St. Kitts and Nevis Launches EC$250 Back-to-School Voucher

St Kitts and Nevis: The applications for the 2026 Back-to-School Voucher Programme have started as the government of St Kitts and Nevis launched the programme before the next academic year. Under this programme, families of every eligible child will receive EC$250 along with the assistance available to students in registered schools and institutions across the country.

The applications opened from 17 August and are going to remain open until December 31, 2026. The voucher money is to help the parents and guardians to meet the expenses for uniforms, school materials and other requirements for the new academic year.

The eligible children at licensed pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools and tertiary schools will be able to benefit from this programme.

Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew who is also the Minister of Finance announced this new initiative recently in a social media post. He said that the government is trying to help in easing the financial pressure faced by families.

Drew said in his post that through the 2026 Back-to-School Voucher Programme, every eligible child will receive EC$250 to help in affording uniforms, school supplies and other essential back-to-school expenses.

Along with this initiative, he also mentioned other measures that are being offered to families during the back-to-school period. On August 28 and 29, the government will hold Discounted VAT Rate Days. Qualifying school supplies have been eligible for duty-free concessions since July 1 and will remain in place until September 30.

The government has been implementing its summer support strategy and this initiative forms a part of it. This has come as the families are facing inflation, higher prices and economic pressure from international conditions.

Additionally, the government said that it has raised the minimum wage to the highest level among the independent OECS states. Since taking office, the administration has also increased the salaries for civil servants, these steps were taken to strengthen household income and support families.

Initiatives have been taken to improve the country’s fiscal position and reduce the fiscal deficit, while continuing to provide direct assistance to the households.

The 2026 voucher programme has been launched under the initiative which was first introduced in 2023.

The qualification requirement of the programme includes, the applicant is required to be at least 18 years old, they should be recognised as the child’s parent, guardian, caregiver or responsible adult in the records of the relevant educational institution. Moreover, the applicant is required to have working contact details and an active JAD Digital Wallet. The applicant must give permission for the information submitted to be checked and used for administering the programme.

To receive the benefit of the programme, the child must be named in the application and he/she should also have a place at a registered educational institution for the 2026-27 school year.

A child who has already received the 2026 payment through a separate application will not be eligible for receiving the benefit again.

Families with more than one eligible child will not be required to fill a separate form for each child. One applicant is allowed to include several children in the same application. The EC$250 amount will be given for each qualifying child.

The identities of the applicant and the child, the school status of the child, the validation of the applicant’s JAD Digital Wallet, and other information provided by the applicant will be checked before any payment.

Approved payments will be sent to the applicant's JAD Digital Wallet. The applications for the programme will remain open from August 17 through December 31, 2026.