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News Articles

Financial Aid & Tuition Assistance for Holy Family Catholic Academy and ELC

October 5, 2020

OVER 30% OF HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC ACADEMY AND EARLY LEARNING CENTER STUDENTS RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID & TUITION ASSISTANCE

From Suzanne Carlos, Development Coordinator
Holy Family Catholic Academy and Early Learning Center

Over 30% of students at Holy Family Catholic Academy (HFCA) and Early Learning Center (ELC) have been awarded tuition assistance for this 2020-2021 school year.  That is more than triple the percentage of students compared to last school year when 10% of students were awarded tuition assistance.  A total of $104,474 in financial assistance was appropriated to families for the current school year from a variety of sources and programs.

Holy Family Catholic Academy and Early Learning Center appreciate that a Catholic education can be a sacrifice for families, and is committed to making their students' educational experience as affordable as possible.  This school year, $10,000 in tuition assistance was awarded by Holy Family Catholic Academy to students demonstrating financial need.  A portion of these awards were funded by the Samuel & Mary Castle Foundation.  Five students at HFCA were awarded tuition scholarships totaling $28,787 from Federal Student Aid benefits for United States military families.  Three students at HFCA were awarded Kipona Scholarships for a total of $16,472 in financial aid.  An HFCA student received a $1,750 tuition scholarship from the Augustine Educational Foundation this school year. 

HFCA Principal Ms. Celeste Akiu states, "We are proud to provide a learning environment to support our students as they grow spiritually, academically, and socially.  Our goal at Holy Family Catholic Academy and Early Learning Center is to offer an educational opportunity for all students and families in Hawaii."

Holy Family Catholic Academy and Early Learning Center work to keep tuition as low as possible, through fundraising efforts, its scholarship endowment fund, and tuition assistance programs, while still providing students with excellent academic, social/emotional, athletic, spiritual, and extra-curricular programs.  HFCA made significant investments preparing for this school year in purchasing one-to-one iPads for all its K-8 students, transitioning to online curricula, and preparing the campus for new health and safety protocols.  However, HFCA & ELC administration seriously considered the economic impacts of the pandemic and made the deliberate decision to not raise tuition for this school year.  Holy Family Catholic Academy and Early Learning Center offer a Sibling Discount Program where after the first child, all sibling tuition is automatically discounted by 10%.  This school year, a total of 52 students received HFCA's sibling discount for a total of over $42,000 in tuition assistance.  In addition, children of faculty and staff at HFCA receive a tuition discount.  Holy Family Catholic Academy and Early Learning Center's partnership with FACTS MANAGEMENT offers a variety of payment options for their families.  Tuition payments may be managed annually, semi-annually, monthly, or bi-monthly, allowing families to select a payment option that best suits their financial needs.

Over 70% of Holy Family Early Learning Center students this school year have received tuition assistance from HFCA's Sibling Discount program, Preschool Open Doors, and/or the Pauahi Keiki Scholarship programs.  Preschool Open Doors and Pauahi Keiki Scholarship awards typically cover 80-90% of monthly tuition payments.  Holy Family Early Learning Center still has thousands of dollars in need-based tuition scholarships available for qualifying families of preschool-aged children, for the current school year.  Interested applicants should call 808-423-9611.

Holy Family Early Learning Center Director, Mr. Allen Akiona, Jr. states, “Every child should have the opportunity to receive and benefit from a quality preschool experience.  Research shows that children who attend high-quality preschools enter schools with stronger academic skills, develop social and emotional skills, and learn how to share and to contribute.  Unfortunately, it is certainly a challenge for families to afford early childhood education during these unprecedented times.  Therefore, I highly encourage families to research and apply for tuition assistance to offset the cost of sending their little one to preschool.  Tuition assistance programs are waiting to support our school community.  Programs such as:  Child Care Aware of America assists our United States Military families, Preschool Open Doors (POD) provides child care subsidies to eligible families for the year prior to kindergarten, Pauahi Keiki Scholars offers need-based scholarships for eligible children of Hawaiian ancestry, and the list goes on.  So, do your research, talk to other families who have children attending preschools, and contact your local childcare agencies to ensure your child is provided the excellent education they deserve.”

Holy Family Catholic Academy and Early Learning Center is a co-ed, parochial, private school for students in preschool through 8th grade.  Holy Family Catholic Academy and Early Learning Center are located off Nimitz Highway, near the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.  This school year, Holy Family Catholic Academy is offering two learning options:  an In-Person, On-Campus Program, and a Virtual Learning Program.  Holy Family Catholic Academy offers both Before and After-School Care Programs starting at 6:00 am and ending at 5:30 pm each school day.  Holy Family Catholic Academy and Early Learning Center accepts applications and enrolls new students year-round, based on space availability.  K-8 tuition ranges from $8,045 - $8,945 per year.  Early Learning Center tuition ranges from $9,270 - $9,990 per year.