Tuition Transparency

Program Operating Costs, Tuition, and Scholarship Transparency

Helping Raise Humanity (HRH)

At Helping Raise Humanity, we believe families and community partners deserve full transparency about how tuition is set, how donations are used, and how we work to balance affordability with long-term program stability.

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True Cost of Care at Full Capacity

To operate a fully enrolled infant classroom while maintaining all state licensing ratios and offering extended hours of care from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the daily cost of staffing and operations is as follows:

• Staffing costs: $313.24 per day

  • Minimum wage staffing

  • Two staff members present during peak hours (This is required if there are more than TWO children under the age of 24months, and the largest difference in the care we offer over other centers/homes who limit their infant care positions.)

  • One staff member present during lower-ratio hours (approximately three hours per day)

• Daily classroom expenses: $91.20 per day

  • Materials and learning supplies

  • Food and nutrition needs

  • Licensing-required supplies

Total true daily operating cost: $404.44 per day

When divided across a fully enrolled classroom, this equals a minimum cost of $50.56 per child per day to simply cover basic operations.
This figure does not include utilities or initial classroom setup and licensing expenses.

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How HRH Reduces Costs for Families

Recognizing the critical need for affordable infant care within our community, Helping Raise Humanity actively reduces tuition through significant in-kind contributions.

HRH currently donates:

• All utility costs (water, gas, and related services)

• 13 hours of unpaid volunteer labor each day to ensure licensing ratios are met while maintaining extended operating hours

Because of these contributions, the daily operating cost required to keep the classroom open is reduced to:

• $269.35 per day total

• $33.67 per child per day

This reduction allows families to access high-quality, licensed infant care at a substantially lower cost than the true market rate.

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Building Stability, Emergency Preparedness, and Growth

While reducing costs for families is a priority, experience has shown that long-term stability requires more than simply covering daily expenses.

To ensure program longevity, Helping Raise Humanity intentionally budgets for:

• Emergency and unforeseen expenses

• Flexibility for families during times of hardship or life transitions

• Program growth and enrichment opportunities

Planned enhancements include:

• Shade structures and outdoor play equipment

• Expanded sensory and physical motor experiences

• Additional rooms for toddler specified care and lowered tuition

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Budgeted Tuition Rate

With these goals in mind, HRH has established a budgeted tuition rate of $40 per child per day, plus a late pick-up fee of $5 from 4-6 P.M..

This rate:

• Remains well below the true cost of care

• Reflects ongoing in-kind donations

• Allows modest funds to be set aside for savings, emergencies, and program improvements

• Supports the sustainability and long-term availability of care for families

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Scholarship Opportunities

Helping Raise Humanity is proud to offer tuition scholarships to families who need additional support.

Thanks to donated staffing hours over the past two summer programs, payroll funds from those programs were allocated to a scholarship initiative rather than operating expenses.

As a result, families may apply for scholarship support through two distinct options, each with a limited number of available seats to protect program stability.

Scholarship availability is intentionally capped to ensure:

• Staff wages remain protected

• Daily operations are not compromised

• The program remains financially healthy and available to the community long term

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Our Commitment

Helping Raise Humanity is committed to:

• Transparency in budgeting and tuition decisions

• Responsible stewardship of donations and in-kind contributions

• Equitable access to care

• Long-term stability for children, families, and staff

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We believe that when families and donors understand how and why decisions are made, trust is strengthened—and together, we can build a program that truly raises humanity.