Need Help Paying For Preschool?
The Preschool Open Doors (POD) program is a statewide child care program that provides subsidies to eligible low- and moderate-income families to pay preschool tuition for up to one year at any of the state’s licensed 431 preschools. The POD subsidy provides children whose families might otherwise not be able to afford preschool the opportunity to gain essential skills to be successful in school and in life. The program is operated by the Department of Human Services.
To qualify, your family must meet these requirements:
A) Age of Child: Priority will be for children born between August 1, 2013 – July 31, 2014 who are underserved or at-risk children. Families whose children were born between August 1, 2013 and July 31, 2014 are eligible to apply for POD services.
B) Gross family Income within allowable income limits: Families are income-ranked on a sliding scale to ensure funds are distributed to those most in need. If eligible, you may still have to pay some monthly preschool costs.
For the 2018-19 POD year, the Department has $11.6 million for POD subsidies. Applications must be received at the PATCH POD office during an open application period to be considered for POD services.
Your child’s assistance may begin July 2018 or later, depending on your preschool’s start date, and continue through June 2019. Your child may attend any DHS licensed preschool, group child care center, or group child care home you select.
Applications will be accepted through Thursday, March 29, 2018 at the PATCH POD office for the POD year beginning in July 2018.
For more information or to request an application please contact the POD office, PATCH, toll-free at 1-800-746-5620 or [email protected]. Applications will also be available from January 02, 2018 through March 29, 2018 for downloading at http://patchhawaii.org/programs/preschool-open-doors/.
