Is it morally acceptable to apply for Catholic school financial aid

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108mama

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I have a question about financial aid for my children’s catholic school. My husband and I have 4 children in grades 8th, 6th, 4th, and Kindergarten. My husband makes a good income that covers all of our needs and I work part-time to assist with Catholic school tuition. I struggle with working my part time job. Even though the hours are minimal (15 hours per week), I feel that it prevents me from staying on top of the housework and keeping our lives organized. Most days I feel pulled in many different directions and it feels like working is the one thing that prevents me from being less anxious and stressed out with my husband and children.

One solution I have been thinking about is applying for tuition assistance from our school to reduce our payment down enough so that I could quit my job and be home full time. Practically and logistically this makes sense to me, but I’m left with a sense that it might not be morally acceptable since I’m fully able to work and I’m certain there are other families in much greater need than ours. Is the ability to maintain more peace and order in our home reason enough to ask for financial help for something that we are making a choice for – Catholic schooling?

We don’t have much debt, drive older cars, live in a modest home, and try to keep our spending low. Our state has a voucher program for private schools, but our income (even if I would quit my job) is just a bit over the maximum. Our school has financial aid and has always encouraged us to apply. I get the impression that most of the time they can just offer a percent off the tuition to help make ends meet for families.

I appreciate the (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
It would seem perfectly morally acceptable if you meet the requirements.

Being able to work does not mean you have to, especially if, as you mention, you struggle with working as it conflicts with housework etc.

This without denying that both husband and wife have shared responsibilities.
 
If you are honest in your application, there is nothing immoral. Application does not mean you will be awarded scholarships, but, allow the school to make those decisions.
 
I would definitely say that having even just two kids in school generates a VAST amount of logistical work. I really struggled to keep up with it and laundry when our two oldest were in school and our youngest was at home and an active toddler. We have three kids in school now, and while the physical demands of childcare are a lot lower than they used to be, there is a constant stream of school group texts, emails and paperwork to stay on top of, not to mention laundry, grocery shopping (I feel like I live at the store), dealing with tradespeople, and kid driving. I work very, very part-time, and it’s pretty hard to keep all the balls in the air on the days when I am working. I wouldn’t say that I’m overworked on the days when I’m not working, but there is a sort of non-stop conveyor of stuff that needs to be dealt with.


(Start around the one minute point.)

My particular conveyor belt moves at a moderate speed, but I can’t ever turn my back on it for very long.

On the one hand, I would tell you not to worry about the ethics of applying for financial aid, a) you may not get anything and b) I am somewhat concerned about the long term situation for your family. Are you planning on doing Catholic high school for your kids? If so, the financial demands may wind up rising quite a bit.
 
Wow, yes! Do it!! The Church should be HAPPY to help you financially if it also frees you to mother your children in a more present & loving way. That is such a pro-life and pro-family desire. I would not even hesitate. Mothers can’t be over-rated & if anyone knows it it should be holy mother Church!
 
Of course. We have been blessed financially, and take every tax break we can find. Some choose not to. That is their prudential decision (charitable contribution deductions come to mind), but it isn’t a moral issue to do either.
 
Yes, yes, yes! The conveyor belt is really a perfect illustration for life with busy children. I think part of my struggle is that I was a full time stay at home for about 9 years. Life was still very busy, even while being able to dedicate myself completely to home, but I didn’t feel stretched quite as thin as I do now. I think it’s a combo of increased activities for the kids and also the added emotional energy is takes to parent pre-teens and teens. And knowing that life was indeed easier when I was home full time.

Yes, our high school tuition will increase quite a bit, and we are still on the fence about whether or not the kids will attend or move to public school at that point. In my mind it’s a constant push and pull between working more to afford the tuition payments and being able to be home more to create the kind of home life we would like. But I think at least applying for aid to see what kind of help we might have available would only help to make the decision clearer.

I really appreciate your thoughtful, and hilarious, response! Thank you.
 
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Yes, we definitely take advantage of the tax deductions and are very grateful for those!
 
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