Brad El couldn't believe it when he got the good news.
The Children's Scholarship Fund of Philadelphia had awarded partial scholarships to each of his four children to help cover the cost of sending them to private school next month.

"It is just incredible!" said El, a single father from South Philadelphia who has enrolled his children in the Muhammad Islamic Academy in North Philadelphia.

El was so grateful for the aid totaling $2,200 a year that he sent a thank-you note to the fund. "Not that they are going to produce rocket scientists or things like that," he said, "but they are providing the opportunity to make a difference." While 200,000 Philadelphia children gear up for the first day of public school Sept. 5 and an array of new educational formats, the El children face change of a different sort. They are among 700 city youngsters from low-income families who will be attending nonpublic elementary schools this fall - many for the first time - with help of privately funded, four-year scholarships.

The program, an affiliate of the Children's Scholarship Fund in New York, predates the state takeover of the Philadelphia schools last December. But officials said many parents who applied for scholarships for this fall were seeking an alternative.

"From some of the calls we received, I had the clear sense that people were motivated to get out of the system, which is understandable given all the confusion right now," said Ina B. Lipman, the foundation's executive director. "You sensed a real need to have some stability in their child's education."

The average family income for recipients is $20,400. Most scholarships are around $1,000 a year and cover about half of the private-school tuition. Parents are responsible for the rest.

Most of the 205 participating schools are religious schools, including parochial elementary schools, where tuition is a fraction of the $12,000 charged by the city's best-known private schools.

Evie McNiff, president of the foundation board, said that because parents choose the school and pay half the tuition, they become invested in the program.

"The parents are making tremendous sacrifices," she said. "By paying into their child's education, it gets prioritized in a way that is important."

Since its inception in 1998, the foundation has awarded four-year scholarships to 2,500 children from low-income Philadelphia families.

Although no more aid is available for the 2002-2003 academic year, McNiff said, the foundation plans to provide additional scholarships for 2003-2004.

The program is funded by gifts and corporate support. This year the foundation received more than $455,000 from companies taking advantage of a new state law that gives corporations tax credits for contributions to scholarship programs.

In addition, the Children's Scholarship Fund in New York provides $2 for every $1 the Philadelphia program raises. The philanthropy was founded in 1998 by John Walton, son of the late Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, and Ted Forstmann, a founding partner of the Forstmann Little private investment firm.

In February, the Philadelphia program announced it would award 500 scholarships, and 5,000 families applied. In the end, 700 were selected by lottery.

Lipman said the percentage of parents who complied with all the requirements "was unprecedented in the history of the organization nationally, and in other regions."

Both she and McNiff think the overwhelming interest reflects parents' concerns about the school district, which this year begins a change process that includes privatization, special charters, and restructured schools under a commission appointed by Gov. Schweiker and Mayor Street.

Crystal Sullivan of the Northeast, who had tried both public schools and a charter, said she had given up on the city's schools because of overcrowding, outdated books, and the "quality of education." With scholarship help, she and her husband, George, are sending their three children to Saints Tabernacle Day School Christian Academy in Fern Rock.

"This is a great opportunity," she said. "I am sure that if more parents knew about this program, they would take advantage of it. A lot of parents feel the same way I do: We are just fed up with the public schools."

El, 39, a group-home worker, is a product of the city's public schools but favors nonpublic education for his children.

"I think [private-school] teachers have a little more freedom to be creative with education," he said. "I don't think they have as many restraints. They come up with different programs to give children those scholastic and academic learning tools."

His children Meryia, 14, and Brad, 13, will be entering sixth grade at Muhammad Islamic Academy, where they will be joined by brothers Ishmael, 10, and Elisha, 5.

"It's going to be fun," Meryia said. "There are going to be more people and more competition - and probably more schoolwork, too."

Brad is excited, too. "I just like trying new things. I mostly like math, art, science and all that."

As for El, he is sold on the Children's Scholarship Fund: "Like their slogan is, 'Giving parents a choice, giving children a chance'... . They broaden your horizon."

Contact Martha Woodall at 215-854-2789 or [email protected]