Washington, DC

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

EdChoice Scholarship Program Application Deadline is April 17

Columbus, Ohio, April 7, 2009)—Families throughout Ohio have just one more weekend to finish their applications for the Educational Choice Scholarship Program—a school voucher program that allows parents to transfer their children out of failing schools and into private schools. The application deadline for the state-sponsored EdChoice program is April 17, 2009.

More than 80,000 Ohio children are eligible to receive vouchers to attend the private schools of their parents' choice, according to School Choice Ohio, the state's leading organization promoting and protecting voucher programs.

The EdChoice program provides vouchers for students in grades K-12 to attend private schools. Students are eligible if they attend public schools that are in Academic Watch or Academic Emergency and have been for two out of three years. Scholarships are worth up to $5,300 per year and can be used at any of the 313 registered private schools. Families can visit www.scohio.org and use a new, interactive map to identify the closest private schools to their home.

After a student is admitted into EdChoice, the private school will submit the scholarship application directly to the Ohio Department of Education. Once a child obtains a scholarship, they can continue to use the scholarship through high school graduation.

"We have seen tremendous interest in the EdChoice program this year," said Chad Aldis, executive director of School Choice Ohio. "With the importance of a quality education becoming even more clear because of the economic situation, families are taking action to make sure their children have the best opportunities possible"

The EdChoice program was enacted in 2005 and serves 9,654 students this year. The state has set a cap on enrollment at 14,000 students.

Interested parents can call the School Choice Ohio toll-free hotline 1-800-673-5876 for more information on eligibility, guidance on how to apply, and a list of participating private schools. Information can also be found on the web at www.scohio.org.

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Andrew R. Campanella

Director of Communications and Marketing

Alliance for School Choice

Washington, DC

202-280-1985

202-280-1989

First Url: Interactive Map- Find an EdChoice School Near You

Second Url: School Choice Ohio