple Playschools. However, since the purpose of sharing application information is to obtain financial aid from Apple Playschools, information is subject to review by the Executive Director, Senior Financial Clerk, and members of the Board of Directors Scholarship Committee.