GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, families who are new to Catholic schools in the Diocese of Grand Rapids will have access to "Welcome Scholarships" for their preschool and kindergarten students.
According to a press release from the diocese, the scholarships will be worth up to $750 toward tuition.
The scholarships are being brought back after last being offered during the 2018-19 school year. They are available to every new preschool and kindergarten student who is registered in a parish in the diocese. Eligible students must not have received a scholarship before and can not have any siblings currently enrolled in any Catholic school in the diocese.
New kindergarten students are eligible for $750 toward tuition in the 2021-22 school year. New students entering preschool, including young 5’s and developmental kindergarten, are eligible for $250 toward tuition in each year of preschool, and the balance of the $750 when they enter kindergarten.
During this time when many families are still struggling due to the pandemic, families eligible for the Welcome Scholarship may designate it for tuition assistance for families in need at their school, instead of applying it to their own tuition.
The diocese said it awarded more than $870,000 in tuition assistance to Catholic school families affected by COVID-19 in the 2020-21 school year, on top of the more than $510,000 in need-based Bishop’s Scholarships awarded each year.
The Welcome Scholarship application will be available on CatholicSchools4U.org on Feb. 8.
Other scholarships at the diocesan, parish, and school levels also support families’ investment in Catholic education, including need-based scholarships. Information about these scholarships is available at http://bit.ly/DOGRScholarships.
The scholarship announcement comes during Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 31 through Feb. 6, a nationwide event
celebrating Catholic schools. More than 6,000 students attend the 31 Catholic schools across the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
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