The ultimate guide to Ohio ACE (Afterschool Child Enrichment)

The Ohio ACE (Afterschool Child Enrichment) is one of the most innovative programs to distribute Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) funds under American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in the US. Filo has become a leading source of information & support about Ohio ACE helping students/parents apply as well as avail benefits of the $1000 award money from Ohio ACE . In this ultimate guide we will answer the following questions which we received from multiple students and parents about the program:

• What is the Ohio ACE (Afterschool Child Enrichment) program?
• How does the Ohio ACE program work in Ohio?
• Who qualified for Ohio ACE in Ohio to claim the $1000 award for educational services?
• What documents are required to apply for Ohio ACE?
• How to apply for the Ohio ACE program?
• What can you use Ohio ACE funds for in Ohio?
• How to claim the award money once you are approved by Ohio ACE?
• Can you use Ohio ACE award money to reimburse tutoring services such as Filo

What is the Ohio ACE (Afterschool Child Enrichment)?

The Ohio Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) Educational Savings Account program provides qualifying families with a $1,000 credit that can be used to pay for a variety of enrichment activities that will accelerate learning for students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

How does the Ohio ACE program work?

All parents or guardians need to follow the following 4 steps to claim $ 1000 for their child’s educational needs.

1. Check eligibility
2. Complete the Application
3. Sign Up with Merit
4. Spend ACE Funds with Qualified Education Service Providers: Once approved, select a service they want to avail against the awarded $ 1000. Parents can even choose after school tutoring or on-demand tutoring from Filo to cover all learning losses as well as enable their kid to perform better at grade level in school
5. Submit invoice for reimbursement – either reimbursed to self or directly to vendor (if preferred vendor such as Filo)

One family can register more than one child as well under this program.

Who qualifies for Ohio ACE to claim the $1000 award for educational services?

There are following broad eligibility checks for students & parents looking to apply for the Ohio ACE program:

1. Children residing in districts identified as having a high rate of chronic absenteeism or have one or more schools identified as EdChoice eligible qualify for an ACE Educational Savings Account:
   • A resident of the following districts in Ohio (Check this link)
2. Children who reside in a household with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) at or below 400% of the federal poverty level based on the household’s most recent federal income tax return qualify for an ACE Educational Savings Account.

All families applying for the ACE Educational Savings Account program under household income eligibility, must have their income reviewed by the Office of Nonpublic Educational Options.

1. GOVERNMENT SOCIAL PROGRAM PARTICIPATION: Children who are part of a family that participates in programs such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Ohio Works First (OWF) or other government social programs with eligibility at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, qualify for an ACE Educational Savings Account.

• Parents may submit an online application including income documentation to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
• The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce completes the income verification process and determines program eligibility for all applicants.
• Eligible applicant information is shared with Merit International, Inc.
• Merit International, Inc. will provide eligible families with their savings accounts and a marketplace to purchase allowable services and materials.

What documents are required to apply for Ohio ACE?

Documents required: Please keep these documents handy as per the case while applying for Ohio ACE.

Residency

• A current (less than 90 days old) utility bill. The utility (electric, gas, water, sewer, cable/internet) bill MUST SHOW MATCHING SERVICE AND MAILING ADDRESS in the name of the parent/guardian. Post office boxes (except in rural areas where residents only have a PO Box) and cell phone bills that have no service address are not accepted.
• A monthly mortgage statement (less than 90 days old) with matching mailing and property addresses.
• A lease/rental agreement (signed by lessee and lessor) AND a copy of a piece of current business type mail (less than 90 days old) in the name of the parent/guardian.
• If the student’s parent/guardian has no utilities in his/her name, then the parent/guardian must provide all three (3) of the following:
  • A signed and notarized statement from the person (i.e., third party) with whom the parent/guardian and the student live or from whom they rent that confirms that they reside at the address. This letter must be from the third party, not the parent/guardian AND
  • A copy of a current utility bill in the name of that third party, AND
  • A copy of a piece of current business type mail in the name of the parent/guardian.

  *Business mail would be items such as pay stubs, car notes, car insurance, monthly bank statements or official documents from a government agency. It must be a business with which the parent/guardian is currently doing regular business.

  *NO credit card solicitations or service set-up work orders. NOTHING HANDWRITTEN.

