Schooling is not a one-size-fits-all situation – students learn at different paces, through different styles, and some might even need a thoroughly modified curriculum to attend to a special need or gift. Either way, not every student is best served by the uniform educational experience that even the best of Canada’s public schools offer. Many parents turn to the country’s private schools for more specialized options – but, all too often, their searches often come to a halt when they reach the “Tuition Fees” page.
Working in the educational policy research department at the Fraser Institute, this problem was one that Claudia Hepburn felt she came across far too often. So in 2003 she started the Children First School Choice Trust, a private foundation that provides scholarships for lower income families wanting to send their children to a private elementary school. Lucky recipients are chosen through a random lottery system, and are awarded funding for half of their child’s yearly tuition up to a maximum of $4,000, lasting from JK until Grade 8 in Ontario and Grade 6 in the Alberta program, which began in 2006.
“We look at students as individuals with individual needs, and sometimes they need an alternative to a public school. Whether it’s a learning disability that needs a custom curriculum, or a special gift that needs cultivation, parents should have the ability to shop around to address those needs,” said Michael Thomas, Director of Children First School Choice Trust at the Fraser Institute.
The first of its kind in Canada, Children First is the only Canadian program in history to win the international Templeton Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2004. And according to its Program Director Alexandra McGregor, Children First has had an “overwhelmingly positive” impact on the thousands of students it has funded, including 700 in Ontario and 80 in Alberta last year alone.
A parent survey conducted by Children First in 2008 found that 93% witnessed some or significant improvement in their child’s academic performance, 88 per cent observed an improvement in their child’s social skills, and 85 per cent saw improvement in their behaviour. Most impressively, 91 per cent of parents believed their child was happier in private school, and over 90 per cent of parents said they would not be able to afford a private education without financial assistance. One mother from Shanty Bay, Ontario commented “Children First has given us the opportunity to have our daughter in a positive nurturing setting where she is appreciated for the unique person she is. All children should be so lucky. Thank you.”
In addition to the benefits of a private school education in the formative years of elementary school, Children First has also exposed the need for more programs like it. Since its inception, almost 41,000 applications have been received from families in need in Ontario and Alberta.
“At our height, we would receive over 7,000 applications a year and have only 200-300 new grants to give away. And that’s only among the poorest families in Ontario, that doesn’t include the middle-class families interested in private education,” Thomas said.
“There is definitely a demonstrated need for more programs like ours. There are thousands of families we’re not able to help,” echoed McGregor.
Even though there are a number of private school scholarship foundations in the United States, there are few options in Canada. The Prosser Charitable Foundation Parent’s Choice Fund at The Calgary Foundation was started in 2005 when Kathy Prosser and her husband Eric saw an article about Children First and decided to start their own fund for students in Calgary. It subsidizes half a year’s tuition up to $3,500 a year, all the way from JK to Grade 12. In the fall of 2008, a total of 68 bursaries equaling $182,929 were provided to needy students. This past year, they received the highest number of applications ever.
Competition is very high at these foundations, but luckily Children First has also inspired similar scholarships for low-income families at individual schools. Thomas always recommends that families talk to the school they’re interested in first to see what kind of financial aid they offer.
The costs associated with private education are often the biggest obstacles facing Canadian families, and the services that programs like Children First and the Parent’s Choice Fund provide are essential. But they are also in financial need. Not immune to the global recession, this year Children First was not able to accept any new scholarship applications due to a lack of funding. So if you have experienced the benefits of a private education first-hand, or want to support equal access to a proper education for Canadian children, visit www.childrenfirstgrants.ca or www.thecalgaryfoundation.org to find out how you can help.
Tags:
financial aid,
private school 
The last day of the year. The beginning of summer vacation.
