Published
February 15, 2013
Many parents think that tuition insurance is a waste of money or that they really don’t need it. Here’s why they do. When you sign the contract with the school, you are responsible for the annual tuition, room and board charges for the academic year. The school will have operating expenses which it must honor regardless of whether your child completes the full year or has to withdraw after the second month.
To protect themselves most schools offer you two options: you can pay the entire year’s tuition, room and board in one payment by July 15; if you opt to pay in two installments or in monthly payments, then you will be required to purchase tuition insurance.
What does tuition insurance cost? Typically you will pay .009% to 1% of the face value of the education charges. As noted above tuition insurance is mandatory unless you pay in one payment up front.
Tuition insurance affords protection and peace of mind for parents and the school. Specifically you would need tuition insurance in the event that your child is forced to withdraw from the school. There are several reasons why that might be necessary.
An illness or injury
The last thing any of us parents want is for something to happen to our darlings. All of us in our quiet reflective times breath a sigh of relief that we have gotten thus far without serious accident or injury to our children. But the reality is that the unexpected can and does happen. God forbid...
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Published
July 14, 2012
Published
January 14, 2012
What is financial aid? Financial aid is money given by individual private schools to help families pay for a private school education. Private schools give families millions of dollars annually to help them afford a private school education. Here's how it works.
Because schools expect their fees to be paid in advance, you need to make sure that the amount due and payable will fit your budget. So, at the same time as you are investigating school curricula, sports programs, extracurricular activities and so on, you also need to be asking about individual schools' financial aid programs. Each school offers its own unique financial aid program, so you cannot assume that what you were offered at one school will be the same as what is offered by another. Here are answers to your questions about financial aid. The resources at the end of this article provide even
more detail.
Who's eligible? Many families assume that they are not eligible for financial aid and do not apply. Everybody's financial situation is different. As a result, you should always ask about financial aid even if you think you are not eligible.
Let
School and Student Services give schools a clear picture of your situation. Then the schools will be in a position to make a decision as to whether you will get financial aid and how much. Always ask about financial aid even if you think you are not eligible or don't need it. School and Student Services is an offering of the...
Published
October 15, 2011
If you require financial aid in order to send your child to private school, you will probably have to complete The Parents’ Financial Statement or PFS for short. The PFS instructions and application can be found on the School and Student Services
web site. School and Student Services is an offering of the
National Association of Independent Schools. It gives you access to over 2,000 schools which use this service to assess the financial needs of parents applying for financial aid from individual schools.
What is really helpful about SSS is that you only have to complete the application once. There is a one time fee of $35. And if you cannot afford the application fee, the fee can be waived by using the special fee waiver code which the school will give you.
Complete the Application
The Parents Financial Statement
Instruction Booklet walks you through each step of the process. Remember that you only complete the PFS if the school asks you to. After completing the application, you pay for it - currently a $35 fee - and submit your application. This will do two things: it sends your application to the schools which you have selected and it gives you an estimate of the kind of aid which you can expect to be offered. Now, you must realize that the SSS estimate is only that. Each individual school will determine the amount of financial aid you will receive based on the available pool of...
Published
October 13, 2011
Private schools charge everything from nothing at all to well over $50,000 a year for their services. For the purposes of this article I am considering tuition or tuition and room and board only. I am leaving out all the extras such as riding or music lessons, school trips, travel to and from the school, local transportation and so on. These sundries add up quickly so don't forget to take them into account. Also not included are acceptance deposits and application fees.
Here are some examples of what the various types of private schools charge. Remember that this is merely a sampling. You should explore every school which interests you as part of your
school search process.
Day Schools
Day schools are non-residential schools. Most of them offer classroom instruction Monday to Friday. Intramural sports and activities are fitted in during the week with many schools devoting an afternoon to non-classroom activities. Occasionally there will be events planned for Saturdays, in particular varsity sports.
Published
April 15, 2013
Here are a dozen or so girls' schools' public thoughts about themselves and their missions.
Make Summer a Special Time!
If you have children in private school, then you are most likely looking at three months, perhaps even longer, which you must fill with activities of one kind or another during the long summer break.
Are You Liable?
Is your DEL key about to get gaveled? It doesn't matter whether you teach in a public or private school setting. You expose yourself to legal risks every single day on the job.
More articles:
Choosing a Private School,
Paying For It,
Elementary Issues,
High School Issues,
Jobs in Private Schools
Financial Aid
How to apply for financial aid.
Financing Basics
The various private school charges explained.
Free Schools and Scholarships
Free schools and organizations which offer scholarships for private school.
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Free Schools
There are but a few free private schools in the United States. Most of them were founded by visionary businessmen who believed that children from working class and poor families should have the same educational advantages as children from families with money.
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Scholarships
Scholarships for private school students are rather limited. Most support students in their area. Here are some organizations which offer funding.
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Scholarship Funding Organizations
A Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO) is an organization which provides financial assistance for attendance at private school.
Note: Data has been gathered from the Dept. of Education, schools, and commercial data sources.