  Income-Based Government Assistance Programs

  • A copy of the parent/guardian’s 1095-B form for 2022 (Medicaid)
  • A copy of the parent/guardian’s Benefits Determination Statement confirming program participation (SNAP, OWF, CHIP)
  • A copy of the parent/guardian’s documentation confirming participation in other programs

  Household Income

  • A copy of the most recent tax return or transcript. Federal income tax returns from 2022 are acceptable for the remainder of 2022-23 school year and 2023-24 school year. Federal income tax returns for 2021 will not be accepted. Self-employed individuals may submit a copy of their federal income tax return or transcript.
  • If a federal tax return or transcripts are not available, other income documents may be accepted. All the following applicable documents should be provided:
    • Payroll check stubs for the four most recent pay periods.
    • Social security determination letter showing gross amount of benefits or a form 1099 from the most recently completed calendar year.
    • Pension or veterans’ benefits determination letter or form 1099.
    • Child support payment documents from the Child Support Bureau or court confirming the amount received.
    • Alimony payment documents from the agency or court confirming the amount received.
    • Unemployment compensation payment documentation showing the amount of benefits provided.

    How to apply for the Ohio ACE program?

    Securing $1,000 for Education through Ohio ACE, including Filo for after-school tutoring, homework help, exam preparation or covering any learning gaps from previous years, is Just 4 Simple Steps Away:

    1. Create an OH | ID Account
    2. Request Access to the ACE Application
    3. Complete application
    4. Access approved educational services from Ohio ACE platform

    Start today and make the most of this opportunity!

    Step 1: Create an OH | ID Account: The first step to apply for an ACE account is to create an OH|ID. You will need an OH|ID to access the ACE app. If you already have an OH|ID account; login using your User ID and the password. Access to the Ohio ACE app is available at https://ohid.ohio.gov/

    When creating a new OH|ID Account, you will need:

    

    • An email address that you can currently access to receive a one-time PIN and confirmation email;
    • Your legal first and last names;
    • Your date of birth; and
    • A mobile phone number to use as an account recovery option. During the account creation process, you will be prompted to create your desired username and password. Requirements will be provided.

    Step 2: Request Access to the ACE Application

    Once you have logged into your OH|ID, select the “App Store” at the top of the screen, enter “ACE” in the keyword box, and then select the search magnifier icon

    

    Once you click the search magnifier icon, the ACE app should display. Click “Request Access” on the tile. After you have clicked “Request Access”, you will be brought to a new page. Click the “LAUNCH” button and you will be directed to the ACE application. If you cannot see it, log out and log back in. If you are still not able to see the tile or the “LAUNCH” button, please use this link.

    Step 3: Open and Start the Application

    • Select “LAUNCH” to open the ACE application.
    • Read the Welcome to ACE page and click “Get Started”. Please note that after 30 minutes of inactivity, your application will expire. If you need to save and come back to your application at a later time, click “Continue” and your information will be saved. When you return to the application, you will need to click forward to the step you previously ended on. Information will only be saved if you were able to click “Continue” prior to your session expiring.
    • Contact Information: Enter your contact information, please make sure that the information provided is true. Click “Continue”.
    • Residency
      • Enter your physical address to check residency eligibility. Once it is entered, click the box that confirms your address and then click the black box that says, “Check Residency Eligibility”.
        • If you qualify for residency, click “Continue” and upload supporting documents.
        • If you do NOT qualify for residency, click “Continue”. The app will take you to the next eligibility criteria.
        • Click on one of the programs listed in which you participate. (You can also indicate a program not listed.) If you do not participate in any of the listed government social programs or other programs, click “I do not participate in any Government Social Programs”. The app will take you to the last eligibility criteria.
          • If you do participate in a government social program, click “Continue” and upload supporting documents.
          • Click on one of the annual income sources. For more information on each income option, click the blue question mark button.
            • Enter the income, and the amount of people that reside in your household, click “Continue”.
            • Upload supporting documents on the next page.

            After this step Ohio ACE will review your application and get in touch with you via email if approved or if they need any clarification. You can get more information at https://help.aceohio.org/for-parents-and-guardians

            What can you use Ohio ACE funds for in Ohio?

            Ohio ACEs focuses on enabling students and parents/guardians to decide what’s best for their learning journey. The program gives broad flexibility to students and parents to choose from multiple options with hundreds of approved vendors including Filo to provide on-demand or scheduled tutoring for any after school learning requirement.

