DC Opportunity Scholarship Program Will Continue

Washington, DC – Beginning this month, the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation (Trust) assumed the role of administrator for the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to more than 1,300 students attending 46 schools in the District of Columbia.

The transition in administration of the scholarship program comes as the Washington Scholarship Fund prepares to close at the end of June. For 17 years, the fund has worked to expand and improve educational options in the District by enabling low-income District families to have a choice in where they send their children to school. The fund has operated the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) since 2004.

The DC Opportunity Scholarship Program has provided school choice for low-income families in the form of scholarships for children to attend K-12 non-public schools within the District’s boundaries. There are currently 55 participating schools in the program. The scholarships, which total as much as $7,500 per child, are for families living at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level (about $40,000 for a family of four). The scholarship covers most or all of families’ costs in tuition, transportation and school fees.

“We are pleased to take on this important responsibility to ensure the continuity of education for the children and youth in the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program,” said Lisa Simpson, Trust board chair. “We thank the Washington Scholarship Fund for its leadership and look forward to a smooth transition of the program.”

“We are confident the Trust will provide strong administration of this program that has helped thousands of District youths build a successful future,” said Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Washington Scholarship Fund board chair. “It remains our hope that every low-income family seeking the opportunity for high-quality education for their children will have access to one.”

####
The DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation is the primary resource for developing partnerships that expand and improve services and opportunities for children and youth in the District of Columbia, especially during their time out of school. The partnerships include public schools, city agencies, and employers, including non-profit providers. Since its inception in 1999, the Trust has provided grants, technical assistance, youth worker training, capacity building, learning opportunities, convenings and policy support in the District.