Maurice's Story

Maurice's parents both attended public schools but they wanted more for Maurice and his little sister, Imani.  They planned to send their children to a small parochial school just two blocks from their home.

However, when Maurice reached school age everything changed.  His Dad was in the Army Reserve and was suddenly called to active duty in Afghanistan.  With two small children and a husband overseas, Maurice's Mom realized the family could not afford tuition payments.  Maurice was enrolled in his zoned public school.

Maurice did well in his school but the class size was very large and his teacher did not have an assistant.  One day, Maurice's Mom received the call all parents dread.  Maurice was hurt in the classroom and they needed her to come to the school immediately.  Apparently, a classmate had cut Maurice's hand with a pair of scissors and they could not stop the bleeding.  There was not any doubt that it was an accident and ultimately, Maurice would be okay, but his Mom could not help but feel the class size with no assistant had contributed to the incident.  Her next challenge was how to tell her husband.  Daily, Maurice's father faced all the dangers of combat and now he needed to worry about the safety of his son at home in school.  However, things were about to change again for Maurice and his family.

Last year, Maurice's name was chosen by lottery from the waiting list at Children's Scholarship Fund of Baltimore.  His was one of 37 names chosen from the list of over 2,000 to fill the limited number of new slots available for the next school year.  The Children's Scholarship Fund of Baltimore is the only need-based program in our city that gives lower income families tuition assistance for their children to attend the elementary school of their choice.  Because the policy is to award scholarships to families, both Maurice and his sister Imani will be granted tuition assistance through the eighth grade to attend the school their parents had originally planned for them.

Today, Maurice's Dad is on his third tour of duty -- now serving in Iraq -- and Maurice is a successful student in the parochial school two blocks from his home.  Not only does Maurice feel safer at his new school, he also enjoys opportunities that were not offered to him before.  Music, art, foreign language, athletics, computers and field trips are a daily part of his education.  "And there is an unexpected benefits" adds Maurice's Mom.  "The new school provides a truly balanced and healthy diversity for the whole family, something I hadn't even realized we were missing."