Another CCD Question

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boppaid

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Our CCD program charges $100 per studen & an extra $40 for a sacrament year. I am so frustrated! Do their text books really cost that much? What do you think we’re paying for? I can’t figure it out. The teachers teach on a volunteer basis. It seems outrageous. At the protestant churches nearby, all their children’s programs are either free or close to it. One program (the most expensive protestant program I’ve seen) is $20/year. What makes the Catholic Catechism class so much more costly?
 
Huh. I don’t know, but I expect they pass out dittos or worksheets, maybe some trinkets (like a rosary or holy card), use crayons, have an overhead projector, and pay for some training and books for the volunteers. There are always various costs involved in running a class of most sorts. Dry-erase markers cost money, and so do lights. The DRE has a salary, too. It could be any of this stuff. I assume your parish would waive it, if a person couldn’t afford it. 🙂
 
I would imagine that your parish would be the exception, not the norm on something like that. Honestly, though, I haven’t a clue.
 
So, maybe it’s a regional thing then? What are the catechism fees at your churches? I know I called around in our area, and ours were the norm.
 
boppaid said:
So, maybe it’s a regional thing then? What are the catechism fees at your churches? I know I called around in our area, and ours were the norm.
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About $110 per child, but it gets cheaper if you have a bunch of kids in your family enrolled at once. Most parishes do that, I understand.
 
  1. DRE salary
  2. certification courses for catechism teachers
  3. textbooks and supplies
  4. cost of retreats for kids preparing to receive their sacraments (First Communion & Confirmation)
I agree $100 per child seems high. Ask your DRE or pastor about it.

Our parish had people complaining when we used to charge $35 per child, however our parish is on the poor side. Then we got a new priest and he abolished the fee. Instead, there is a special envelope for parishoners to give their support to the CCD program right along with their Sunday offeratory. That seems to be working out.
 
boppaid said:
Our CCD program charges $100 per studen & an extra $40 for a sacrament year. I am so frustrated! Do their text books really cost that much? What do you think we’re paying for? I can’t figure it out. The teachers teach on a volunteer basis. It seems outrageous. At the protestant churches nearby, all their children’s programs are either free or close to it. One program (the most expensive protestant program I’ve seen) is $20/year. What makes the Catholic Catechism class so much more costly?
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All you can do is ask either the pastor or the DRE to show you the actual budget for the program. Or go to a parish Financial or Council meeting and ask. Diocesan policy usually makes this information available to members of a parish that ask for it.
 
That is about what our parish charges. Tuition is reduced or waived however for any family that can not afford this. No child is denied religious education based on inability to pay. Tuition is also waived for children of parishioners who serve as catechists, teachers’ aides, babysitters, or assist the RE program in some other ongoing manner throughout the school year.
 
boppaid said:
What makes the Catholic Catechism class so much more costly?
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the parish is not supporting it through tithing, as you protestant neighbors are doing, so parents have to pay the cost. and per pupil cost in some places is about $100. You are paying for a lot more than the book: overhead utilities and maintenance for the meeting space, salary for director and clerical help, and cleaning crew, consumable supplies and materials, photocopies, and a lot more, including mandatory training and certification classes for all employees and volunteers. the Protecting God’s Children program alone is very expensive.

Your parish needs a stewardship and tithing program, based on the recognition that the primary job of the parish, after the liturgical and sacramental life, is evangelization and catechesis.
 
jpjd said:
  1. Our parish had people complaining when we used to charge $35 per child, however our parish is on the poor side. Then we got a new priest and he abolished the fee. Instead, there is a special envelope for parishoners to give their support to the CCD program right along with their Sunday offeratory. That seems to be working out.
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this pastor has the right idea

per pupil cost in our parish last year was $83, not including cost of sacramental prep and administration connected with sacraments, and not including overhead for using the school. CCD fee is $25, max $55 per family, waived for need with no proof demanded except to ask for a waiver.
 
My Parish charges nothing but we are far more Protestant in the way we tithe:D. Yes, we are a “tithing” Parish. We do no fund raisers we depend entirely on the money that comes in from the Parishioners, we are a diverse Parish from some very poor to the very rich.

Of course, Adult education courses you are required to purchase your books but there is no charge for the course itself. Oh, and the Confirmation students go on one retreat which they have to pay for or get a scholarship from the Parish for. I know when I payed for my daughter’s Retreats I gave an extra $20.00 to help defray the costs of a student who couldn’t afford it.

Oh, and it is not regional because the Parish in the community next to us does charge $100.00 for CCD. I don’t know about others though as I don’t know anyone who goes to the other Parishes in the Archdiocese.

Brenda V.
 
I don’t know of any parish near us that charges that much. We just went up to $20 per student (from $15). That is because we switched to a new program and it has more consumables. There is one parish that charges $50 but everyone talks about how high that is so I think it is the exception. We do not charge extra for Sacrament years but most of the other parishes near us do.

P.S. About 1/3 to 1/2 of our students at any given time are not paying anything due to financial issues.
 
Thanks for the replies. Maybe I will talk with them about this. I know they will waive the fee, but it sure is embarrassing asking! I asked for a reduced fee last year, and paid only $50. But I feel horrible asking again. Plus, it just seems way too high on principle alone. 😦
 
it seems strange that you are been charged at all.
here in the uk there is no charge, as the word of god should be freely given.

🙂
boppaid said:
Thanks for the replies. Maybe I will talk with them about this. I know they will waive the fee, but it sure is embarrassing asking! I asked for a reduced fee last year, and paid only $50. But I feel horrible asking again. Plus, it just seems way too high on principle alone. 😦
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Confirmation year at our parish is ~$100. That barely covers the cost of the weekend retreat, so who knows where money for materials comes from. —KCT
 
I would ask to see the budget, too, if you are curious. Costs of the program probably do add up if you stop to think about it.

Ours by the way is $40 a child with a $50 cap for a family. I always thought it was a little low. Heck Girl Scouts costs more than that.
 
pastors are required to provide parishioners with a financial report of the previous fiscal year to the parish in October, so that info should be available at that time, or at least the total CCD budget, and number of families enrolled, so you can figure out the per pupil cost yourself if it is not spelled out.
 
I just looked ours up because you got me curious about the cost. As it turns out, the program costs a little over $100 per student to run. Now how much of that someone thinks the parents should pay is I guess another discussion.
 
I guess it just seems weird to me that the parents pay all or most of the cost of church-run programs. Maybe because so many of my friends are protestants, and I see how theirs are run, I’m jealous, but children’s christian education in their churches come primarily out of their church’s budget as an expense. I’m glad to see, though, that it’s not a protestant/Catholic thing as much as it may be a regional one. Some of you said yours are free or close to it. I guess I think that’s how it should be.
 
I agree the parish should not charge for teaching. The teaching is a fundamental of Christianity; it is difficult enough to have faith, without being misguided by poor or no teaching.

Just FYI
Our missal constantly has a financial statement inserted
25% of our collection goes to the school for education
10% to the Diocese
~ 30 Church operations
~30% Goes to Catholic Education in various forms( other than the school)

50% of our members give $0
75% give less than $500 per year which less than $10 per week ( by envelope count and that includes all envelopes)

So it is clear why the church asks for parental contributions. Odds are the collection of these funds matches the general collection pattern.
 
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