PROGRAM — Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program

By Brittany Miller

My husband and I have three daughters. They are almost 14, 12, and nine. The reason we use an Education Savings Account (ESA) is mostly because of our nine year old, Brooke. Brooke is very medically complex and globally delayed. 

To be honest, we had a really great public school district. They worked really hard to try to make it work for Brooke. But she could not handle the chaos of a loud classroom. She has epilepsy and would have seizures all the time. It just wasn’t a calm enough environment. She also couldn’t handle the longer days. 

At one point we had two of our daughters on ESA scholarships. Our other daughter had some anxiety issues. We did a home program for a few months and got her in a better place and now She is now back in public school. But we plan to do the ESA forever for Brooke. 

“It has changed Brook’s life. She is happier and healthier because she is not exposed to illnesses and it provides a calmer environment and we can cater to her schedule.”

We have a great ESA plan. We use the funds to buy curriculum and pay for extra therapies for Brooke. And we also have a special ed teacher.

It is wonderful. It has changed Brook’s life. She is happier and healthier because she is not exposed to illnesses and it provides a calmer environment and we can cater to her schedule. And She has the most wonderful special education teacher that I am able to pay to come to our house for about 10-12 hours each week to work with her. 

It is life changing. I’m so thankful that we have this choice here in Arizona.

I work for the parent information center for special needs families. We help parents with any issue related to school: medical, personal — anything they need. We are here to help them as a free service. I am a family support specialist. I recommend ESAs all the time to families who are looking for something different. 

We are pro-public school. We have nothing against public schools. Two of our daughters are in public schools. But it did not work for Brooke. So it’s really important for our family and many families to have school choice. 

Families should be able to make choices for their children. All families have different circumstances and all children learn differently. That is why I am so thankful for the empowerment scholarship. Many families in Arizona are thriving because they can cater their education to their children’s needs. 

At the end of the day, it’s important for families to have choices. These are our tax dollars. If the regular, traditional school system isn’t working, we should have choices. For us, this program allows our daughter to have a better life. 

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