Homeschool benefits and savings in Spokane Valley
City of Spokane Valley Parks and Recreation pays 50% of one recreation program per child each season for lower-income families, such as $24 off a $48 swim lesson session. You qualify with a free or reduced-price lunch letter or by declaring household income at or below 80% of the area median income. Other options include transit fare savings.
Spokane Valley Recreation Scholarship
Who qualifies
Shows financial need
Give a free or reduced-price lunch determination letter, or sign a declaration that household income is at or below 80% of area median income for your household size on the HUD income table.
Enrolls in a city program
The scholarship pays toward City of Spokane Valley recreation programs for children of lower-income families.
Applies before registering
Submit the application at least three business days before the program's registration date. It must be approved before you register.
Registers by phone or in person
Registration that uses a scholarship cannot be done online.
What it is worth
The scholarship pays 50% of one session per child each season; the fees come from the city's swim lesson, swim team, and Winter Break Cool Camp pages.
- Swim lessons, $48
- $24
- Summer swim team, $75
- $37.50
- One Winter Break Cool Camp day, $40
- $20
- Scholarships per child each season
- 1
- Children per family
- Each eligible child
You pay half the fee while your application is reviewed, and the city invoices any remaining balance once it confirms the scholarship amount.
From applying to keeping it
- Before you apply
Gather your proof
Find your free or reduced-price lunch letter, or be ready to sign the household income declaration on the application.
- 3 business days before registration
Submit the application
List each child, the program, and its fee, then email the form or drop it at Parks and Recreation, 2426 N Discovery Place.
- Within 5 business days
Get a decision
The Parks and Recreation Director or a designee approves applications first come, first served, and does not hold program space during review.
- At registration
Register and pay half
Register by phone or in person and pay 50% of the fee.
- After approval
Settle the balance
The city deducts the scholarship from your final invoice and bills you for anything left.
What it pays for
Covered
- Half the fee for one city recreation program
- One scholarship per child each season
- Separate scholarships for siblings
Not covered
- Extra sessions in the same season
- Online registration
- A held spot while you wait for approval
Scholarships are limited and awarded first come, first served while funding lasts.
Who to contact
The Parks and Recreation office at CenterPlace Regional Event Center reviews scholarship applications and takes phone registrations.
parksandrec@spokanevalleywa.gov 509-720-5200 Scholarship application (PDF)
Spokane Transit Youth Ride Free
Who qualifies
Is 18 or younger
All youth 18 and under ride STA free, and no rider in that age group is turned away for lack of a card.
Gets a Rider's License
Children ages 6-18 can get the free Rider's License Connect card, which carries unlimited rides on all STA routes.
Applies online or in person
Apply online, at the Customer Service counter at STA Plaza, or at any Spokane, Liberty Lake, or Spokane County library branch.
What the fare saves
STA's fares overview lists what a regular rider pays without Youth Ride Free.
- Youth 18 and under
- Free
- Regular one-way fare
- $2.00
- Regular daily fare cap
- $4.00
- Regular monthly fare cap
- $60.00
- Rider's License Connect card
- Free
Each physical Connect card and eConnect card is a separate account, so your child cannot switch between them to pay from the same balance.
How to get free rides
- Before you apply
Choose a card or phone
Pick a physical Rider's License or an eConnect card in the STA Connect app. For the app, register an online Connect account first and use the eConnect number on the application.
- Online or in person
Apply for the Rider's License
Fill out the online form, or apply at STA Plaza or a Spokane, Liberty Lake, or Spokane County library branch. There is no cost.
- While you wait
Ride anyway
If the card has not arrived, your child can board and tell the driver their age.
- Each ride
Tap the card
Your child lays the card flat on the reader when boarding and waits for the beep and green check mark.
What it includes
Included
- Unlimited rides on all STA routes
- A free Rider's License Connect card
- Phone fare through the STA Connect app
Not included
- Sharing a balance between physical and eConnect cards
Washington's Climate Commitment Act funds STA bus and Paratransit service, including the free youth fare.
Who to contact about Youth Ride Free
STA Customer Service at The Plaza, 701 West Riverside Avenue, issues Rider's Licenses and takes calls Monday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Sundays and holidays, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
509-328-7433 Rider's License application
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Washington
You must file a declaration of intent by September 15 for the school year, or within two weeks after the start of a public-school quarter or term for a later start.
Washington sets these rules:
- Subjects: Teach occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and art and music appreciation. Provide hours equivalent to the annual program hours per grade for approved private schools under RCW 28A.195.010 and .040.
- Testing: Each year, obtain a state-board-approved standardized test administered by a qualified person or a written assessment by a Washington-certificated person currently working in education.
- Records: Keep annual test or assessment results permanently, along with immunization records. Forward required records if your child transfers to a public or approved private school.
- Teachers: The parent needs 45 college quarter credits or the semester equivalent, a home-instruction course at a postsecondary or vocational-technical institute, supervision by a certificated teacher, or the superintendent’s finding of sufficient qualifications. Teacher supervision includes planned objectives, an average of at least one contact hour per week with the child each month, and progress evaluation; the teacher may supervise no more than 30 children.
Read the Washington homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Washington
Questions parents ask
- Can a homeschooled child get a Spokane Valley recreation scholarship?
- Yes. Eligibility is based on household financial need, not school enrollment. If you have no school lunch letter, sign the income self-declaration on the application instead.
- Can my child use the scholarship for more than one program?
- No. Your child can enroll in several sessions in a season, but the scholarship applies to only one of them.
- What if my child does not have an STA card yet?
- Your child can still ride. STA does not turn away riders 18 and under, so your child can tell the driver their age or show a valid student ID.
- Where can we pick up a Rider's License in person?
- At the STA Plaza Customer Service counter, open weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays noon to 5:00 p.m., or at a Spokane, Liberty Lake, or Spokane County library branch.
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.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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