Grants for private education are available for children as young as kindergarteners.
If you are looking to put your child into a preparatory school, there are a variety of grant and funding options through her elementary and high school years. There are national, regional, state and school-level options for low- to moderate-income families, as well as merit-based awards. Knowing what options are available to you is half the battle.
Children's Scholarship Fund
This scholarship fund was founded in 1998 to help low-income families pay for private and parochial schools for kindergarten through eighth-grade students. Parents can choose religious, parochial or secular schools, like Montessori centers.
The scholarship is difficult to receive, as more than 1 million families apply. Each child in a qualifying family receives a scholarship that typically ranges from $1,200 to $1,500 a year. Funding is capped at 25, 50 and 75 percent of tuition based on the recipient family's income level.
For more information, scholarshipfund.org/drupal1/.
Young Scholars Program
The Kente Cook Foundation runs the Young Scholars Program, which offers financial support and mentorship to recipients in grades nine through 12. Students apply during their seventh-grade year and receive continuing support throughout high school and are eligible to apply for funding through college and graduate studies.
About one-thousand applications are received each year, and around fifty awards are granted. Through there is no income limit, the vast majority of recipients come from families with $25,000 a year or less income.
For more information on this program, see jkcf.org/scholarships/young-scholars-program/.
Regional Grant Programs
There are various state and regional organizations and state-funded grants available to K-12 students for study at private prep schools. Some states also have voucher programs where qualifying families can choose which private school to send their child with tax money. Check with your state on regional and local programs.
School-Funded Grants
You can also inquire with the prep school(s) you'd like your child to attend for grant, scholarship and financial aid options. Many schools offer merit or need-based grants or work-study for qualifying students. Students may be required to write an essay or take a placement exam, or grants may be solely need-based.
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