THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP DONATIONS

BY RONNIE DANIEL

WhenJessica Jones contacted the Children First Education Fund nearly two years ago, she was at her wits end. As a mother of four, she had her hands full, but given that her youngest son, Charlie, has special education needs due to spina bifida, her life became rather hectic. Jessica’s older three children were thriving in their public school classes. They loved their teachers, their school was excellent at meeting their needs. Jessica realized that the ideal public school education experience that her older kids were having, may not be possible for Charlie. His condition required him to be in a wheelchair and that impacted his ability to pay attention, do his school work and participate in class like the other children.

Jessica went through the process of getting an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for Charlie. The IEP identified Charlie’s disability and outlined how the public school system would work to meet his education needs. It all sounded good on paper. The reality was that Charlie still struggled and fell behind the other students academically. Charlie just wasn’t thriving in the public school classroom.

After hours of research, Jessica learned about a local private school that had resources available to help children with disabilities. She very much wanted to have Charlie attend this school. The challenge was that the annual tuition for the school was $9,000. While her family wasn’t poor, that amount of money was just not possible in their family budget. A few months later, Jessica learned about Children First Education Fund and the scholarships they provide to children with disabilities to attend private school or to be homeschooled.

She applied, and Charlie qualified for a scholarship in the amount of $8,076. Jessica enrolled Charlie in the school and utilized the scholarship program for most of the tuition. She was able to cover the rest of the cost from the family budget. In just a few months, Charlie was at grade level in all areas, and more importantly, he was happy.

In 2019, the Utah State Legislature passed a bill which created the Special Needs Opportunity Scholarship Program. The program was created to meet a need and help families like Jessica’s. The scholarship program is available to children in Utah who attend kindergarten through grade 12, and who have a qualifying disability as defined by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. The types of disabilities that qualify under IDEA include learning disabilities like dyslexia, ADD or ADHD. Students with autism, emotional disturbances, language or speech impairments, or physical disabilities like deafness or blindness also qualify under IDEA.

The bill also provided for a very unique way to fund the scholarship program. Instead of simply appropriating funds from the state budget, the Utah legislature created an opportunity for Utah residents and businesses to donate funds to support the program and in return receive a state income tax credit equal to their donation. The bill specified that there was no limit on donation amounts, but that the program had an annual cap on the amount of tax credits that could be distributed. For 2023, that cap is $5,940,000.

The legislation for the scholarship program required that a non-profit organization be selected to administer the program. In 2020, the Children First Education Fund was selected to be the non-profit organization to manage the Special Needs Opportunity Scholarship Program. The leadership of Children First included Doug Holmes and Jordan Clements, who had been very involved in the school choice movement in the state for many years. They saw the

Special Needs Opportunity Scholarship Program as a great way for parents to have choices for their kids, as well as for taxpayers to have a choice on where their taxes were used. It was a win-win proposition from the beginning.

Since 2020, Children First has been able to raise over $5 million dollars and provide scholarships for nearly 300 students. Each student and their family has a story like Charlie’s. This program caters to children who are not well served in the public school system. It is estimated that 90% of students in the public school system are thriving and having a great educational experience. However, students with disabilities often are among those who struggle, and need different alternatives. Children First and the scholarship program offers children and their families a choice in their education opportunities.

I know, firsthand, the challenges of having a child with special needs. My oldest son was born deaf. My wife and I struggled to meet our son’s educational needs through public school. Our son is now 32 years old. If there had been a scholarship program like Children First Education Fund available back then, it would have made a big difference. Children First is required by law to distribute 92% of the funds raised in scholarships. My mission is to continue to expand the number of children who are served by the program and to help increase the number of people who can benefit from the tax credit donations. Together, with our donors, we can move mountains of frustration and discouragement and help thousands of children with disabilities.

Donors have come from all over Utah, and when asked, they say that their dual motivation for contributing was to receive the tax credit benefit and to direct their tax dollars to a program that benefits children with special needs. Learn more about Children First at www.cfe-fund.org. n

Ronnie Daniel is the executive director of Children First Education Fund. He has a background in nonprofit management having worked for several non-profit organizations in Utah and around the country. He has been married to his wife, Heidi, for 35 years and has four children and seven grandchildren. He lives in South Jordan.