People seek education options outside the norm for many reasons. Some families are helping their children navigate school with learning disabilities, self-esteem issues, ADHD, autism, or anxiety.

Some families have children who need a specific option because of serious illness.

A family’s schedule and finances can be upended during this time, and they need options. Children struggling with the weight of fighting a life-threatening sickness are among those who deserve extra flexibility and care to make sure their education isn’t impacted negatively.

When my sister had cancer as a young girl, she was unable to attend kindergarten in a regular school setting. Luckily, our grandmother, a recently retired public school teacher of many years, lived nearby and became her personal one-on-one teacher. It meant my sister could continue her schooling safely and be ready for first grade like the other kids her age. Not everyone has had such fortunate opportunities in similar situations, especially then.

But today is a different era. The current culture reflects an understanding that families need more education options. The good news is that educational choice is growing, offering more families options for a variety of reasons. Some families with a child with a serious illness may choose from a variety of online schooling options, homeschooling, or other private options. Some families may only be able to afford what they need with programs like the Utah Fits All Scholarship program.

Because Utah’s Legislature passed the Utah Fits All Scholarship program in 2023, Utah families facing a similar situation can access publicly funded scholarships to meet similar needs, but the state now needs to increase its funding to meet the demand.

A Utah family who used the Utah Fits All Scholarship

One such family is Richard Anderson and his wife, both disabled veterans, who have been sending their son to Layton Christian Academy, a private school, since 2019.

Richard said, “In 2024, my son Joshua was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer that required an immediate emergency surgery. That surgery, along with his ongoing treatments, has affected my family and I greatly with our finances and made affording private education very difficult.”

Luckily, they were able to secure a Utah Fits All scholarship, providing his son with stability and consistency in his education during a challenging time. Richard said, “With the assistance of Utah Fits All and the generosity of Layton Christian Academy, he has been able to continue his education here within the school that he started and wants to finish.”

“It is our strong hope that any legislator and anyone that’s directly involved with Utah Fits All will continue to fight for this program and fund it for other families like mine who otherwise would not have the opportunity for their child to attend private school.”

We encourage Utah legislators to keep finding ways to expand education choice for all kids, including expanding the Utah Fits All Scholarship.