Section C: Registration

Student Eligibility

There are two eligibility criteria for A+ Programs:

• A+ Latchkey Eligibility
• A+ At-Risk Eligibility

A+ Latchkey Eligibility

All A+ programs are required by the Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 8, Chapter 400, that defines eligibility for parents who are working and need care for “latchkey” children during after school hours.  to qualify students based on the definition of “latchkey” which refers to children who have no adult present in the home to provide after-school supervision. All families must be able to provide documentation.

Eligibility Criteria

1. School age student (grades Kindergarten to 6 grade) attending a public elementary school with a participating A+ program.
2. Parent/legal guardian(s) who participates in any of the following activities DURING A+ Operation Hours:
   • Employed (have a job or are self-employed)
   • Attend school (college, university, or other types of schools)
   • Engaged in job training
   • Work for the A+ program
3. Provide written documentation to verify employment and/or attendance in school or training programs for each parent/guardian. All documentation must verify that these activities take place during A+ Operation hours.

Self-employed parent/legal guardians must verify their status by providing all of the following documentation items:

• Verified work schedule during A+ operation hours
• Submit a copy of their general excise tax license
• Submit a copy of one of the following:
  • Income tax return for the past year including Schedule C or
  • Printed business checking account with statement history.
• If the business is new, the parent/legal guardian may have to pay A+ tuition (if there is space in the program) or may be denied eligibility until these items can be met.

A+ “At-Risk” Eligibility

All A+ programs are required to meet the Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) Title 8, Chapter 400, that defines eligibility for parents who are working and need care for “latchkey” children during after school hours. Based on space and availability, a child who is at-risk may also be recommended by the school principal for enrollment in the A+ Program. The designation of “at-risk” refers to children who are in need of a safe, nurturing environment.

Guidance for School Principals on “At Risk” Eligibility.

All A+ programs are required to maintain compliance with the latchkey requirement of the Hawaii Administrative Rules. Therefore, students who meet the latchkey requirement are given priority. 

Principals may designate a child as “at risk” if there is space in the A+ program to serve the student based on the following criteria:

• homelessness or displaced persons
• unemployed parents
• families with parents/guardians with disabilities or illness

*student who is not consistently making satisfactory progress in school (Note: Students who are “at-risk” academically are not eligible for A+ programming unless they meet the criteria of being “latch-key” as defined by the Hawaii Administrative Rules for the After-School Plus (A+) program. While A+ programs provide enrichment opportunities for students, program staff are not trained or required to provide academic support to students.)

A+ Procedures for “At Risk” Designation by Principals

Principals may implement the following procedures to designate a student as “at risk”:

• Consult and coordinate with your A+ private provider (if applicable) to identify the following:
  • space and staffing for the “at risk student” 
  • determine “at risk” designation based on criteria
  • qualifying families to provide documentation of “at-risk” designation (e.g., parent is home but is not able to provide care due to illness, or home environment is not safe for student). 
  • coordinate with A+ provider and/or program leadership on tuition and applicable subsidy assistance for families
  • Attachment C1: A+ At-Risk Enrollment Form, or similar notification, shall be filed by the Principal and submitted to the Site Coordinator for review and distributed to the District Coordinator. If the reason for recommending the student is consistent with A+ Guidelines, it is returned to the Site Coordinator to be filed with the student’s registration form. Two-thirds of the vacant slots can be filled by at-risk students. At-risk students can qualify for DHS subsidized tuition.

• Eligible families may pay for the A+ monthly tuition by coordinating with their provider for funding opportunities and assistance. 
• Site Coordinators must maintain a student list and enrollment count for “at risk” students during the school year.

Hawaii State Department of Education Equity and Diversity Policies

In restricting enrollment, the Hawaii State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, religion, or disability.

In addition, the HIDOE does not tolerate acts of harassment on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, religion, or disability. Any student who believes that he or she has been subjected to harassment on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, religion, or disability, is encouraged to report such harassment. Students and parents may report allegations of discrimination or harassment to the school’s administrator or to the HIDOE’s Civil Rights Compliance Office at the address listed below.

