From the Director: Why Tuition Assistance?
By Sarah O’Dell, Executive Director
TCS relies on the Annual Benefit for Tuition Assistance aka “The Auction” to fund a robust tuition assistance program.
The annual fundraiser, orchestrated by our parent group, is the primary way tuition assistance funds are collected. In the last 20 years TCS has awarded half a million dollars in tuition assistance! I have been asked on several occasions, “Why don’t you use the money raised at the auction for other projects?” It is a long standing practice at TCS not to fundraise in support of an operating income for 2 reasons:
1) By keeping our income driven by tuition it allows our operations to be predictable and sustainable. It allows us to maintain a high quality program without the ups and downs associated with fundraising. We have supplemented tuition assistance funds in the past with grants, endowments and by pulling from our tuition income but we have not operated our school with funds from the auction.
2) Many years ago a set of goals for The Children’s School was penned. One goal reads: The school will create and sustain those conditions which reflect our commitment to diversity; we seek families from different socio-economic, racial, religious and cultural backgrounds; we respect differences in family configuration and welcome children with disabilities. Our financial aid program supports families in need of assistance.
I am proud to be part of a tradition that dates back over 35 years. The teachers, administrators, board and most of all the families at TCS have always taken our tuition assistance fundraising very seriously and have strived to raise the most money possible.