Financial Aid — סיוע כספי

Financial Aid Policy

Oakland Hebrew Day School is committed to making available a quality Jewish education. Toward this goal, OHDS accepts applications for reduction of tuition or extended payment plans for tuition. OHDS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in its financial aid program.

All requests for financial aid must be made to the Financial Aid Committee of the OHDS Board of Directors. The Committee considers many factors in evaluating requests, including need, funds available, the number of applicants, previous enrollment in the school, and the applicant's receipt of aid from other sources.

Financial aid is available for tuition only; all other fees or charges owed to the school must be paid in full. Financial aid is granted only for the school year in which application is made. A grant in one year is not automatically renewed in a subsequent year. A new application must be completed for each school year in which aid is requested.

Financial aid requests should be made as soon as possible, preferably upon submission of an application for enrollment. Final decisions regarding financial aid will be made promptly after receipt of the Report of Financial Need from the SSS. All inquiries regarding a family's award must be submitted in writing to the committee chair in care of the school. All financial aid decisions will be kept confidential.

Financial Aid Application Process

You may begin to apply for financial aid starting on November 1, 2009, as described below. To be eligible for consideration for financial aid at OHDS, you must complete your application by Friday, January 29, 2010. Priority Applications for siblings of current OHDS students are due by Thursday, December, 3, 2009. We will communicate decisions about financial aid on Thursday, March 11, 2010.

OHDS uses School and Student Services (SSS) to process financial aid applications. SSS is a service of the National Association of Independent Schools. Based on the financial information you provide, SSS gives us an estimated amount your family can contribute to educational expenses. This helps us make fair and objective financial aid decisions. To begin your financial aid application for the 2010-11 school year, follow these steps below.

On-line Application

  1. Starting on November 1, 2009, go to sss.nais.org

  2. Click on the prompt to begin your Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS). You only have to complete one PFS even if you have several children applying to our school.

  3. You will be given a password that will allow you to return to your PFS at a later date before submitting it.

  4. You will be given instructions about submitting required backup documents by mail. Your documents will be handled with the utmost level of security. To read more about SSS’s document security, go to sss.nais.org.

  5. Mail the required documents to: SSS by NAIS, Application Processing Center, P.O. Box 449, Randolph, MA 02368-0449. (For overnight mail, use this address: SSS by NAIS, Application Processing Center, 437 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA 02021.)
    Note: If you apply for financial aid online, your information will be delivered more quickly to our school, allowing us to make a faster decision about your eligibility for financial aid.

Hardcopy Application by Mail

  1. If you don’t already have a printed Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS), call our school at 510-531-8600, ext. 26 or go to our website at www.ohds.org.

  2. Complete the PFS and return it and all required backup documents to: SSS by NAIS, Application Processing Center, P.O. Box 449, Randolph, MA 02368-0449 USA. (For overnight mail, use this address: SSS by NAIS, Application Processing Center, 437 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA 02021.)
    Call (800) 344-8328 with any questions (Mon - Fri: 9am - 8pm EST. Sat: 9am - 4pm EST)

If the parents of the students are divorced or separated, we require the most recent federal income tax form (1040) for both parents. In addition, if a custodial parent is remarried and has filed a separate federal income tax return, we require the 1040 from the marriage partner of the custodial parent as well.

Send Copies to the OHDS Business Office

Once you have completed the on-line application, print out a copy of your application and confirmation. Please mail the following to the OHDS Business Office no later than Friday, January 29, 2010:

  1. A copy of your completed application

  2. Copies of your most recent federal and state income tax returns including all pages and schedules

  3. Any information or letters explaining special circumstances

    4. Oakland Hebrew Day School
    Business Office
    5500 Redwood Road
    Oakland, CA 94619

The Deadline for Financial Aid Applications is January 29, 2010. Priority Application for all siblings of current OHDS students isThursday, December 3, 2009.

Should you have any questions regarding the Financial Aid process, please contact Susan Schickman in the Business office at 510-531-8600, extension 14 or Business@ohds.org.



How does OHDS award financial aid?

Once we have the necessary documents from the family, the school can proceed with the financial aid process. The Financial Aid Committee makes award decisions based on the SSS report and adjustments for other factors such as geographic cost of living differences. We also have to consider the amount of financial aid available and the number of students applying for it.

What are the deadlines?

New and re-enrolling students must complete financial aid applications with SSS by January 29, 2010. Priority Applications for siblings of current OHDS students are due on or before Thursday, December 3, 2009. Copies and the supporting tax returns are due to OHDS by January 29, 2010. It is highly recommended that those interested in financial support submit the required information as soon as possible. The Financial Aid Committee meets on a regular basis to review aid requests. Once all documentation has been received, this committee determines if an award will be granted and in what amount. As the year progresses and the committee awards aid, the amount of available financial aid diminishes.

Any more questions?

Applying for aid may seem complex. If at any point you find yourself confused about the process, please do not hesitate to call the Business Manager, Susan Schickman, at 510-531-8600 ext. 14 or Business@ohds.org.