JEWS,&NOTES _ K-12 Education Savings Accounts And How They’re Changing Kids’ Lives (NAPSA)—If you're like many American parents, you may not be aware of a way to give your children a better education atlittle or no cost to you. HowIt Works A program known as education savings accounts (ESAs)lets parents with- draw their children from a public district or charter schoolthat’s not working for them and get a deposit of public funds into government-authorized savings accounts with restricted but multiple uses. Those funds—oftendistributed via debit card—can cover private school tuition andfees, online learning programs, pri- vate tutoring, community college costs, higher education expenses and other approved customized learning services and materials. Some ESAs can even be used to pay for a combination of public school courses andprivate services. OneGirls Story Consider the case of Valerie McMurray from Arizona. Her birth mother was a heroin addict and an alcoholic all throughout her pregnancy, and because of that, she was born prematurely and with cerebral palsy—a muscle disorder caused by damageto thebrain, normally before birth. McMurray was adopted and struggled to learn to walk andtalk. Growing up, she said school was never something that came easy for her, whether in public or private schools. She wasnotgetting the one-on-onecare she needed as a student. Finally, her adoptive mother wasapproached about the ESA program in her state, through which she would get governmentgrants to learn at home. McMurray discovered she did best at visual learning. She said she enjoys learning now, at her own speed—it Valerie McMurray uses education savings accounts to customize her educationin Arizona. doesn’t scare her anymore.“I like having one-on-one attention from my tu- tors” McMurray said. “I ask questions without the fear of being made fun of or feeling embarrassed. My tutors teach me at my own speed.” Shealso said she is happy she no longerhastosit still in one spot for hours at a time. She enjoys being able to go on field trips whenever her parents and tutor thinkit’s best for herlesson plan. Another thing McMurray loves about learning at homeis that she doesn't have to deal with bullies anymore. “In public school, kids can be really mean,” McMurraysaid. “At home, I am surrounded by people who are kind, understanding and actually care about my well-being. ‘They don't make mefeel uncomfortable about the way I walk or speak” McMurray said the ESA program helped herself-esteem, not only through learning, but in the real world. She now has so much confidence in areas whereshe used to be confused. Learn More For more information about ESAs andto find outif your state offers fam- ilies educational choice options, visit www.edchoice.org.
