Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Growing in Importance as Resource for Arizona Families
December 08 2022 - 10:30AM
Business Wire
New Funds Available for Parents Wishing to
Enroll Children in Private Schools; Resources Available for Parents
to Learn How to Access ESA Program
The thought of a private-school education may seem unattainable
for many Arizona families. However, thanks to the state’s new
Empowerment Scholarship Account program, or ESA, a private-school
education is more accessible than ever before.
Today, more than 30,000 Arizona students are now enrolled in
private schools through Arizona’s ESA program, which is designed to
reduce financial barriers to private-school education — regardless
of family income. This number represents only a fraction of the
state’s more than 1 million children in kindergarten to 12th grade,
and a minority of students currently enrolled in private
schools.
“ESAs are rapidly becoming an important tool for families to
find the right education for their children. As a parent and an
educator, I encourage all Arizona families to take advantage of
this incredible opportunity,” said Janice Gruneberg, Senior Vice
President & Superintendent of Schools for Grand Canyon Private
Academy, a new online school for Arizona students. “It may seem
like it’s too good to be true, but it isn’t.”
One barrier that prevents some parents from taking advantage of
the program may be that they simply don’t know about it — with
elections dominating the headlines for much of the past year,
there’s been little coverage of how ESAs actually work for
families.
The goal of ESAs is to provide scholarship dollars to Arizona
families to help them find the academic option that works best for
them. They also allow families to expand their educational choices
beyond their local public school system and customize their
educational experiences.
ESA scholarship dollars can contribute to or even fully cover
the cost of tutoring services, learning materials, and private
school tuition. As an example, the ESA fully covers full-time
tuition, including all materials, at Grand Canyon Private Academy.
This means Arizona students can earn a private school education
100% tuition-free. Arizona's ESA provides approximately $7,000 per
student for most families, regardless of household income.
“It’s actually a fairly simple and straightforward process, and
most private schools — including ours — can help walk parents
through it,” Gruneberg said. “I’ve been through the process with my
own children and found it to be very efficient. There’s no reason
for parents who wish to send their children to private schools to
not take advantage of this opportunity.”
The ESA also provides additional scholarship dollars for
students with special needs starting as early as their pre-K years,
so that families can work to customize their child’s education
based on their specific needs and challenges — funds for children
with special needs can be as much as $37,000.
ESA applications are accepted year-round, so parents can start
taking advantage of these funds in a timely manner and make changes
to their children’s educational environment whenever they see fit.
Funds are distributed each quarter, with funding beginning the
quarter that the ESA contract is signed by parents.
Families seeking more information on the ESA program can visit
AZ Empowerment Scholarship for a full breakdown of how they can
take advantage of this opportunity for their children.
“There’s great information out there for Arizona parents on how
to make the most of this opportunity,” Gruneberg said. “Private
schools may not be the answer for every family, but now they are
more accessible as an option than ever before.”
About Grand Canyon Private Academy
Grand Canyon Private Academy (GCPA) is an online private school
serving grades K–10. The school is dedicated to inspiring and
empowering students through an education experience tailored to
their needs and focused on their futures. GCPA combines engaging,
interactive Stride K12 curriculum with an integrated support team
of school leaders, teachers, academic coaches, and counselors. For
more information visit gcpa.k12.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221208005258/en/
Media: Ken Schwartz kschwartz@k12.com Tom Evans 602.448.5483
tevans@onadvertising.com
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