HIDOE is committed to conducting a prompt investigation. Support, including counseling and educational resources, will be available to students who are harassed, as well as to students found to have engaged in acts of harassment on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, religion, or disability. Students found to have engaged in harassment may be disciplined, up to and including suspension or expulsion, if circumstances warrant. Students, parents, and HIDOE staff should work together to prevent harassment on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, religion, or disability.

HIDOE will not tolerate retaliation for reporting discrimination and/or harassment on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, religion, or disability, and will take steps to protect those who wish to report the harassment.

Please direct inquiries regarding HIDOE nondiscrimination policies to:

Civil Rights Compliance Branch
Hawaii State Department of Education
P.O. Box 2360
Honolulu, Hawaii 96804
(808) 586-3322 or relay
CRCB@k12.hi.us

Request for Accommodations Procedures

1. The parent/legal guardian makes a written request to the A+ Site Coordinator using the A+ Request for Accommodation Form. Families may request the form from the A+ Site Coordinator.
2. The A+ Site Coordinator, School Principal, and other school team members shall meet with the parent/legal guardian to discuss the request and consult with other school staff familiar with the child to identify the particular needs of the child; determine what program modifications if any, will be necessary to reasonably accommodate the special needs of the child and whether these modifications can be reasonably provided and consider possible alternatives that may offer the child a comparable program.
3. The determination of the school team for each case, in consultation with the district coordinator, shall be final.
4. Once the School Team formulate their recommendation, the A+ Site Coordinator shall send the A+ Request for Accommodation Form filled out by the parent/legal guardian and the A+ Program Recommendation Form with all the relevant information as a PDF via email or fax and mail a hard copy to the District and State A+ Office for processing.
5. The State A+ Office will determine funding, if any will be provided, and process amemo for signature by the Community Engagement Branch Director.
6. Once the memo is approved, the original will be sent to the A+ Site Coordinator with copies to the Complex Area Superintendent (CAS), Principal, and the A+ District Office.
7. Once the State A+ Office has determined the designated funding period and amount, the district will receive an allocation to implement the reasonable accommodation. 

After-School Plus (A+) Programs

Name of Program	Program Operations	Program Monthly Fee
After-School Plus (A+) School Year (10-Month) Program	August – May Monday – Friday After School until 5:30pm	$240/month

• Age Levels: Students in Kindergarten to Grade 6
• Program Activities: All programs provide students with the following activities:
  • Snack
  • Free Play
  • Enrichment Activities: arts, crafts, drama, music, and dance
  • Physical development/coordination activities: aerobic exercise, sports activities and games
  • Social-emotional and character development activities including presentations on crime protection, drug abuse and prevention, and pedestrian safety
  • Supervised Homework Period
• Health and Safety Requirements: All A+ Programs are required to meet health and safety regulations for employees and facilities through the Hawaii State Department of Education and Department of Human Services Legally Exempt Centers. All A+ employees must complete mandatory background clearance and health and safety trainings including monitoring site visits.
• Staff Ratios: All A+ Programs maintain a ratio of 1 adult to 20 children (1:20) staff ratio to meet health and safety regulations.
• Enrollment: The A+ Programs are voluntary programs. There are a limited number of children that can be served; therefore, children are accepted on a first come/first served basis and the availability of staff. All programs are contingent upon minimum enrollment at a site.

A+ Program Registration

A+ Program Locations

To select an A+ site, parents/legal guardians may search for participating Hawaii State Department of Education A+ Programs via the A+ website: www.hawaiicommunityengagement.com/after-school-plus or the QR code provided via the Parent Handbook.

All A+ programs are searchable via our Map of Hawaii and via our After-Schools Plus Schools page. All contact information for individual schools is provided for parents/legal guardians to request more information.

