American Federation for Children, Alliance for School Choice Launch Back-to-School Campaign

Families and Historic Participation in Private School Choice Programs to be Highlighted

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Federation for Children and the Alliance for School Choice today announced the launch of their Back-to-School Campaign in celebration of the hundreds of thousands of students that are attending the school of their parents' choice thanks to the 32 publicly-funded private school choice programs across the country.

The organizations are sharing the stories of Lamar, who began kindergarten at the school of his parents' choice thanks to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program; Anthony, who with Asperger's syndrome, has thrived at school using a scholarship from the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program; Walter, a recipient of the EdChoice Program in Ohio; and many more.

The Back-to-School campaign is also celebrating the record number of families participating in private school choice programs:

• In Indiana, more than 8,000 students are participating in the Choice Scholarship Program in the program's second year;
• In Florida, more than 45,000 students are expected to participate in the recently expanded Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program;
• In Louisiana, the expanded Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program enrolled more than 5,600 students after being expanded statewide earlier this year;
• The Racine Parental Choice Program reached the program's second year enrollment cap of 500 students;
• In Ohio, more than 17,400 students will participate in the Educational Choice Scholarship Program, more than 6,600 students in the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program, and 1,544 students in the new Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship Program, after only its first application window.

The Back-to-School Campaign will highlight heartwarming success stories of families who have taken advantage of expanded educational options.  Visit www.FederationforChildren.org and www.AllianceforSchoolChoice.org to learn more about just a few of the thousands of students who are benefiting this school year as a result of these expanded options.

"Meeting the children whose lives have changed thanks to effective and accountable private school choice programs is the reason that support for having all options on the table continues to grow," says Kevin P. Chavous, senior advisor to the Federation and the Alliance.  "School choice is literally transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands of children around the country."

Programs were expanded in a host of states, and new programs were enacted in five states—Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Mississippi, and Louisiana—that are expected to dramatically increase enrollment in the 2012-13 school year.

The campaign is set to run from September 4-7.  Visit www.FederationforChildren.org and www.AllianceforSchoolChoice.org for more information.

SOURCE American Federation for Children