Private Scholarships Bring Kids Hope Today

by Kathryn Hickok

This month’s film opening of Waiting for “Superman” has put the spotlight on low-income parents trying to break cycles of poverty and low achievement by sending their kids to charter schools. Sadly, these children face a lottery process that makes their futures dependent on a roll of the dice.

Charter schools have quickly become a vital educational alternative, but private and parochial schools have been a lifeline for low-income kids for generations.

Since 1999 the Children’s Scholarship Fund has helped more than 111,000 low-income children nationwide attend private schools with partial tuition scholarships. Here in Oregon, CSF-Portland has given more than 600 students a “hand up” in life through a private education.

Alternatives within public education are important, but low-income kids can’t wait for Superman. Privately funded scholarships are still the only way for many children to have immediate access to a safe environment where they receive a quality education. Through charitable donations from caring Oregonians, CSF-Portland gives parents a choice today so their children can have a chance. When matched by the national Children’s Scholarship Fund and by the parents themselves, a $100 donation covers a low-income child’s tuition for one month.

For more information about how you can support this life-changing program, visit the Children’s Scholarship Fund-Portland online.

Kathryn Hickok is Director of the Children’s Scholarship Fund-Portland program at Cascade Policy Institute.