Registering for the A+ Program

All A+ Programs, School Year use the same registration form (see Attachment C4: After-School Plus (A+) Program Registration Form) for enrollment in A+ Programs. Hard copies are distributed directly to schools via the Parent Handbook each year in April- May. When registering a child for an A+ Program, parents/legal guardians have three options: 1) online registration via the A+ website, 2) printing the online application or 3) completing the paper registration forms that are included in hardcopy of the Parent Handbook.

Registration Dates for A+ Programs

• The School Year A+ Programs open registration on a designated date in April-May annually.

Parent/legal guardian(s) will be asked to pay the first month’s program fees and will be required to complete and submit the following A+ Program Forms:

A+ Registration Documentation	Description
A+ Program Registration Form	A+ Program Registration Form (A+ program, background information on the child, departure arrangements, and names of people authorized to pick up the child)
A+ Program Emergency Form	A+ Emergency Form provides emergency contact names of people authorized to be notified in the event of emergency
A+ Registration Agreement	A+ Program Registration Agreement (delineates program policies and expectations of parent/legal guardian and children, to be signed by the parent/legal guardian before a child can be admitted into the A+ Program)
A+ Eligibility Documentation*	Parent/legal guardian will provide written documentation to verify: – Employment – In School or Training Program – Employment with A+ Program – Self-Employment: work schedule and business account information
A+ Admission Status Notification Form	A+ programs will provide parents/legal guardians with an electronic or hardcopy of the Admission Status Notification form via email or hardcopy to communicate the status of your application (e.g., enrolled, pending, waitlist, not eligible, and not available).

Online Registration Procedures

All online registrations received via the State A+ website will be transferred to providers via Google Drive file transfer. The procedure is described below: 

• Registration Files are transferred to Private Providers and DOE District Teams via Google Drive. Each provider has a designated person who has access to their files for their sites.
  • File Organization: Files are organized according to the following:
    • School Master File
      • DHS Applications File
      • Student File Label:
        • School
        • Student Name
        • Date and Time stamp
        • Contents: PDF registration and Attachments
• Providers and DOE Teams must check the files daily for new registrations and DHS Applications.
• Providers move files into their internal systems to allow files that are most recent to be added to the file.

Hardcopy Registration Procedures

Completed registration forms should be deposited in an A+ Program box in the school office and picked up by the Site Coordinator. The Site Coordinator shall review the applications for eligibility and indicate approval by signing off in the box at the top of the form before accepting the child in the program.

Only one parent or legal guardian’s signature is required, however, if the child is living with both parents/legal guardians, then the work/school schedules for both parents/legal guardians should be completed in order to verify the child’s “latchkey” status and eligibility for the program.

A+ Enrollment Processing Procedures

•  All A+ Programs enrollment is based on a first come-first serve basis governed by available staffing at each A+ site. 
• Upon receipt of registrations, all registrations are stamped with the date and time received. The date and time stamps are used to create a priority list for first come first serve status.
•  Providers review all student registrations received online and hard copies for completeness including reviewing the A+ Registration form, A+ Registration Agreement, A+ Program Emergency Contact Form and required employment or training documentation. Registrations are not complete without employment documentation (e.g., paystubs, weekly work schedule, letter from employer, etc.). All three (3) forms should be completed before a student is enrolled in the A+ Program. Children registering after this date will be accommodated on a space available basis.
• Families will be contacted by the provider if their application is incomplete and provided five business days to complete the registration to maintain their position on the priority list at each site.
• All providers complete the A+ Admission Status Notification Form for each registration to communicate enrollment status. 

School Year A+ Program Communication with Families

All families who register for the School Year A+ Programs will receive a hardcopy or electronic A+ Admission Status Notification Form. This form will share information on your registration to include the following information: 

• Accepted for enrollment
• Waitlisted due to full enrollment
• Determined ineligible (based on latchkey definition)
• Program not available (insufficient enrollment)

A+ Providers will communicate with families on waitlists weekly during the first month of the school year and move to monthly communications as enrollment or staffing changes. For more information, please contact your individual school for more information.

A+ Program Fees

The A+ Monthly Fee has increased monthly tuition from 9 months to 10 months to account for after care provided during early release days and school conference days. Payment for the months of December and January will NOT be combined as in past years.

