Pictured are students from The Artful Gatherings. Photo provided.
Parents and guardians take note – the Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment Educational Savings Account program application window for the 2023-2024 school year is now open.
The Ohio ACE Educational Savings Account program offers qualifying families a $1,000 credit per child, and these funds can be used to pay for various enrichment and educational activities designed to help accelerate learning for children impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Ohio Department of Education.
The program is being offered through a contract between Merit International, Inc. and the Ohio Department of Education.
The Ohio Department of Education reminds previous program users that awards for the ACE program do not automatically renew, meaning that if your family applied for the ACE program in the 2022-2023 school year, or before, you would need to apply again to see if you qualify for the 2023-2024 school year.
For those attending school in Clermont County, the ODE explains that the ACE Educational Savings Account program is available to any Ohio child ages 6 to 18 years old (who hasn’t graduated from high school), and who resides in a household with an Adjusted Gross Income at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level based on the household’s most recent federal income tax return.
For example, a household of two would qualify with a gross annual income of $78,880, and a household of four would qualify with a gross annual income of $120,000.
There are three steps to apply for the program.
Step 1: Complete the Application.
Applicants are invited to follow the ACE Application Step-by-Step Guide regarding the process of applying for ACE funds. Applicants will create an OH|ID account, requesting access to the Ohio ACE application and how to apply for the ACE Savings Account.
Step 2: Sign Up with Merit.
Up to two weeks after applicants complete the Ohio ACE application, qualifying parents and guardians will receive an email from Merit notifying them to sign up to receive access to their account funds. The email also will include a link to the Education Marketplace.
Step 3: Spend ACE Funds with Qualified Education Service Providers.
Parents and guardians can access the Education Marketplace to find local providers after the account has been set up with Merit on ACEOhio.org.
One such qualified provider is The Artful Gathering, located at 411 Walnut Street in New Richmond. Founder, Owner and Art Teacher Jessica Blankenship is excited to have been recently approved by the program.
Blankenship shares: “Exciting news for Ohio Families. You can receive up to $1,000 per year to support day camps and after-school enrichment for your children. We offer art camps and classes weekly and during school breaks. Evening art camps, day camps, two-day camps and weekly classes.”
Uniquely, Blankenship is offering an opportunity to sign up for classes with no out-of-pocket costs, whereas some providers will seek payment from parents and guardians up front, and let the parents and guardians pursue reimbursement from the program.
She explained that families need to register for The Artful Gathering camps and classes on The Artful Gathering website using a special coupon code exclusively for ACE customers, which reduces their cost to zero.
For more information about The Artful Gathering, visit https://theartfulgathering.com/.
For more information about the Ohio ACE Educational Savings Account program, visit https://education.ohio.gov/OhioACE.