My son with Autism has thrived on the ESA program.
Before we were aware of the ESA program we attempted to send our son to a public school. They actually wanted me to drop my 5 year old ASD son off in a parking lot and have him find his own classroom. I had to advocate for him and explain that he had a history of running and needed to be walked to his classroom hand in hand with an adult. I had to explain to them that he could not find his classroom by himself. They refused to let me walk him to his classroom because it was a closed campus and didn’t offer an alternative. At that point we decided to pull him from public school for his own safety as it was obvious to us that they were not willing to put him in an environment that met his safety needs.
With ESA we have begun a homeschool program utilizing curriculum that targets his specific needs. He learns in unique ways and requires 1 – on – 1 assistance. We have been able to provide him with an extensive variety of curriculum and manipulatives that have helped our son to thrive. He is 6 years old now and has made huge strides in a very short amount of time with the assistance of ESA funding and the homeschool option.
He has learned how to read and write and is being taught not only core subjects but has had access to STEAM projects as well. These projects are helping him to learn coding and build with his hands which has also helped him to improve his hand eye coordination egg is one of his primary OT goals.
The ESA Scholarship also allows for a wide variety of therapies including Speech, OT, Equine and more. Therapies we would not be able to utilize in the same capacity of he were to attend a public school.
My son Angel has started to show a real interest in learning now that we have the capability to choose the resources that work best for him. We feel blessed as a family to have found this option and we plan on utilizing it for the duration of his education.
We are so grateful for the ESA program – it has been a lifesaver for our son and we will continue to shine a light on its success and advocate for all of the children that it benefits.
The Marquez Family
