The IBE (Institute for Better Education) is an Arizona Certified School Tuition Organization (STO) that helps families pay for K-12 private school tuition, including kindergarten. It operates by facilitating the Arizona Private School Tuition Tax Credit program, which allows Arizona taxpayers to redirect their state tax liability to fund private education.

 

Here is how the program works to cover kindergarten costs at Climbing Tree Community School:

 

How it works for families

 

Application and Recommendations: Families apply for a scholarship through IBE before the school year starts. Once enrolled, parents can ask friends, family members, and colleagues who pay Arizona state taxes to donate to IBE and specifically "recommend" their kindergarten student.

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Tuition Payments: IBE collects these donations and turns them into tuition scholarships, which are disbursed directly to the child's private school.

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Universal Eligibility: Any family can utilize the standard private school tax credit program to pay for kindergarten, regardless of household income.

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At Climbing Tree Community School, our kindergarten curriculum utilizes low student-teacher ratios and joyful, child-led exploration to nurture each student's unique academic and social growth at their own pace.

 

How it works for donors

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Dollar-for-Dollar Tax Credit: When an Arizona taxpayer contributes to IBE, they receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against their state income taxes. This means the donation directly reduces their state tax bill by the exact amount they contributed.

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No Extra Cost: Because the donation offsets taxes the individual was already going to owe to the state of Arizona, supporting a student effectively costs the donor nothing.

 

Through this system, families can effectively crowdsource their child's private kindergarten tuition using tax dollars their network was already required to pay to the state government.

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If you would like to tour Climbing Tree Community School's kindergarten, please fill out a contact form today.

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You can read more about IBE here.