Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility and Applications

• Who is eligible?
  
  

  The endowment was created to make quality child care more affordable on the Purdue West Lafayette campus for faculty, staff and graduate students. Faculty, staff and graduate students must have a child currently enrolled in a Purdue Center which includes Patty Jischke Early Care and Education Center – operated by KINDERCARE, the Ben and Maxine Child Development Laboratory School ,Purdue Village Preschool, and the Purdue University Early Care and Education Center - operated by KINDERCARE. For the 2019-2020 annual application period, faculty, staff and graduate students who have confirmed enrollment for their child at the new Purdue child care center are eligible to apply. Those families can contact familyfriendly@purdue.edu to obtain verification of child care expenses on their application.

  Additionally, the applicant must be a single parent or have a spouse/same-sex domestic partner who is either:

  • A graduate student, enrolled full-time or part-time at an accredited institution;
  • Employed at least half-time (minimum of 20 hours per week); or
  • Disabled (disability must be certified by a doctor or clinic)

  
  
  
• What is the difference between an annual scholarship and an emergency sholarship?
  
  
  

  Annual scholarships begin in August and run through July. Emergency scholarships are available year round for families who enroll their child after August or for families who experience extenuating circumstances and need additional support with their child care expenses.

• Does my child have to be currently enrolled?
  
  

  Only those families who have child(ren) enrolled or have been guaranteed enrollment by the Center director can apply.

• What if my child(ren) are on a waiting list?
  
  
  

  If you are on the waiting list but have not received notification of availability you cannot apply. Once you have been guaranteed a space, you are eligible to apply for a scholarship.

• Is there a salary requirement?
  
  
  

  There is not a salary requirement. The review committee analyzes how much a family spends on child care expenses compared to their total family income. If your family spends, or anticipates spending at least 10% of your family combined annual salary on child care, you should consider applying. If you currently spend less than 10% of your family combined annual salary on child care but feel strongly about your financial situation you can still complete an application.

• Does the scholarship cover all my costs?
  
  
  

  The scholarship may cover anywhere from ten(10) to fifty(50) percent of your child care costs for up to one year the child(ren) is enrolled. The amount is determined by financial need and funding availability. The amount may be discounted if you are receiving a graduate scholarship or state assistance.

• Does it only apply to one child?
  
  
  

  No, you can apply for the scholarship for all children you have currently enrolled in an eligible Purdue child care center.

• How often can I apply?
  
  
  

  There is no limit to the amount of times you can apply. You should consider applying again even if you have previously received an award or even if you have been denied an award.

• When is the award period?
  
  
  

  The award period for 2019 - 2020 annual scholarships is July 31, 2019 through July 27, 2020.

  The award period for annual scholarships can be is for up to one year your child is in care. For example, if your child will only be in care for ten months because they will not use care in the summer – you should indicate that information on the application and the award is adjusted for the period the child will be enrolled.

  Emergency Scholarships are available year round and can be awarded from the time of application through the end of the current annual scholarship year. Families will then be encouraged to apply for an annual scholarship.

• When can I apply?
  
  
  

  Once your child is enrolled or guaranteed enrollment in one of the Purdue child care centers, you are eligible and encouraged to apply. Annually in the spring, applications are released and accepted for the upcoming academic year. The application period for the 2019-2020 year is now open until June 14, 2019 at 5 p.m.

  If you are applying outside of that period, please submit an Emergency Application.

• Where do I turn in my application?
  
  
  

  For 2019-2020 annual scholarships, completed applications must be received by Alexis Norton, VPHR, Kurz Purdue Technology Center, 1281 Win Hentschel Blvd, Suite 1100, West Lafayette, IN 47906.

  Completed Emergency Scholarship Applications can be submitted by email to Alexis Norton (norton19@purdue.edu) at any time during the year. You may also drop off your application to Alexis Norton at KPTC Suite 1100 or send campus mail to Alexis Norton, VPHR, KPTC Suite 1100.

• How do I determine my estimated expenses?
  
  
  

  Please meet with your Center director to estimate expenses. They will speak to you about the length of time you expect your child(ren) to be enrolled in the Purdue child care center and include the expenses on your application. Your director’s signature is required on the annual scholarship application; it is not required on the Emergency Application.

  Families who have confirmed enrollment at the new Purdue child care center for 2019, can email familyfriendly@purdue.edu to obtain verification of child care expenses.

Recipients and Notification

• How are scholarship recipients determined?
  
  
  

  For Purdue employees, annual combined family income is used to determine financial need as reported on your previous year’s federal income tax forms (see applications for acceptable form options).

  For graduate students, financial need is determined through your FAFSA application or equivalent form (see applications for acceptable options).

  A review of financial need, size of family and statement of personal circumstances is used to determine percent and eligibility of scholarship

• How will I receive the award funds
  
  
  

  If you are selected, the funds for the scholarship will be disbursed in the form of a direct payment to the Purdue child care center on your behalf. The Purdue child care center is responsible for adjusting your rate based on their collection of pay schedule.

