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WorkFirst

WorkFirst Financial Aid, formerly known as Work-Based Learning Tuition Assistance, is intended to assist TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and low-income working parents by providing tuition, fees, and book assistance toward the goal of helping parents to gain the skills needed to become employed or to advance in employment through wage and skill progression.

General Student Eligibility Guidelines

If you are eligible for WorkFirst Financial Aid, it can pay for tuition, required fees, and books for:
  • Vocational courses or sets of courses
  • Vocational certificate/degree programs when a student is not eligible for other forms of financial aid
  • Basic skills classes, including ESL and high school completion
  • Customized job skills training leading to work
  • Continuing Education courses that are job related
  • GED testing
WorkFirst Work-Study is also available to students who are receiving TANF to provide employment opportunities while attending school. Positions are available on and off-campus and must be related to the student's area of study.

WorkFirst Financial Aid
175% Income Guidelines for 2007-2008

Listed below are the income guidelines to be used for WorkFirst Financial Aid for the 2007-2008 academic year effective July 1, 2007. These are calculated at 175 percent of the 2007 federal poverty levels.
Size of
Family Unit
Annual Gross Income
Cut-off Amounts
Monthly Gross Income
Cut-off Amounts
2
$27,380
$2,281.66
3
$34,340
$2,861.66
4
$41,300
$3,441.66
5
$48,269
$4,021.66
6
$55,238
$4,601.66
7
$62,207
$5,181.66
8
$69,176
$5,761.66

Important Links

http://www.workfirst.wa.gov/resources/eitc.asp
Information on the Earned Income Tax Credit

https://fortress.wa.gov/dshs/f2ws03esaapps/onlinecso/otherresources.asp
Phone numbers and links to Web sites for helpful resources, such as child care and resource referral, and help with legal and/or domestic abuse problems

http://www.dshs.wa.gov/basicneeds/
Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Web site that provides a quick and easy web navigation tool for people needing information about social and health services

http://www.workfirst.wa.gov/
WorkFirst Web site: Help for Working Families is a service that helps low to moderate-income working families understand what benefits are available to them. Help for Working Families is not welfare! This program gives information about several programs that could allow you to provide more for your family. These programs are: food assistance, childcare subsidies, medical coverage for families, and child support services. You may already qualify for some of these benefits and not even know it:

Contact WorkFirst Financial Aid

Connie Robertson, Program Specialist
crobertson@centralia.edu
(360) 736-9391, ext. 303
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday, 1:00 pm-5:00 pm