From Cook County Higher Education - April 22, 2020

Cook County Higher Education is excited to share that due to the success with our first distribution of 40 reduced cost refurbished laptops from PC’s for People earlier this month, we are actively working to obtain additional laptops for any community members who may need one.

As we continued to put effort into this project we obtained 10 more reduced cost refurbished laptops, not all of which have been spoken for. There are no income requirements. 

If you are interested contact us to fill out an application. If we run out again and the demand is high, we will request more and you can be put on the waitlist for the next round. We look forward to connecting you to the equipment you need to better work or study from home!

GET CHROMEBOOKS FOR 75% OFF TO HELP WITH DISTANCE LEARNING
 https://mnafterschool.org/chromebooks  

As families and school districts prepare for weeks or perhaps months of distance learning, Minnesota Afterschool Advance (MAA) is here to help! The same tax credit MAA uses to help families pay for afterschool and summer activities can also be used to get 75% off up to $200 of computer hardware, like Chromebooks, per family.

How can MAA help?
MAA can help families purchase Chromebooks at a 75% discount. We do this by using a tool called the K-12 Education Tax Credit.
MAA makes a no-interest advance to you for the 75% covered by the tax credit, and then state dollars automatically repay the advance when you file your taxes at the end of the year. These are extra dollars—you will still get your regular refund.
Limit one per household.

How can I get a Chromebook?
Apply to MAA
The first step is to apply to MAA, so we can determine your eligibility.
Since the computer hardware option is limited to one per family, you only need to submit an application for one eligible student, but you may apply for additional students if you want to use MAA to pay for afterschool activities as well. MAA will be reviewing applications on an expedited basis, and we will hopefully be able to get you a response within a few business days.

Select Your Chromebook and Pay Your 25%
Once approved, we will send you a special link to order your Chromebook and pay your 25% of the price. (You cannot buy it directly from a store or another website.)

Receive Your Chromebook
In most cases, shipping can take around one week depending on your location, but there are some shipping delays because of high volume.

File Taxes at the End of the Year
MAA gets repaid when you file your state income tax return at the end of the year. The Department of Revenue will directly repay the amount MAA advances to you from the tax credit dollars. To help with tax filing, MAA will provide instructions and also let you know about available free tax preparation services.

Is my student eligible?
Students are generally eligible if:
They are in grades K-12.
Their family’s household income is $33,500 or less in both 2019 and 2020.
Their family will file a Minnesota tax return.