Why Education Matters

"Providing educational opportunity is the one activity that most perfectly unites caring for the single individual with improving society as a whole. If we can help but one child from a low-income family to receive a safe, high-quality K-8th grade education, we radically improve the trajectory of his or her life forever. And if we can do this for more than one child, we begin to spare tomorrow from so many of today’s social ills."

Dr. Lewis M. Andrews
President, Chair and Founder of CEO

Our Impact

• More than $22 Million in scholarship dollars since 1995
• 93% retention rate of scholars year-to-year.
• Partner school test data indicates academic growth, surpassing grade level expectations.
• Most KSF eighth graders attend private high schools with scholarships with the goal of obtaining a college degree.

Challenges

• Over the past decade the following trends are reported and documented for low-income children throughout our country and Connecticut.
• Lack of Proficiency – 80% of fourth graders from low-income families are reading below proficient levels.
• U.S. students are slipping in rank in reading, math and science.
• One in four high school students drop out of school.
• Only one in four low-income students are ready for college, despite a nearly $20,000 per student investment and fewer than half actually enroll in college.
• High school dropouts are three times more likely to be unemployed and more than twice as likely to live in poverty as high school graduates.

The Benefits of a Quality Education

The benefits of education are many and well documented. They include:

• Prepares children for future learning: A strong K-8 educational foundation fosters curiosity and a continued desire to learn. Our KSF Scholars have a track record of going on to succeed at the high school, professional trade school, undergraduate, and graduate levels.
• Creates equal opportunities: Many parents come to KSF because they feel their children are not reaching their full potential in the public school system but they don’t have the resources to place their children in private and parochial school options. KSF Scholarships level the playing field and allow parents to choose the educational options that best meets the needs of their child.
• Fosters confidence and empowerment: Many KSF Scholars who were falling behind at public schools are thriving at the private schools that they are able to attend with the help of their KSF scholarships. We hear from our KSF Scholars that they now look forward to going to school, feel smarter and more confident in their abilities, and are dreaming big!
• Paves the way for career opportunities and a more prosperous, stable life: Our KSF parents tell us they choose private and parochial schools because they want a better future for their children. Our KSF scholars say they want to be able to help their parents out so they no longer have to worry about money. KSF scholarships change the trajectory of recipients lives.
• Sustains and expands a culture of giving: Our scholars repeatedly say that they want to pay it forward; to give others the same opportunities they were given; Many also say they want to become doctors, nurses, teachers, and police officers, so they can help others when they grow up.