Tuition Investment Program Support (TIPS)

The importance of high quality early care and education cannot be overstated. Research has proven that 90 percent of all brain development happens in the first three years of life, providing an unprecedented window of opportunity to shape the capacity of the children in our care.

However, the cost of high quality early care and education is significant. Parents often struggle to pay their child care fees each week even though child care centers are not charging the full cost per child. Each year, River Valley Child Development Services loses an average of $3,500 per child. In order to continue providing high quality early care services, River Valley Child Development Services has created the Tuition Investment Program Support (TIPS).

The Need

The money raised by TIPS is directly used by families at School Age Connections to continue the high quality educational services they have been accustomed to receiving.

The program levels include: Platinum - $4,000; Gold - $2,000; Silver - $1,000; and Other.

Download the Contribution Form

FAQ's

What is TIPS?
The Tuition Investment Program Support (TIPS) has been created by River Valley Child Development Services (the parent organization of School Age Connections).

How does TIPS work?
Donations are used to provide partial financial assistance to those families who are currently pursuing financial stability through higher education or work and are no longer eligible for subsidy through Link. This will enable them to keep their child at School Age Connections to continue high quality educational services.

How does TIPS affect my child or me?
We want you to be an active supporter of this program. If successful, we believe this program will have a lasting impact in reducing the cost of early care and education to parents. We will be publicizing TIPS. Your child may be included in that publicity. If you do not want your child included in photos, please let the program director know.

Why is high quality child care so expensive?
Quality early care and education services are expensive because of the professional level of those who work with your child everyday. We expect our staff to continue to learn the best practices of working with children. We expect our staff to provide a stable, ongoing relationship with the children in their care. We provide our well-trained staff with benefits which increases the likelihood of longevity at our programs.

Why is high quality so important in child care?
The importance of high quality early care and education services cannot be overstated. The benefits for children who attend high quality early childhood programs include being better prepared for school, improved social and cognitive development, higher IQ scores, less likely to be retained in school, more likely to graduate from high school, more likely to go to post-secondary schools, able to obtain higher paying jobs, and less likely to be involved in the juvenile and adult justice system.

What can I do to help with TIPS?
We need your assistance in suggesting community members who are interested in supporting opportunities for Huntington’s children. Consider people within your place of employment, religious leaders, grandparents, neighbors, and friends who understand the importance of providing good beginnings for our children. There are various scholarship levels available and any gift would be appreciated.

Download the Contribution Form