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 Joyce Thompson has one child, Nora, in the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program.
Joyce talks about her struggle to find a quality educational option for Nora, who uses a voucher to attend St. Rocco’s Catholic Elementary School.
"Kids don’t ask to be born in this world. They don’t pick their parents. I really wanted the best education for my daughter but I couldn’t afford it. Then I heard about the scholarship program and there was hope."
"I have no problem sending my child to public school but safety is an issue. I just felt the local public schools were not safe. The buildings were not safe."
"I'm a single parent. If I lost my daughter, I don't know if I could live. I have fear of my only daughter being taken from me while she is at school. And, the quality of education is a problem. Too many kids can't read when they graduate."
"I'm concerned about Nora slipping through the cracks in public school. A lot of kids pass if they just show up. But they have no skills, no training. A lot of kids aren't getting the help they need from the teachers. The classes are overcrowded."
"Education is important. I went to Cleveland public schools. My mom had no choice. My mom couldn't afford private school. There were nine of us. My baby sister got to go to Catholic elementary and high school. Then she went to college. Now she's a school teacher."
"I want that kind of future for my own daughter."
"At St. Rocco’s, Nora is getting reinforcement of what she's getting at home. She's getting structure, just like at home. She's getting extra help."
"She’s interacting with other kids who don't push, they don't hit, they don't swear."
"But it's not just the school. It's the parents, too. The parents play a role and the voucher program allows them to do that."
"When the judge stopped the program because of all the legal questions, I was devastated."
"I wanted this for her. So, my family and relatives said they would help her. I got some sense of relief that my family said they could help. But it didn't give me any independence. I had to rely on all these people for help getting education for my daughter."
"The voucher program pushes the parents to stay on top of paperwork to stay in the program. The voucher program forces me to commit to my daughter's education. If you give nothing, you get nothing. If I hold up my part of the bargain, the voucher program will do the same thing."
"I want Nora to get the best education she can get. If anything goes wrong with Nora someday, I won't have any regrets. She won't be able to say I wasn't there or that she didn't get what she needed to make good choices."
"Children will choose their own path later in life. When they come of age, they do what they want. But I want to make sure there's no excuse for her not to do well."
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