Dear Parent,

The Board of Trustees has adopted the policy of funding most of the school's annual operating expenses with tuition dollars. This decision means that tuition controls, in large part, the quality of education Ruffing Montessori School is able to offer. While recognizing that some sacrifice is appropriate for something as crucial as your child's education, the Board acknowledges that financial assistance is necessary to build and maintain the sort of student body Ruffing aspires to have. Consequently, in Ruffing's 50-year history, significant funds have been devoted to tuition assistance.

To assist Ruffing's Financial Aid Committee in allocating the school's resources wisely and fairly, we have enlisted the help of Independent School Management's FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition) program. FAST does not decide whether financial assistance will be awarded or how much to give; rather FAST provides an analysis services that includes a recommendation of what a family should reasonably be expected to contribute toward tuition. All information from FAST is kept confidential and results are reviewed only by the Financial Aid Committee to assist them in determining appropriate awards.

Please note the following important dates:

• Dec. 1, 2009 - Ruffing will begin accepting applications for Financial Aid for the 2010-2011 academic year
• Feb. 5, 2010 - Priority Deadline for Financial Aid Applications from New and Returning Families

Although Ruffing's Financial Aid Committee will accept applications for financial aid after Feb. 5, 2010, applications received by the deadline will get priority, and fewer funds will be available for distribution after that date.

More information about financial aid at Ruffing, along with application procedures, will be posted on this page soon.

For information in the meantime, please feel free to contact:

Debra Mitchell
Financial Aid Committee Chair
Ruffing Montessori School
3380 Fairmount Boulevard
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
216.321.7571
debram@ruffingmontessori.net