My child is a sweet and thoughtful eight-year-old who was neglected as a baby and as a young child. She started talking and learning life skills at age five. She’s been working on her speech and catching up emotionally and academically for the past few years.
The school we chose is small and gives Emily individual attention. Emily was retained last year because she couldn’t keep up and had not done any in-class work for six months. The school is set up in a way to provide minimal distractions, which Emily needs because she has ADD . The school has P.E. and two break periods for children to burn off some energy which is important for her to maintain focus in school. Her speech therapy is done online by a separate provider. We are already seeing some progress in Emily’s ability and willingness to work individually.
Emily is getting the attention she needs to be successful in school and in personal relationships. She doesn’t have to worry about falling behind since her work is directly tailored to her actual level as opposed to her age group. In the long run, she will be able to focus on skills she has missed and move forward with a better chance of success.
“Families using ESA’s are able to find schools and services for their children that match their child’s needs as opposed to using the traditional “one size fits all” public schools which unfortunately aren’t set up in a way that is sufficient for some special needs students.”
Having school choice has had a huge impact on my child’s education. I know other children that are benefitting from an Empowerment Scholarship Account as well. Families using ESA’s are able to find schools and services for their children that match their child’s needs as opposed to using the traditional “one size fits all” public schools which unfortunately aren’t set up in a way that is sufficient for some special needs students.
School choice means less tears and worries. It means two less hours of off-level daily homework that Emily can’t understand, complete or retain on her own. It means positive feelings towards school and a safe and supportive environment. It means that she will finally feel success instead of defeat. I contacted the American Federation for Children and they helped me when I got stuck during the ESA application process.
