Thank You From Angela and CSFP

A stunned Philadelphia parent said “Thank you,” through tears. “Thank you so much.” This was Angela’s reaction upon learning some great news by phone the other night. Her two sons were among 2,000 new winners selected from CSFP’s random lottery for K-8^th grade scholarships. Starting next school year, the boys will be able to attend a quality tuition-based school of Angela’s choice, and Angela will get some much-needed financial support as she raises the boys on her own.

 

Hundreds of other parents got the same call as Angela, and learned that their children were selected from a pool of over 10,000 hopeful applicants to CSFP’s K-8^th grade scholarship lottery. This news marks the beginning of a terrific journey for many Philadelphia families as they enroll their children in private schools. Last month, we wrote about how hard CSFP children must work in school to maintain our consistent 96% graduation rate. There is another group that must work just as hard if these children are to succeed: our parents.

CSFP scholarships are partial: parents must pay some tuition for each child they send to school. For parents like Angela, whose oldest son has been diagnosed with ADHD and is moving along at a much faster pace than his peers at Dunbar, this sacrifice is worth it. She states that she intends to send both her sons to the same school, one that will challenge them academically, reinforce the discipline she teaches at home, and provide stability in their lives. And that is what CSFP dreams of for all Philadelphia children.

Thank you to all who made Lottery Day 2016 possible—our donors, volunteers, schools, and CSFP parents—you are the reason we can impact so many children.