Homeschool benefits and savings in Buckeye
The City of Buckeye Community Services Scholarship covers part of the fee for city recreation programs, up to $100 per child each calendar year, for Buckeye residents 17 and younger in lower-income households. A sliding scale sets your share at $3 per activity or 20% to 80% of the fee, and homeschooled children apply the same way as any Buckeye child.
Who qualifies
Lives in Buckeye
Show one current residency proof with your Buckeye address: a City of Buckeye water bill, a phone bill, an APS or SRP bill, a vehicle registration, or an Arizona ID or driver's license.
Is 17 or younger
A youth is anyone 17 or younger. Adults 60 and older, and adults 18 and older with a disability, can apply as active adults.
Meets the income scale
The city sets your share from total household income and the number of dependents. Attach pages 1 and 2 of your latest tax return (or an IRS non-filing form) and the two latest pay stubs for each working adult, dated within 30 days; W-2 forms are not accepted.
Picks an eligible program
The scholarship pays toward fee-based city recreation programs. It does not cover licensed care programs: Kid's BASE, Break Programs, Lil' Squirts Pre Schools, and Summer Camp.
What it is worth
The city's application lists six fee levels, and its guidelines cap the scholarship at $100 per youth each calendar year.
- Lowest income level
- $3 per activity
- Next levels
- 20%, 40%, or 60% of fee
- Highest qualifying level
- 80% of fee
- Above the income scale
- Does not qualify
- Scholarship cap per child each year
- $100
- Balance left on December 31
- Lost
Late fees cannot come out of the scholarship, and if your child drops a program after the award, the money does not move to another program.
From applying to using it
- Before you apply
Gather documents
Collect your tax return pages 1 and 2, recent pay stubs or Social Security statements, and one residency proof with your name and Buckeye address.
- Any time in the year
Turn in the application
Print the scholarship application and bring it with your documents to the Dr. Saide Recreation Center, the Buckeye Community Center, or the Sundance Recreation Center.
- Within 5 business days
Hear from the coordinator
The Program Coordinator contacts you once every supporting document is in. Awards depend on available funds.
- At registration
Sign up for a program
Your spot depends on space when you register, not when you applied, so register soon after approval.
- Each January
Apply again
Need is assessed every year and money expires on December 31, so submit a new application each calendar year.
What it pays for
Covered
- Fee-based City of Buckeye recreation programs and classes
- Youth 17 and younger
- Active adults 60 and older
Not covered
- Kid's BASE and Break Programs
- Lil' Squirts Pre Schools
- Summer Camp
- Late fees
- Adult trips under $25
Donations, sponsorships, and contributions from businesses and individuals pay for the fund, and scholarships are approved based on available funds.
Who to contact
Parks and Recreation staff answer questions about the scholarship application and the documents it requires.
recreation@buckeyeaz.gov 623-349-6350 Scholarship program page
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Arizona
Within 30 days of starting, file an affidavit of intent and a certified birth certificate or other authorized ID with the county superintendent. The ID rule exempts homeless pupils. Within 30 days, notify the superintendent if you stop or file a new affidavit if you resume.
Arizona sets these rules:
- Subjects: Reading, grammar, math, social studies, and science required.
- Testing: Arizona does not require standardized testing for homeschoolers.
- Records: Arizona does not prescribe routine academic portfolios or attendance reports; required identity documentation is filed with the county superintendent.
- Teachers: Arizona does not require a teaching certificate or degree to homeschool your own child.
Arizona also has an education savings account that home-educated students can use.
- The Empowerment Scholarship Account pays about 90% of the state funding your child's district or charter school would have received, for curriculum, tutoring, and other approved expenses. Using it is a separate path from homeschooling under state law.
- TheHomeschoolingCompany is an approved vendor for it.
Read the Arizona homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Arizona
Questions parents ask
- Can my child join a city program for free with the Buckeye scholarship?
- Only if the program has no fee. Any program with a registration fee needs at least a $3 co-pay per program or class, even at the top scholarship level.
- Can we use the Buckeye scholarship for summer camp?
- No. Summer Camp and the city's other licensed care programs, Kid's BASE, Break Programs, and Lil' Squirts Pre Schools, are excluded.
- We did not file taxes last year. What do we send?
- Send an IRS non-filing status form instead of a tax return. You can request it from the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
- Do we have to give anything back?
- No. The city encourages families to volunteer and to send donors a short note about how the scholarship helped, but neither is required.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Camps and local activities give your child new interests to explore. Their discoveries can shape the examples and questions they study at home. We are an approved Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) vendor, so your ClassWallet balance can pay for it.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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