A+ Program Fees/Payment Information	Description
A+ Monthly Fees (School Year Program) *	The A+ School Year Program’s monthly fee is $240/month per student. The school year program runs for 10 months from August through May.
A+ Payments	A+ fees are charged on a monthly basis and will be paid on or postmarked before the first school day of each month.  Cash will be accepted; however, checks are preferred.  Checks should be made payable to the school, e.g., A+ Program – Kaala Elementary School and mailed attention to the A+ Program.  Payments made in person must be delivered directly to the A+ Site Coordinator by the parent/legal guardian. Cash should not be sent to school with children or by mail.  Original receipts of payment will be issued and sent home with children to their parent/legal guardian. Online payments are available based on provider.
Refunds	In accordance with our Hawaii Administrative Rules, A+ programs do not provide monthly fee refunds. This policy applies to student absences or months with shorter service days due to breaks, intercession, or holidays.
Late Payments	A $5.00 late charge shall be imposed per family for each school day a payment is overdue.
Termination for late/non-payment	If a child’s parent/legal guardian has not paid the monthly tuition within the first five (5) A+ Program days of the month, the child shall be terminated on the sixth (6th) A+ Program Day.  Failure to pay any out- standing fees by the end of the month shall result in termination from the program. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the A+ District Coordinator. The child may re-enroll if the parent/legal guardian pays all outstanding fees, and a penalty fee of $25 for reinstatement. If there is more than one child enrolled in the A+ Program, the family is penalized for a flat reinstatement fee of $25.

Financial Assistance

Families who need financial assistance can qualify for subsidies from the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services (DHS). More information on how to apply is provided in the following table.

DHS Subsidized A+ Fees Information	Description
DHS Subsidized Monthly Fee (Optional)	Families must meet the following criteria to apply:  Meet A+ Latchkey eligibility requirements Meet DHS Income Eligibility requirements with income documentation Families who meet both requirements may apply for the DHS Subsidy. The subsidy pays the A+ monthly fee directly to the program for qualifying families.  The application is available online via the A+ website and hardcopy in the Parent Handbook. Qualifying families may submit the completed form and income documentation to their A+ program Site Coordinator. One DHS subsidy application per family.
DHS Child Care Connections Subsidy (Optional)	Families must meet the following criteria to apply: Meet A+ Latchkey eligibility requirements Families who do not qualify for the DHS subsidy based on income can qualify for partial tuition reimbursement through the DHS Child Care Connections Subsidy. The subsidy provides partial A+ monthly fee payment reimbursement based on income level. DHS sends the reimbursement directly to the family. A+ programs will require full tuition payment from the family. The application is available online via the A+ website. Qualifying families may submit the completed form and income documentation to their DHS office for approval.

A+ Subsidized Fees Procedures

Step 1: Determining Eligibility

Parents wishing to receive subsidized A+ fees must complete and submit the following: 

1. After-School Plus (A+) Registration Form
2. After-School Plus (A+) Program Registration Agreement Form
3. A+ Program Emergency Form
4. Application for Subsidized Monthly Fee (A+ Program)

Submit one of the following to qualify (Samples of forms are provided in Subsidy Forms   section): 

• DHS 728 Form
• Current one (1) month pay statements. If paid 2X a month, then two current pay statements are needed.
• Income tax return for the last year
• If Self Employed Parents can submit: 

               a) GE License and Bank statement 

 b) Blank check with their company name 

 c) a copy of their federal income tax form that shows their gross income for the year may  be used. 

• Foster Children – any of the following forms of documentation are acceptable confirmation that the applicant is a foster parent:
  1. DHS 1591 – Official Foster Child Certificate AND a copy of the letter sent by their licensing worker with the child’s name listed.
  2. DHS Form 1508 – Agreement between DHS and Foster Parents
  3. DHS 1607 – Notification to the DOE of a child in Foster Care.

Eligibility must be determined before a child may attend the A+ Program. 

