Income levels for VPI or Montessori in APS (2/3 spot for low income)

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know what these are or how they are defined? I believe it’s 80% of the median income in Arlington. We have a situation where the higher earning spouse may be facing a job loss and the other spouse earns under 80k. Spouse with potential layoff will face a long road in getting rehired. Not sure if they base income off prior year’s taxes though.

[Anonymous]

Just add on do they look at unearned income like dividends/rental income?

It is just stupid that they don't look at assets. Someone could own a million dollar home, have million dollar 401ks and future pensions but still qualify for free montessori. Just another part of the Arlington Way.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you do have to report all other income sources such as rental income. If prior year's tax return doesn't accurately reflect your current situation, you can provide last three pay stubs. Just being under the threshold doesn't guarantee admission, through, applicants are ranked based on how low their income is compared to federal poverty line, with preference given to lowest. Someone making close to the $87k threshold probably gets waitlisted.

[Anonymous]

I think it says on the application how exactly the cutoff is administered, which is probably available online or soon will be. But IIRC it was around $85k a couple years ago when we applied, no questions about assets.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]Just add on do they look at unearned income like dividends/rental income?

It is just stupid that they don't look at assets. Someone could own a million dollar home, have million dollar 401ks and future pensions but still qualify for free montessori. Just another part of the Arlington Way.[/quote]

This is one of those harmful myths that has no basis in reality. People who meet the income threshold basically never have substantial assets, but requiring extremely low-income people to produce all the documentation to prove that they [i]don't [/i]have assets often causes them to drop out of the process (e.g., produces false negatives). An assets test just keeps lots of low-income people, who do meet the income requirements (and, in truth, the assets requirements) out of the program, to keep the one-in-a-million high-assets-low-income person out.

If you have a million dollar home, you have to pay real estate taxes, utilities, and upkeep--in addition to your family's living expenses. You have some kind of income, that likely exceeds the income thresholds for these programs.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Just add on do they look at unearned income like dividends/rental income?

It is just stupid that they don't look at assets. Someone could own a million dollar home, have million dollar 401ks and future pensions but still qualify for free montessori. Just another part of the Arlington Way.[/quote]

This is one of those harmful myths that has no basis in reality. People who meet the income threshold basically never have substantial assets, but requiring extremely low-income people to produce all the documentation to prove that they [i]don't [/i]have assets often causes them to drop out of the process (e.g., produces false negatives). An assets test just keeps lots of low-income people, who do meet the income requirements (and, in truth, the assets requirements) out of the program, to keep the one-in-a-million high-assets-low-income person out.

If you have a million dollar home, you have to pay real estate taxes, utilities, and upkeep--in addition to your family's living expenses. You have some kind of income, that likely exceeds the income thresholds for these programs. [/quote]

This. There isn't rampant fraud. And they verify income, even for those above the threshold but below the top of the sliding scale.

[Anonymous]

Anyone who can afford to buy a house or condo in Arlington should not be getting free Montessori. Net assets would be an easy line to add to the form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know what these are or how they are defined? I believe it’s 80% of the median income in Arlington. We have a situation where the higher earning spouse may be facing a job loss and the other spouse earns under 80k. Spouse with potential layoff will face a long road in getting rehired. Not sure if they base income off prior year’s taxes though.

I appreciate that your family may be going through a rough patch, but I don't think Arlington taxpayers are intending to subsidize upper middle class families where one person makes $80K a year and the other makes over six figures but is temporarily between jobs. The subsidy is for the working poor, families trying to get by with two working parents who together make less than $80K a year.

[Anonymous]

Hi. We were in a similar situation a few years ago (lots of job transition, loss of income) and it turned out we met the criteria for VPI. As I recall it was based on adjusted gross income from the prior year's tax return, just a dollar amount (I can't remember if we had to submit the actual documentation or just report it on the application). I also believe they give priority to residents who are significantly below median income in Arlington, and only then will they fill spots with people who are nearer to 80%. In any case we didn't find out we got the VPI spot until about 2 weeks before school started. I did not (and do not) feel bad about enrolling my daughter in VPI as we straight up met the criteria, nor do I think we took away a spot from another deserving family given the way it was explained to me that they allocate the spots.

[Anonymous]

Here you go, OP: https://www.apsva.us/early-childhood-prek/virginia-preschool-initiative-vpi/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi. We were in a similar situation a few years ago (lots of job transition, loss of income) and it turned out we met the criteria for VPI. As I recall it was based on adjusted gross income from the prior year's tax return, just a dollar amount (I can't remember if we had to submit the actual documentation or just report it on the application). I also believe they give priority to residents who are significantly below median income in Arlington, and only then will they fill spots with people who are nearer to 80%. In any case we didn't find out we got the VPI spot until about 2 weeks before school started. I did not (and do not) feel bad about enrolling my daughter in VPI as we straight up met the criteria, nor do I think we took away a spot from another deserving family given the way it was explained to me that they allocate the spots.

did you leave the program once your circumstances no longer fit the criteria? if not, you took away a spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi. We were in a similar situation a few years ago (lots of job transition, loss of income) and it turned out we met the criteria for VPI. As I recall it was based on adjusted gross income from the prior year's tax return, just a dollar amount (I can't remember if we had to submit the actual documentation or just report it on the application). I also believe they give priority to residents who are significantly below median income in Arlington, and only then will they fill spots with people who are nearer to 80%. In any case we didn't find out we got the VPI spot until about 2 weeks before school started. I did not (and do not) feel bad about enrolling my daughter in VPI as we straight up met the criteria, nor do I think we took away a spot from another deserving family given the way it was explained to me that they allocate the spots.

did you leave the program once your circumstances no longer fit the criteria? if not, you took away a spot.

Not PP, but VPI is only one year (or 10 months). If they met the criteria for most of that time, then they didn't take anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi. We were in a similar situation a few years ago (lots of job transition, loss of income) and it turned out we met the criteria for VPI. As I recall it was based on adjusted gross income from the prior year's tax return, just a dollar amount (I can't remember if we had to submit the actual documentation or just report it on the application). I also believe they give priority to residents who are significantly below median income in Arlington, and only then will they fill spots with people who are nearer to 80%. In any case we didn't find out we got the VPI spot until about 2 weeks before school started. I did not (and do not) feel bad about enrolling my daughter in VPI as we straight up met the criteria, nor do I think we took away a spot from another deserving family given the way it was explained to me that they allocate the spots.

did you leave the program once your circumstances no longer fit the criteria? if not, you took away a spot.

Not PP, but VPI is only one year (or 10 months). If they met the criteria for most of that time, then they didn't take anything.

I'm the PP whose daughter was in VPI for pre-K. VPI not the same as Montessori, which I also understand has a certain number of spots reserved for lower-income residents and the rest is a lottery, and which goes for multiple years. Not that I need to justify my family's situation to anonymous judgmental people on DCUM, but I recall asking APS about how they allocate spots because I was concerned about whether us getting in meant another family didn't. Unless things have changed, my understanding was that the majority of the spots go to lowest-income residents and then the rest are allocated by lottery to those who are still under 80% mean income but higher than the other threshold. It is ridiculous to suggest that once our job situation changed I would pull my child out of her pre-K class.

[Anonymous]

PP here again - clarifying "the majority of the spots go to lowest-income residents" - I mean to say that they fill those spots first, then whatever is left over they allocate by lottery to other applicants. Lowest-income residents are assured a spot if they apply (at least that is my understanding).

[Anonymous]

Why would you choose VPI over Montessori? I am in a similar situation, single parent household where I would qualify for VPI. Should I take that over montessori?