For more than a quarter century, the Kid’s Scholarship Fund (KSF) has been serving Connecticut by providing matching scholarships so that even students from the most economically challenged families might be able to afford a K-8 private-school education. I have been supporting it in every way I can since 1995, when it first offered 100 qualified students in the Bridgeport area $1,000 each – or half the tuition at that time for a low-cost independent school. I can’t think of any other charity which does as much with donors’ money. Historically, KSF recipients enter their family’s chosen private school at least one-year behind grade level, but after the first year over 99% test at or above.
Three years ago, a friend and former colleague introduced me to the outstanding work of the Kids' Scholarship Fund. My wife and I are privileged to be able to choose where our three sons attend school, and in our case, our local public schools have served us well. But not all schools are equal, not every child thrives in the same educational environment, and sadly, not every parent is empowered to choose the school that will maximize their child's potential. That's where the Kids' Scholarship Fund comes in. The Kids Scholarship Fund offers assistance to parents who want to choose a better school for their child's educational needs, but can't afford to do so on their own.
As a supporter, then a committee member, and now a board member, I have seen dramatic success stories, including children who once struggled with basic literacy excelling to high academic achievement, when they found the school that was right for them. As a parent of public school students, the son of a public school teacher, and a product of public schools myself, I know the fine work that is done by public school educators across the state of Connecticut. But in education, one size does not fit all, and school choice should not be a privilege for the few. Kids Scholarship Fund helps hundreds of families make the best choices for their children, and makes a life changing impacts on the disadvantaged children that it serves.