Organization : Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency (WFSFAA)
Facility : Kindergarten & Child Care Centre Fee Remission Scheme
Location : Hong Kong
Country : China
Website : https://www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/sfo/en/preprimary/kcfr/overview.htm
WFSFAA KG & Child Care Fee Remission Scheme
Kindergarten and Child Care Centre Fee Remission Scheme (KCFRS) provides needy families with financial assistance in the form of fee remission for the children to receive pre-primary education
Related : WFSFAA Grant for School-related Expenses for Kindergarten Student Scheme Hong Kong : www.statusin.org/41464.html
Overview
** In the 2017/18 school year, parents of children attending nursery (K1), lower (K2) and upper (K3) classes in local non-profit-making kindergartens / kindergarten-cum-child care centres (hereafter collectively referred as kindergartens) under the Free Quality Kindergarten Education Scheme (hereafter referred as new scheme) may receive fee subsidy.
For kindergartens joining the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS) in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 school years but not applying to join the Free Quality Kindergarten Education Scheme or not approved to join the Scheme, their eligible students admitted before the 2017/18 school year and remaining in the eligible classes under PEVS will continue to receive the voucher subsidy under PEVS until they leave the kindergartens concerned (children of needy families may also apply for financial assistance under KCFRS).
** Kindergarten children of needy families who require financial assistance on top of the government subsidy under the new scheme or PEVS may apply to the Student Finance Office (SFO) for fee remission under the KCFRS.
In addition, financial assistance to children who are receiving whole-day child care services in child care centres will also be provided under the KCFRS.
Eligibility
The student applicants must be Hong Kong residents with right of abode, right to land or valid permission to remain without any condition of stay (other than the limit of stay) in Hong Kong.
Students holding visitor visas, two-way exit permits, student visas or who are dependents of student-visa / visitor-visa holders are not eligible to apply for student financial assistance
Method of Assessment
** All applications are subject to means test. To qualify for the whole-day rate of fee remission for children receiving whole-day child care services (i.e. groups aged 0-2 and 2-3), the applicant’s family must also pass the ‘social needs’ test during the same assessment period.
** The SFO will use the Adjusted Family Income (AFI) mechanism as the means test to assess the applicants’ eligibility and level of assistance.
Amount of Fee Remission
Computation Method of Fee Remission
Nursery, Lower and Upper classes in Kindergarten (K1 to K3) :
** for kindergartens joining the Free Quality Kindergarten Education Scheme
** The percentage of fee remission under the KCFRS will be calculated on the annual net fee which has deducted all the government subsidies under the new Scheme.
The SFO will compute the fee remission for the applicants in accordance with the level of assistance assessed using the AFI formula. The actual fee remission will be 100%, 75% or 50% of the actual fee charged by the kindergarten or the fee remission ceiling, whichever is the less.
Fee Remission Ceilings
Nursery, Lower and Upper classes in Kindergarten (K1 to K3) :
** for kindergartens joining the Free Quality Kindergarten Education Scheme
** Half-day class : $4,400 per student per annum
** Whole-day class : $12,400 per student per annum
** Maximum meal allowance (whole-day class only) : $534 per student per month
Application Procedures
** The SFO has issued the family-based “Household Application for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” forms Download PDF file Online Form and its Guidance Notes for the 2017/18 school year together with the ”School Certificates” (SCs) and other application documents to kindergartens / child care centres at the commencement of the school year.
Parents who wish to apply for fee remission for their children can obtain application forms and relevant documents from the kindergartens/child care centres their children are attending.
** Fresh applications should be made every year, and only one completed application form together with supporting documents should be returned to the SFO directly.