Preschool Open Doors Program Accepting Tuition Assistance Applications

PATCH or People Attentive to Children is a statewide childcare resource and referral agency. Image courtesy PATCH website.

By Maui Now Staff

The Preschool Open Doors program is now accepting applications from families in need of preschool tuition assistance for the 2015-2016 school year.

The application period opened on March 1, and will close on April 30, 2015.

The POD program is operated by People Attentive To Children or PATCH, on behalf of the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services.

The Preschool Open Doors program is designed to help qualifying low-and moderate-income families send their children to preschool by providing child care subsidies to the family.

Priority is given to children with special needs or at-risk factors. Household size and monthly gross income also are used to determine priority enrollment.

POD does not require parents or guardians to be employed, in school, or in job training to qualify for assistance.

Families with children born between August 1, 2010 and July 31, 2011 may apply for the upcoming 2015-2016 POD year, which runs from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016.

Applications are available for download in English or Chinese from the PATCH website. Interested families can also request a mailed application by calling (808) 791-2130 on Oʻahu, or toll-free from Neighbor Islands 1 (800) 746-5620.

PATCH is a Hawaiʻi nonprofit whose mission is to improve the quality and availability of care for the young people of Hawaiʻi.