ACE Financial Procedures

ACE Tuition

ACE, Down Syndrome Guild’s Adult Continuing Education, is a fee-for-service program. Currently, DSG will not bill insurance providers, nor are the services coded for submission to insurance. DSG is not a Medicaid or HCBS Waiver provider. ABLE account savings may be used to pay for ACE as it qualifies as a disability expense. The dependent day care allowance, if available through your employer, may also allow for disbursements.

Once enrollment is approved, the participating family pays the $250.00 enrollment fee.
Tuition rates: $45 full day. $30 half day. Full time participation per year is less than $12,000 (depending upon # of billable days in any given year). Minimum enrollment: 2 days/week or 3 half-days. DSG is subsidizing 40% of costs for ACE participants.

ACE Enrollment and Tuition Payment

At initial enrollment, and every quarter (3 months) thereafter, caregivers complete their enrollment and payment preference on our online enrollment and payment portal. Every quarter (every 3 months), the enrollment plan may be increased or decreased, or continue as is. Enrollment changes need to be approved by the ACE Manager prior to paying tuition on a new enrollment schedule. Contact the ACE Manager by the 1st of the month prior to the start of the next quarter. Down Syndrome Guild reserves the right to deny these changes based on available staffing and ratios; however, we will do our best to accommodate requests and we will make these changes as quickly as we can.

Tuition fees are calculated on our payment portal based on the number of billable days in each month specific to the days enrolled. On the payment portal, families can set up reoccurring payments by selecting: biweekly, monthly, or quarterly. Tuition payments may be made by check or credit. Payments should be received online, in person, or by mail by the 10th of the month prior to the month (or quarter) of service.

Payment receipts will be sent to the provided email address. Families can request additional emailed or mailed receipts by contacting the Down Syndrome Guild finance team via payments@kcdsg.org. Families are encouraged to save the email address, payments@kcdsg.org, to increase likelihood of receipts being visible in your primary email inbox. If receipts are not visible in your email inbox, check SPAM and junk mail folders, prior to contacting DSG’s finance team.

If there are special considerations related to tuition payments (e.g. multiple child discount, family gifts, or funding support), please indicate this within the form on the online portal and contact the ACE Manager prior to making the tuition payment.

Families on a waiting list for ACE are not required to submit any form of payment to hold their position.

DSG Fundraising and ACE Tuition

Fundraisers for the Down Syndrome Guild may not be applied to an individual’s ACE tuition. This includes DSG-sponsored Facebook birthday campaigns and DSG event fundraising (e.g. Step Up Walk team revenue). DSG will remain compliant with federal tax law as it applies to our 501(c)(3) to ensure our charity’s tax-exempt status is not jeopardized.

Delinquent Payments

Families will be contacted by the DSG finance team if payments are returned. There is a 10-day grace period for families to work with the finance team to submit a new payment. If the prior month’s payment has not been received by the 1st of the new month, the DSG finance team will notify the ACE Manager and ACE services may be suspended until the payment is received. Families are allowed one returned payment without financial penalty per ACE year. The second delinquent payment will result in a $35 penalty fee that will be added to the next automated monthly payment. If there are more than 3 delinquent payments within an ACE 12-month year, the DSG finance team and the ACE Manager will meet with the family to discuss potential termination from the program. Non-payment could result in suspension from the program if the period of non-payment extends beyond one month.

Withdrawal and Refunds

Families may request refunds for up to 5 days per year for individual missed days, including sick days. Without this request, DSG will not automatically refund these 5 days. Otherwise, refunds are not provided for individual missed days, including sick days. Refunds are provided for inclement weather days when DSG determines ACE is closed. If parents or caregivers decide not to transport the participant due to weather, and ACE is open, then a refund will not be provided. Extended absence is handled on a case by case basis. Families are encouraged to communicate directly to the ACE Manager.

Withdrawal from the ACE program may only be requested after a full quarter (3 months) of participation and tuition payments. Requests for withdrawal or suspension must be made in writing by completing the form, Request for Program Termination or Suspension. This form must be submitted with one month’s notice to the ACE Manager, in order to provide sufficient time for the DSG finance team to terminate the auto payment. If a family requests a withdrawal from the ACE Program with one month’s notice, and they have paid tuition in full for a year, a refund will be provided to the family for the cost of the remaining months. If a family requests to withdraw from the ACE Program with one month’s notice of the following quarter, and they are on a monthly payment plan, the automatic payments for upcoming months will be terminated, but a refund will not be provided for the current or previous months.

Multiple Child Discount

A discount is available when two or more adults with Down syndrome in one household are participating in the ACE program. The discount is applied on the lesser service if the enrollment plans are different. The discount is $5.00 off per half day. For families paying on a monthly basis, the discount is taken off each month according to the enrollment plan. The modified monthly payment will be reflected on the credit card authorization form.

Family or Friend Gifts towards ACE Tuition

Family members or friends of participating ACE families may contact DSG at payments@kcdsg.org to make special payment arrangements to contribute to the tuition cost for an individual. Such gifts are considered payment towards a fee-for-service program for a particular individual, and not a tax-deductible contribution to Down Syndrome Guild. In such cases, DSG will issue a receipt directly to the individual making the payment. Special requests for anonymity will be honored. The gift may be applied in full to the upcoming quarter or divided evenly across 12 consecutive months of enrollment. The credit card authorization form will be revised to reflect the modified monthly payment amount.

Financial Aid

Families needing financial assistance for their loved one with Down syndrome to participate in the ACE program are encouraged to contact the ACE Manager. If funding support becomes available from philanthropy or other funding sources, verification of income and financial information may be required to comply with the funders.

Further Information
If you have further questions, email the DSG finance team at payments@kcdsg.org