A new Income Eligibility Table is provide each year. Please use the table to determine if the applicant qualifies for the subsidized A+ fee. A copy of the Eligibility Table is provided below for the current school year and a table is provided to parents via the Parent Handbook (beginning in SY 2023-24).

Step 2: A+ Processing After Eligibility Determination

1. Once eligibility and documentation is confirmed add documentation to child’s file. 
2. Process tuition according to eligibilty and subsidy qualifications. 
3. Maintain annual review for recertification of eligibility before the start of each school year. 
4. Follow up with families for any incomplete required documentation. 

DHS Subsidy Forms

DHS-DOE A-Plus (A+) Tuition Subsidy Procedure – First To Work DHS Form 728 (First to Work Instructions)

When Parents Are…	Then Eligibility Determination Is Completed By…	Instructions…
FIRST-TO-WORK PARTICIPANTS	DHS/BESSD FIRST-TO-WORK PROGRAM	Parents shall provide a completed/signed DHS 728, A+ Program Referral Form and Termination Notice. Parents may obtain a DHS 728 form only from their First-To-Work Case Manager or First-To-Work Vocational Rehab Counselor. If parents confirm they are a First-To-Work participant and is able to identify which First-To-Work unit they are participating with, then A+ sites shall refer parents back to their First-To-Work case manager/counselor to obtain a DHS 728 form. Note: “Worker” or “DHS Worker” may not be their “First-To-Work case manager/counselor” so it is important for A+ sites to use the term, “First-To-Work.”
UNSURE THEY ARE FIRST-TO-WORK PARTICIPANTS BUT ARE RECEIVING ASSISTANCE BENEFITS	DOE PROVIDER A+ SITES	Parents are uncertain or unable to… – Confirm they are a First-To-Work participant; – Identify their First-To-Work case manager/counselor; and/or – Identify the First-To-Work unit they are participating with… Then parents must complete the A+ Application and Eligibiliity Process for tuition subsidy through this contract.
RECEIVING ASSISTANCE BENEFITS BUT ARE NOT FIRST-TO-WORK PARTICIPANTS	DOE PROVIDER A+ SITES	Parents who report they receive assistance benefits (e.g. Food Stamps, Cash, and/or Medical Assistance) and confirm they are not First-To-Work participants, parents must complete the A+ Application and Eligibility Process for tuition subsidy through this contract. Note: Receiving assistance benefits does not mean parents are automatically eligible for A+ tuition subsidy through this contract. In addition to income and having a dependent child, parents must also be engaged in employment or education/training. Effective September 1, 2012, A+ sites shall not accept DHS 1243 forms.
NOT RECEIVING ANY ASSISTANCE BENEFITS AND ARE NOT FIRST-TO-WORK PARTICIPANTS	DOE PROVIDER A+ SITES	Parents must complete the A+ Application and Eligibility Process for tuition subsidy through this contract.

Income Eligibility Table

Household  (HH) Size	Max.  Annual Gross Income	Max.  Monthly Gross Income	Max.  Semi-Monthly Gross Income	Max.  Bi-Weekly Gross Income	Max. Weekly Gross Income
2	$74,670	$6,223	$3,111	$2,872	$1,436
3	$94,260	$7,855	$3,928	$3,625	$1,813
4	$113,850	$9,488	$4,744	$4,379	$2,189
5	$133,440	$11,120	$5,560	$5,132	$2,566
6	$153,030	$12,753	$6,376	$5,886	$2,943
7	$172,620	$14,385	$7,193	$6,639	$3,320
8	$192,210	$16,018	$8,009	$7,393	$3,696
9	$211,800	$17,650	$8,825	$8,146	$4,073
10	$231,390	$19,283	$9,641	$8,900	$4,450
11	$250,980	$20,915	$10,458	$9,653	$4,827
12	$270,570	$22,548	$11,274	$10,407	$5,203
13	$290,160	$24,180	$12,090	$11,160	$5,580
14	$309,750	$25,813	$12,906	$11,913	$5,957