The Geneva School offers tuition assistance to families with students in grades K-12 (students entering Pre-K are not eligible for tuition scholarship assistance).  The Geneva School uses the Family Financial Needs Assessment organization (FFNA) to help determine how much scholarship the school will provide to families.  Scholarship from Children First of Central Florida is also available to some families.  A family may make application to both organizations.  However, FFNA will take into consideration any money you are awarded from Children First.  If you applied to FFNA before Children First, FFNA will reprocess your application once you get your results from Children First.  Please see the explanations below for information about each agency.

Please also note that for those of you receiving scholarship, the 3% discount on the Pre-Paid Annual option will be calculated not on the full tuition amount but on the amount of tuition for which you are responsible.

The Geneva School does not accept the Mackay Scholarship.

Family Financial Needs Assessment (FFNA)
Family Financial Needs Assessment is an independent third-party agency contracted by The Geneva School to provide an unbiased and confidential assessment of a family’s need for financial assistance.  The application fee to FFNA is nominal, and any family who is unable to pay full tuition because of financial need is encouraged to submit an application.  Decisions are based on financial need and scholarship funds available.

Though FFNA offers several application methods, the school allows only the Fast Back Online Application method in order to expedite the process.  The cost to apply is $40, and the results are returned to the school within three business days.  If you do not have access to a computer, you are welcome to use one at the school (please contact David Petrak).

Even though the application itself will be completed online, certain documents (for example, a copy of your tax return) will need to be faxed to the FFNA office.  Only when FFNA has received all necessary documentation will they process the application.  Please note that you may use your tax return for the year 2006.  However, if your situation requires an explanation beyond the scope of the application (for example, a change in income from the year 2006 to the present), include a brief letter to FFNA explaining your situation.

When applying for scholarship, it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that the application submitted is complete.  FFNA will send the results to the school (not the applicant).  Once the school hears from FFNA, we have to allow a period of time for the board to review and approve the scholarship amounts.  You will be contacted by the accounting department regarding your scholarship amount as soon as possible.

For further information, please visit FFNA’s website at www.ffna1.com.

Current Families Applying to FFNA
Current families who have applied (or intend to apply) for scholarship should check the “Scholarship Pending” box on the Student Enrollment Agreement

Once a family is notified of the scholarship amount, they have one week to decide whether they will accept the offer.  If they do not accept it, but have already enrolled their children, then the enrollment fee, minus $100, will be refunded.

Once the “Scholarship Pending” box has been checked, if the deadlines outlined above are missed, the Student Enrollment Agreement becomes binding.  This means that the cost of tuition, less the scholarship amount, is required to be paid whether or not the student attends for all, part, or none of the 2008-2009 school year.

New Families Applying to FFNA
New families must wait until after they have received an acceptance letter before applying to FFNA.  They then have a week in which to apply to FFNA.

Once a family is notified of the scholarship amount, they will have one week to decide whether to accept their child’s spot.  Once a spot has been accepted the Student Enrollment Agreement and appropriate fees become due.

Children First of Central Florida
Children First is a school choice organization awarding private school scholarships to low-income students in Central Florida.  Families and students must qualify for the scholarship and apply directly to Children First.  Students must be accepted at The Geneva School before scholarship is awarded.

Families applying to Children First for the first time must meet the following qualifications:

• The student must live in Florida.
• The student must be entering 5-year-old Kindergarten (those children must be 5 years old on or before September 1), entering 1st grade, or if entering 2nd grade or above, must have been in attendance at a Florida public school the school year prior to receiving the scholarship.  Documentation reflecting uninterrupted attendance from at least October 1 through February 28 is required.
• The family income must fall within the guidelines published for the Federal School Lunch Program.

For further information, please visit www.scholarshipfunding.org and click on “Children First Florida Scholarship.”