Just two weeks after the school year wrapped up, Sommer Henderson had a dilemma she had not expected.
Her kids were already begging "When can we go back to school?''
"That's not something I would have heard when they were in public school,'' Henderson says. "Now we've got them in a place where they're happy, they get attention from their teachers and they feel secure.''
Four of her five children are at Incarnation Catholic School in Town 'N Country, thanks to the
Step Up For Students Scholarship Program for low-income families. They are among the 69,000 students receiving funding for private education of their parents' choice for the 2014-15 school year.
The program is made possible by corporate partners that get a tax credit for their contributions. Some 150 donor companies are currently providing support to Step Up For Students.
The program recently got a big boost from
Johnson Brothers of Florida, a Tampa-based beverage distributing company, which gave a $5 million contribution. More than 900 students will benefit from that donation alone.
"Thanks to our donors like Johnson Brothers, Florida students now have the opportunity to attend a school that fits the way they learn, regardless of their parents' income or where they live,'' says Step Up For Students President Doug Tuthill. "The donations can change the course of a student's life. The positive impact that this program has on our state's kids is truly remarkable.''
Henderson will vouch for that. Three years ago, three of her children were attending a public elementary school. Two of them complained about being bullied, and none was excelling in classes. When she learned that their family's size and their household income qualified them to receive funding, she decided to take a chance and fill out the paperwork.
"It was the best thing we did for our children,'' she says. "Everything has changed in a positive direction since we put them in Incarnation. Their grades, their attitude, the family atmosphere, the attention they get from their teachers. I'm not knocking the public schools, but they tend to teach at one level. It's more personalized in a smaller, private school.''
Henderson works full time as a data analyst for Citigroup; her husband is currently a student in culinary arts at the Arts Institute of Tampa. Next year, they will have all five of their children at Incarnation, when their youngest child goes into pre-K. Step Up For Students is currently paying $5,200 per child toward tuition, with the Hendersons picking up the remaining $23 a month.
Without this financial assistance, they wouldn't be able to even consider a private school.
"I am so grateful for this program,'' she says. "For our kids, it's like night and day. They're getting a good education and a moral foundation, and that means everything to us.''
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.