Facing the tuition challenge head on The pilot program to reduce tuition that began in 2017 is drawing to a close. What's next?
L
et's begin with a brief recap. Following the announcement in 2017 that visionary philanthropic gifts would allow the school to lower tuition by close to $10,000 for all families for five years, we waited with baited breath for the answers to two key questions: The gifts were provided by the donors as a route to boosting enrolment. Was that premise sound? The gifts were given with the intention of catalyzing wider philanthropic commitment. Would the community rise to the challenge? As it happens, things played out spectacularly well and exactly as intended: over the last five years, enrolment has grown significantly, retention from Jewish day schools has rebounded, and families are flooding to New Stream. And despite setting ambitious philanthropic goals that far exceed accepted benchmarks, fundraising income has grown consistently.
The proof is self-evident: lower tuition results in a vibrant and viable school. Along with a commitment to continued educational excellence, the school is adopting a strategic approach to sustaining tuition accessibility, informed by the learnings from the pilot program. In particular, we recognize the barriers that exist for middle-income families and will launch the TanenbaumCHAT Tuition Assistance Program (TTAP) for the 2022/23 school year to address those needs. As with all new programs of such importance, we will closely monitor and evaluate its effectiveness. Since the only way to sustain both excellence in programming and lower tuition is through philanthropy, our commitment to continued robust fundraising is unwavering.
Powering TanenbaumCHAT Annual Fund
Enrollment
$2.1M 2017/18
874
2018/19
954
2019/20
1013
$1.5M
1095
2020/21
1225
2021/22
Power ing TanenbaumCHAT Now & Always
20 | CHATTER Magazine FALL/WINTER 2021
$2.3M GOAL
$1M 2017/18
$1.2M 2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
