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Financial Aid

Our Commitment

Amherst Montessori School is committed to making its educational programs accessible to families of all socio-economic backgrounds. To accomplish that, we set aside funds in each year's budget to award financial assistance to families who cannot afford the full tuition. Approximately 30% of families receive some form of financial assistance. Awards range from 10%-40% of the tuition.   

 

Application and Awards Process

Financial aid awards at Amherst Montessori School are need-based, and are determined through a thorough evaluative process beginning with a family's application through FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition). FAST, created by Independent School Management, is a secure online program that evaluates a family's ability to pay tuition based on a variety of factors. Among the factors considered are: income, net worth, housing costs, number of children paying tuition, and cost of living for our area.

Upon receiving the FAST recommendation, Amherst Montessori School's Financial Aid Committee evaluates the recommended award based upon our applicant pool and available dollars. We evaluate each application on a case-by-case basis and review all applications comparatively to ensure equity and fairness in our decisions. We expect that if both parents are living, both will contribute to their child's education to the best of their abilities. We believe that the family and extended family of the student have the primary responsibility for funding a student's education. Therefore, all possible sources of funding should be explored and/or secured by the family before AMS can consider an award.

The deadline for financial aid applications for 2012-2013 is February 8, 2012. Notification of awards will be made by March 15, 2012.

To apply for financial aid:
  1. Click to access the Parent User Guide. This will answer many of your questions about the FAST application process. The Parent User Guide is available in English and Spanish.
  2. To begin your application, click on the link to FAST. The application will take 30-45 minutes to complete. Once you begin, you will create a user name and password that will allow you to exit the application and return at a later time, if needed.
  3. To complete the online application, you will need your 2011 Federal and State income tax returns, as well as other financial information such as household income and expenses, utility information, insurance costs (home, life, auto, medical), medical expenses, etc.
  4. Hard copies of your filed 2011 Federal and State income tax returns are required as part of your FAST application, and must be sent to FAST by February 8, 2012. We encourage you to schedule your tax preparation early so that it is completed by this deadline.
  5. An application fee of $36 is required and can be paid to FAST online by credit card. If you are unable to pay this fee, please contact the Head of School at (413) 253-3101.
  6. Applications must be submitted in their entirety by February 8, 2012. Applications received after this date will be reviewed in order of date received, if funds remain for disbursement.

Community Funded Programs

Families with children between the ages of 18 months and five years (prior to September 1) may apply for funding through the Child Care Outlook Program provided by Community Action. For information visit www.communityaction.us. If you live in Franklin County, please contact the Greenfield office at 413-772-2177. If you live in Hampshire County, please contact the Northampton Office at 413-387-1210.

University of Massachusetts Undergraduate and Graduate Tuition Assistance

For parents who are currently enrolled or are expected to be enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, child care tuition assistance may be available. For undergraduate tuition assistance information, please contact Joanne Levenson at 413-545-2129 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . For graduate tuition assistance information, please visit the UMass Graduate Student Senate.

For additional financial assistance information, please contact:

Tamara Balis, Head of School
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
413-253-3101