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 Ny’Ree Mims has two children. Her oldest, Akila attends the Montessori School of Pensacola through the A+ Opportunity Scholarship Program (A+OSP).
Akila was enrolled in A.A. Dixon Elementary School when it was identified as a failing school two years in a row, thus making its students eligible for the A+ Program.
Ny’Ree graduated from Escambia High School when Akila was just one-year-old.
"We really grew up together because I was young when I had her so I’m just trying be a role model for her so she won’t make the same mistakes in life that I’ve made."
"I'm a single mother. I work basically a dead-end job. I really don't make a lot of money. So, where is my daughter's future, without me having the money to send her to a good school?"
"Just being a young, black single mom is hard. We have a lot of things that hold us back. I don't want a bad education to be one reason why she doesn't go forward in life."
"At A.A. Dixon, Akila wasn’t doing the best that she could have done. Akila wasn’t learning all that she could."
"We knew nothing about what was going on with the children. There was no communication from the school or the teacher. After the fact, I would hear about things that had gone on in the school from other parents but then it was too late."
So, when Ny’Ree had the chance to participate in the A+ Program to receive a voucher to enroll Akila in her school of choice, she jumped at the chance.
"Parents have to take charge to make sure their children get a good education. I have to be Akila’s spokesperson concerning her education. Why should my child suffer because the school program is not good?"
"At the Montessori school, Akila’s reading level has come up two grade levels. The Montessori school really stresses reading. They have a good reading program. Now Akila enjoys reading.
"Her self esteem is higher. She is more outgoing. She is friendlier."
"I'm very involved with my daughter's education as far as just knowing what's going on in the class. I get a lot of interaction with each teacher."
"It’s a great environment. At A.A. Dixon it was all one race - Black. At her new school, there is a better mix of cultures. I think when you meet people of different backgrounds it helps you understand things better when you grow up.
"Akila is in drama, chorus, Girl Scouts, all different kinds of activities that were never provided at public school."
"I believe education is important to my children as well as to me because I want them to go farther than just school. I want them to go to college, get a degree, make something worthy of themselves."
"My daughter wants to go further than around the corner with her future. As her mother, it is my job to help her get there. I'm happy. I'm excited. It's really hard to describe how you feel when your child comes home and you know that she's learned a lot in school that day, that she's learned something new in school that day. It's a feeling that maybe only a parent can understand."
"If they took the school choice program away it would devastate me as well as my daughter."
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