Our tuition assistance program attempts to make Waldorf education accessible to as many families as possible within budgetary resources. Based on the current year’s budget and the number of applicants, a budget is set aside that will go towards supporting families who would otherwise be financially unable to send their children to Squamish Waldorf School.

TUITION ASSISTANCE (TA) PROGRAM INFORMATION FOR 2024/25

*For Kindergarten & Grades families only

*If you are a preschool family with financial need, please visit the government webpage to apply for the Affordable Childcare Benefit (ACCB)

Every year, SWS sets aside funds to assist with the costs of tuition for our families who have financial need. We believe that access to quality education should never be affected by a family’s current financial standing.

To ensure the funds are distributed fairly and objectively, we have teamed up with Apple Financial (AF) to help gather the necessary information, and recommend how the funds should be fairly distributed. The Finance Committee, made up of 3-5 admin and board members, will also work alongside AF to ensure this.

 Apple Financial is a Canadian company specializing in bursary and tuition assistance analysis for independent schools. Their role is to collect and analyze financial information professionally and confidentially. AF provides the school with a summarized document with notes outlining their funding recommendation for each applicant.

In order to qualify for TA, the following conditions must be met: 

  • Family must currently be in good financial standing with SWS
  • All deadlines met and application submitted in full 
  • Parents actively participate in the school’s volunteer community 

Good financial standing means a family has paid in full or has a well-defined payment schedule in place and strictly adheres to it. If a family misses a payment, they will lose their good financial status with SWS.

2024 Deadlines (If you are unable to meet these deadlines, TA will be delayed or not awarded)

  1. Feb 15 – Submit intention to apply via the “TA Family Information Form”
  2. Mar 1 – Submit formal TA application with Apple Financial
  3. Mar 15 – Submit all required documentation to Apple Financial
  4. Apr 20 – School communicates TA awarded to each individual family
  5. Apr 30 – Family submits signed payment agreement (and void cheque)
  6. May 2 – 2024-25 First tuition payment due

Tuition Assistance Application Process

STEP 1 – February 15, 2024

Submit a TA Family Information Form to the Business Administrator by no later than 3:00 PM, February 16, 2024.  This document informs us of your intent to apply for TA and provides soft details relevant to your situation.

STEP 2 – March 1, 2024

Submit a Formal TA Application with Apple Financial by following the steps provided below. Be sure to begin this process well in advance of the deadline, as it is lengthy and requires certain documents that may take time to gather.  

  1. Visit Apple Financial Services
  2. Create a “Parent Account Registration”, which requires you to provide an email address and set a password. 
  3. A verification message stating “account set up” will be sent to the email address you provided and will provide further instructions on how to validate your email address and finalize setting up your account
  4. Once your account has been verified, you will be able to open the online registration form and begin the process of answering questions and uploading supporting documents. The documents requested may include, but not limited to the following:
  • T4 forms
  • Pay stubs
  • CRA Tax Notice of Assessment
  • Mortgage details
  • Rental agreements
  • Separation agreement

Should you need assistance with scanning physical documents, contact our admin staff for assistance. Alternatively, you may choose to send requested documents via regular mail. 

Once all information is uploaded, a payment section will appear where you will be asked to pay an application fee of $120 via credit card. 

If the application fee is a barrier to applying for TA, please contact our business administrator to discuss.  

STEP 3 – March 15, 2024 

Once your application is fully submitted, prepare for follow-up questions from Apple Financial.  Their method of communication may be via phone or email and should be treated as urgent and important.  The more open and honest you are with Apple Financial, the more quickly they can come to a meaningful and fair assessment on your behalf.

STEP 4 – April 1, 2024

Analysis reports from Apple Financial will be made available to the school’s TA Committee (4-5 members of SWS admin and board), who will then meet to discuss all completed applications. TA awarded to each family will be based on a combination of Apple Financial’s recommendation, the family’s request for funds, and actual funds available for TA. In the event that Apple Financial’s recommendations combined with the number of families requesting TA exceed the amount of funding available, allocation of funds will be at the discretion of the TA Committee.

STEP 5 – April 30, 2024

Funding allocated to each family will be communicated privately via email and will include an updated payment agreement. If necessary, an in-person appointment can be scheduled to discuss the details of the assessment and new payment plan.

STEP 6 – May 2, 2024

First tuition payment for 2024/25 is due.