  The disbursement of the scholarship will end on Friday, July 27, 2020 for the 2019-2010 annual scholarship.

• When will I be notified?
  
  
  

  For the 2019-2020 application period, every effort will be made to notify applicants the week of July 2, 2019.

  For individuals submitting Emergency Applications, notification will occur within 14 days of receipt of application.

• When will I receive the funds?
  
  
  

  2019-2020 scholarship award amounts will begin July 31, 2019.

  If you are selected, the funds for the scholarship will be disbursed in the form of a direct payment to the Purdue child care center on your behalf. The Purdue child care center is responsible for adjusting your rate based on their collection of pay schedule. The disbursement of the scholarship will end on Friday, July26, 2020.
  
  Emergency Scholarship award amounts will be submitted to the Purdue child care center upon recipient notification. The Center director will then apply the award amounts based on their collection of pay schedule.

• What happens if I receive an award and decide to move, change centers or withdraw for any reason?
  
  
  

  You must notify your director and Human Resources of your decision to withdraw or move your child according to the program’s withdrawal procedures. At that time the remaining scholarship amount is returned to the endowment for future applicants.

  Once awarded, scholarships are not transferrable if you choose to move from one Purdue center to another.

• How are taxes withheld?
  
  
  

  Purdue employees will have the scholarship amount reported as imputed income on their regular pay schedule spread out over the award period. The award period is based on the length of time the child is expected to be enrolled in the Center indicated on the scholarship application. The scholarship will be subject to all income and employment taxes, showing as taxable income on the employee’s W-2 form.
  
  In the event you withdraw your child(ren) and regardless the reason for withdraw, the scholarship award will still be added as wages to the Purdue employee for the full award period. There will be no deletion of the income once the scholarship has been awarded. For example, if the award period is 12 months and the Purdue employee elects to not use the scholarship during the summer months, the award amount will still be added to the Purdue employee’s wages for the summer months.
  
  Whatever scholarship amount that is actually incurred for child care will be the Purdue employee’s responsibility to claim, if applicable, on the employee’s individual tax return. At the end of the calendar year, upon request, each Purdue Child Care Center can provide a statement of child care payments made by the family.
  
  Individuals who are non-employees, and receive more than $600 in scholarship funds per calendar year, will be issued a Form 1099. Individuals who are non-employees, not awarded $600 or more must determine how to apply to individual tax returns. For all non-employees, it is the individual’s responsibility to claim on their individual tax return.

FAFSA

• Why do graduate students have to complete a FAFSA?
  
  
  

  For consideration, a parent/guardian must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine financial need. It is required for all students seeking federal student grants, work-study programs and loans. The FAFSA may also qualify you for state-sponsored financial aid. If you have not already applied for the 2019/20 academic year please visit http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.

• Who is eligible for the FAFSA?
  
  
  

  To apply for FAFSA you must be a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen of the United States with a valid Social Security Number (SSN). Generally, you are an eligible noncitizen if you are (1) a permanent U.S. resident with a Permanent Resident Card (I-551); (2) a conditional permanent resident with a Conditional Green Card (I-551C); (3) the holder of an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security showing any one of the following designations: "Refugee," "Asylum Granted," "Parolee" (I-94 confirms that you were paroled for a minimum of one year and status has not expired), T-Visa holder (T-1, T-2, T-3, etc.) or "Cuban-Haitian Entrant;" or (4) the holder of a valid certification or eligibility letter from the Department of Health and Human Services showing a designation of "Victim of human trafficking."

• What if I am not eligible to complete FAFSA?
  
  
  

  If you do not meet eligibility requirements to apply for FAFSA you can submit one of the following:

  • Last year’s federal income tax form 1040
  • Last year’s federal income tax form 1042S plus W2
  • Calculation page from a Net Price Calculator available at https://npc.collegeboard.org/student/app/purdue*

  *Purdue works with College Board and has an application form ready for completion. You do not need to set up an account. Simply answer the questions and print your final calculations page. Please note, because you are not creating an account, your information will not be saved with College Board or Purdue.

• How do I know if I qualify for state assistance?
  
  
  

  Some applicants may qualify for state assistance outside of this scholarship. The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program provides financial assistance for families who are working or enrolled in school. To see if you are eligible for state assistance or to apply for the CCDF voucher program, you must contact your local intake agent. Visit http://www.in.gov/fssa/carefinder/3900.htm to find out more. To see if you would qualify based on your income visit http://www.in.gov/fssa/files/CCDF_Sliding_Fee_Schedule_2014_withCopayYears.pdf. Income amount reflects gross monthly income

If you have additional questions, please contact us through email at familyfriendly@purdue.edu or call the HR Service Center at 494-2222.