Tax Season: Can you deduct Preschool Expenses?

The 2017 tax season is over, and filing time has arrived. For parents of small children, the question of whether they can claim preschool expenses, and how to claim them is important. We have compiled some pertinent information which should be helpful in trying to gets your tax forms in order.

Child and Dependent Care Expenses

Kiplinger’s explains that a portion of your child care expenses can be claimed as a credit, which affects your net income. Note that this is a credit used to calculate net income, rather than a deduction calculated against that income. There are some qualifying considerations before you can claim the credit, including:

  • Parent Requirements
    • Single parent working or attending college fulltime.
    • Both parents work fulltime, or looking for work
    • One parent works fulltime, the other attends college classes fulltime
  • Income Parameters
    • Income less than $15,000 can claim up to 35% of expenses
    • Percentage gradually decreases down to 20% for income greater than $43,000
  • Maximum Credit Amounts
    • Maximum of $1,000 for one child
    • Maximum of up to $6,000 for 2 or more children

Information Concerning IRS Publication 503

IRS Publication 503 details the forms necessary for claiming child and dependent care expenses. To claim the credit, you will have to file Form 1040, and include Form 2441, Child and Dependent Care Expense as part of your long-form filing. Publication 503 lists the information necessary, including when you must file a Form w-10, which tests you must pass to be eligible, and other information. For additional assistance, you may contact the IRS directly, or seek the help of a tax professional.

Charitable Donations

If your child’s preschool is a non profit organization, money or items you donate may be deductible. The important thing about charitable donations to the school are that they must be made to the school itself, rather than supplies intended for your child alone. For example, donating art supplies may be deductible, but providing art supplies specifically for your child are not. This is true for school uniforms, classroom supplies, or other donations. As long as you donate to the entire class or the school in general you are okay, but sending supplies for your child are not – and may be required by the school’s charter anyway.

As you see, you cannot claim the cost of preschool directly, but may be eligible for credits that affect your overall tax obligations. Even though you may not be able to get credit for the entire cost of preschool, you will be able to use Form 2441 to reduce the amount of money you owe, or to adjust your net earnings.

The Montessori School of Flagstaff Westside Campus offers programs for preschool and kindergarten children, ages 3-6.  Our children’s house allows students to work at their own pace with gentle guidance from teachers and older students.  To learn about our programs and curriculum, contact us today and schedule a tour.

Learning about Martin Luther King, Jr.

February is Black History Month, and Martin Luther King, Jr. is a central part of those lessons. Additionally, the third Monday of January is a holiday named in his honor. Even though there was a lot of racial violence during his lifetime, Dr. King insisted that violence was not the way to achieve equality for black people, but that they should instead use their rights to assemble and peaceful protests to bring about the changes that were needed.

A Modern American Hero

Martin Luther King, Jr. earned a place in the history books by standing up for the rights of African Americans. He believed that no one should be discriminated against on the basis of the color of their skin. He saw how racial prejudice was harming the country and taught that peaceful protest was the best way for African Americans to attain a better life.

Understanding Civil Rights

Civil rights are the everyday rights of people and are the cornerstone of American freedom. When Martin Luther King, Jr. became famous, black people were treated unfairly in many ways, such as not being allowed to sit where they wanted on public buses or eat in the same restaurants as white people. Dr. King is famous for saying, “I have a dream,” and his dream was that everyone would someday be allowed to enjoy the same protections under the law.

Peace and Kindness for All Americans

Martin Luther King, Jr., a baptist pastor, wanted a revolution in civil rights, but he did not want people to fight. Instead, he believed that peaceful solutions were vital to our country. His form of revolution was to hold peaceful protests that pointed out how African Americans were being discriminated against and demanded that the government take steps which guaranteed the rights and freedoms of everyone equally. He did not want people to fight, but he knew that these changes were the only way to avoid a racial violence.

The Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.

In his famous speech, delivered in August of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. laid out his dream for the future. He said that he dreamed of African Americans rising above protests involving violence and crime. He said that “all men are created equal,” just as it had been written into the Declaration of Independence. He dreamed of a world where his children would not be treated unfairly based on the color of their skin. He dreamed of black people having the same rights as Caucasians, including the ability to vote, travel freely, use public services, and eat in the same establishments.

Even though he only spoke of peace, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April of 1968, by James Earl Ray, who was a confirmed racist. That action gave credence to the Civil Rights movement. In some ways, that 1963 speech led to the first African American President, Barack Obama, being elected 45 years later, in 2008.

Montessori education treats and teaches every student equally, regardless of the color of their skin.  At the Montessori School of Fremont, our teachers use the past to teach students about the present, using hands-on lessons and encouraging open discussions.  We invite you and your child to tour our school today and see the Montessori Method first hand.

History of the Montessori Method

The first Montessori school opened more than 100 years ago in 1907. The school introduced what was a new approach to education at that time. Today, Montessori schools are found on every populated continent, and the methods first used by Maria Montessori have become popular in public and private schools alike.

The Origins of Montessori Method

In 1896, Maria Montessori became one of the first women to become a doctor in Italy. Her focus was on psychiatric methods to help educate children with disabilities. Far from accepting that these children were unable to learn, she looked for alternative ways to reach their natural curiosity. She experimented with different methods which seemed to show more success, and in 1900, she was given a role as co-director of a training institute for teachers in the field of special education. She put many of her earlier observations into practice, and the program turned out to be a success.

The Children’s House

Maria Montessori’s flagship experiment, Casa dei Bambini, opened in an underprivileged Italian district in 1907. Children who were considered ill-behaved or even unteachable responded enthusiastically to puzzles, hands-on education, and real-world activities. Maria observed how the children responded to stimuli, teaching themselves by playing and performing enjoyable tasks. Instead of forcing the children to learn using unfamiliar materials, she designed a classroom that was child-centered and interesting. The Montessori Method was born, and soon achieved recognition throughout Italy. By 1910, Montessori education began to be accepted worldwide, and a new way to educate children had arrived.

Child Based Learning

The tenets of the Montessori method were revolutionary and based on the idea that children learn better in their own environment and at their own pace. The Montessori classroom was designed around children rather than the adults and teaching materials included enjoyable activities. She believed that children are learning even when they are playing, and her classrooms were developed to encourage children to get involved and entertained as they learn. Instead of forcing children to learn in an academic situation, she fostered participation by making the learning process more enjoyable, using play and real-world activity rather than focusing on textbooks and rote memorization.

Child, Environment, and Guide

Teachers in a Montessori school are typically referred to as guides. Their primary purpose is to create an environment which children can identify with and respond to in a positive manner. The guides maintain a sense of order while allowing children to move about the different activity centers freely. To help foster learning, multi-age classrooms allow younger children to learn from older ones, which has the added benefit of creating a sense of worth and responsibility in children as they grow.

The Montessori method is a different approach to education, but one that has been shown to work, not just over the last century, but throughout the history of mankind. Children have always learned by observing and doing, and Maria Montessori developed a way to bring those traits into the classroom.

Montessori Children’s Center in Fremont, CA offers Montessori programs for children ages 3 months to 6 years.  Our teachers and staff follow the methodology first established by Maria Montessori herself more than 100 years ago.  Contact us today to schedule a tour and see the impact of child-centered teaching.