            For Year 2 funds (2022-2023 school year) services must start on or after July 1, 2022, to qualify for reimbursement and for Year 3 funds (2023-2024 school year) services must start on or after July 1, 2023 to qualify for reimbursement.

            Before- or after-school educational programs

            • Tutoring: Including Filo which is a preferred vendor with Ohio ACE and parents can avail on-demand tutoring or scheduled tutoring directly from their platform without any out of pocket payment.
            • An educational program means an activity aligned to state academic standards that develops academic knowledge and is designed to accelerate learning.
            • Childcare, including the services of a nanny, are not allowable expenditures under ACE.
              • Invoices with childcare, aftercare, daycare, etc. are not reimbursable.
              • A learning extension center is a faith-based or community or other public site that provides physical space to allow workstations for students where educational support is provided in a supervised setting.
              • A learning pod is a small group of students receiving instruction from an educator.
              • The purchase of adult tickets is not an allowable expense.
              • Family memberships and children’s admission to eligible venues are an allowable expense.
              • International field trips are not allowable. Foreign travel is a school trip or a foreign tour and is not the intent behind the program.

              Ohio ACE award money is kept in a dedicated online wallet managed by Merit and cannot be transferred to any other bank account. You can leverage this fund to avail any approved service listed on the Ohio ACE marketplace website.

              How to claim the award money once you are approved by Ohio ACE?

              Parents can claim reimbursements from the Ohio ACE marketplace in two methods:

              1. Reimburse directly to their own account for services they’ve paid for.
              2. Reimburse straight to the vendor’s account for services they haven’t paid for. Filo is one such preferred vendor for online tutoring where parents don’t need to pay anything upfront & call select “Pay to vendor” on their Ohio ACE dashboard to directly pay for Filo’s invoice through Ohio ACE award money.

              Note: Only parents can initiate these claims via their Ohio ACE dashboard; vendors can’t request reimbursements without submission of invoice made by parents on Ohio ACE dashboard.

              Once approved by Ohio ACE parents can follow the following steps to claim reimbursement:

              • Step 1: Select a Service or Product – Begin by identifying and selecting a service or product from an approved Ohio ACE service provider.
              • Step 2: Make the Purchase & Obtain Invoice – When you purchase the desired service or product, ensure you obtain an invoice. You have the option to pay for it directly, or, if the vendor is on Ohio ACE’s preferred list, you might have the opportunity to receive the service or product on credit.
              • Step 3: Accessing theOhio ACE App– Navigate to the Ohio ACE app and sign in using your Merit credentials. If you’re unsure, these are the email and password details you provided during your initial account setup.
              • Step 4: Submitting Your Claim – Once logged in, locate and click on the “New Claim” button to initiate your reimbursement process. For a visual step-by-step, refer to the screenshots provided on the Ohio ACE helpdesk.
              
              • Step 5: Your child’s name will auto populate. Enter the service provider number, use the Ohio ACE marketplace to find the qualified service provider number.
              
              • Step 6: Enter information about the purchase.
                • Service Category – Use the dropdown menu to select from the available options.
                • What educational benefits did your child receive
                • Please give as much information as possible about the educational value your child received to support your claim. Claims that don’t include the stated educational value will be rejected.
                • Date of Service – Please enter the date the service started, for homeschool students purchasing hard goods, please enter the purchase date.
                • Claim Amount – Enter the amount of the claim, the amount available is shown below the textbox.
                • You will be asked to upload supporting documentation of your purchase or invoice. Do not round up the claim amount.
              
              • Select Pay to – Select where the funds should be disbursed directly to you or directly to the vendor. Please note that if the service provider has not linked their bank account with Ohio ACE, the only option available will be to reimburse funds directly to you.

              Filo is a preferred vendor with Ohio ACE and parents do not need to pay anything upfront to Filo. They will receive an invoice from Filo which can be uploaded on the Ohio ACE dashboard & select “Pay to vendor” and Ohio ACE will directly reimburse Filo.

              When everything is entered as intended, submit your claim by clicking Submit. You can view the status of your claims directly within the app. Claims are processed in the order that they are received. Please allow 8* weeks for reimbursement of eligible claims. Although most parents’ claims are reimbursed within 7-14 days.