Success Stories

With a soon-to-be kindergartener and a husband whose work required periods of family travel, mom Katlyn Taylor of Rogers recognized she had some challenging puzzle pieces and would need to take a nontraditional approach to her oldest daughter’s education. “When I...

Like many Arkansas parents, Mary Calwell of Jonesboro values passing faith on to her children. “This is something I want my kids to realize: that when they feel like they don't have anything, they have their faith,” she said. “If I do anything in this world, I want...

Anxiety can be the enemy of learning. So Natasha Fowler of Jonesboro was herself worried when she saw her son growing increasingly anxious about the transition from pre-K to kindergarten. “When he went to preschool, in his last year before kindergarten, he cried at...

Educator and mother Rebecca Newby expects great things from her daughter Jada – and from Jada’s school. “People should pay attention to what’s happening at the Learning Lounge,” Newby said of the Pine Bluff school, which has grown from a tutoring support service to a...

Amanda Coffman of Pine Bluff didn’t entirely realize what she was looking for in a school for her two boys until she found it. “I had never heard of a microschool,” she explained. When she encountered the term, “of course I assumed it was a small school, which I was...

When Shia Taylor discusses education, especially her own education history, she lights up in a way that fills the room with joy.  “My schooling journey was really interesting. I look back at it now, and I'm like, what? It was kind of like a roller coaster. But, you...

Wesley Cooper, of Star City, is a small business owner and a father in a family that has spent most of the last two decades homeschooling their four children. And while the oldest thrived and is now succeeding in college, the spring of 2025 saw something of a slump,...

A stranger’s kindness changed my son’s life. Though he complained even back to pre-k that he “saw things backward” and despite my pushing for evaluation, he was going into third grade in the local public school before he was tested and diagnosed with ADHD and...

Our daughter’s life started out rough. She was born premature with many struggles. We didn’t learn about her High Functioning Autism until later when she struggled while in the public school system. We kept getting complaints about her from the staff. She was being...

I am so grateful for the Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids (PIAK) scholarship, which two of my children, both with disabilities, currently receive to attend Compass Academy. I have other children with different needs in different schools, including public...

At first our family’s decision to homeschool six years ago came from a desire to be with our children more than anyone else was with them, as well as being certain of what they were learning and how. As the years have gone on, I realized how diverse our children and...

Kristina Cook shares the story of her granddaughter Jamie. Despite high praise for the quality of her public school and the staff and administration there, it just was not the right fit for Jamie's needs. After attending a town hall with The Reform Alliance, Kristina...

Our family of five has been blessed with both the Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids (PIAK) Scholarship and the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program for our oldest son Jaleel, who is autistic. He spent six months in two different NICUs undergoing and...

We are so thankful for the assistance of the Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids (PIAK) scholarship for our children, who qualified back in the 2024-2025 academic year. Although the state provides the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) to allow families to have...

Amanda Light, shares how the Arkansas Education Freedom Account (EFA) has been "life-changing" for her family, providing new opportunities for her children, the older of whom is in homeschool and thee younger likely soon to follow. The flexibility of spending fits the...

Homeschool mom and co-op champion Alisha Neddo of Batesville shares her own family's journey to homeschooling and how the flexibility worked better for family time together. She also shares her excitement for the Arkansas Education Freedom Account (EFA) program as it...

Mom and grandmother LaTonya Montgomery shares the stories of her family's educational journeys across multiple generations, from the grandparents who raised her to her own, her son's, and now her grandchildren. Those paths have offered an increasing amount of choice...

Homeschool mom Ashlie Seely shares the educational journeys of her children and why homeschool worked for them as students and learners. Plus she explains how the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program created by the LEARNS Act is providing more access and...

Before the school year started, we had a chance to speak to a few microschool students and families about choosing an alternative educational environment. Parents spoke about the empowerment they feel in having a choice about where their child attends. Meanwhile,...

When mom Victoria Varady found out she could access the Arkansas Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program created by LEARNS, it brought tears of gratitude. It meant her son, who was struggling with literacy, could access a small microschool environment at Arrows...

When Crystal Oldham's son was diagnosed with autism, it began a learning journey for her. That included discovering how education could come in many forms and in many different settings. Since private school was out of reach financially, she's grateful for programs...

Public school teacher Katie Parrish explains why differences in children and how they learn make options in education important. For her son diagnosed with autism, she found Arrows, a small microschool - a concept that was new to her as an educator. With the school...

Mom of four Mallory Smothers recognized that each of her children needed a different type of learning environment. For daughter Allie, what worked turned out to be a small private microschool called Arrows Academy in Jonesboro. As a military family, they qualified for...

Recognizing early that her daughter would have special needs in education, mother Deserae wanted to find an environment where her child would be accepted and welcomed. Financial assistance through choice programs allowed her to have means to provide care and basic...

Pamela Esters shares the many challenges her son has faced, as well as the growth achieved and the peace of mind her family received from being able to exercise choice by finding the resource of the Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids (PIAK) Scholarship. With...

Created by the Legislature in 2015, the Succeed Scholarship Program, administered by The Reform Alliance entirely through private foundation funding, helped hundreds of students find environments to meet their educational needs. Before the scholarship was absorbed by...

Parents Erin and Chris share their story of how they recognized and diagnosed disability and dyslexia in their youngest child and how, despite having a kindergarten teacher they adored, realized their son would need a different environment to learn going forward. They...

Parent Mary Catherine Paulus talks about the new Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program created by the LEARNS Act and how it makes her "feel seen" as a parent. Having found the right educational environment for one child on the Succeed Scholarship, she wanted to...

Earlier this year, just before graduation in the Spring, we spoke with Jennifer McWhorter about the growth her daughter experienced after the family explored their educational options and found the Succeed Scholarship program and the Clover Community School. That kind...

I can not express how grateful we are to have received this amazing scholarship. It has been a genuine financial blessing that we don’t take for granted. Thanks to the Succeed Scholarship, my daughter has been able to continue her amazing education at St. Joseph’s....

Last year Trevor was starting 3rd grade and could not read; he could not even identify words like and or the. Math was basically the same story, Trevor could not count to 100 without help. He was a great student behavior wise — calm, quite and attentive — but things...

My daughter was able to receive the Succeed Scholarship for the first time this fall. The scholarship has made it financially possible to attend a school that meets her needs. The change in school has made a huge difference in her desire to attend school and has...

The Succeed Scholarship has been so helpful for my children to attend a small private school and attain speech therapy services. Speech therapy has increased my child’s confidence both in the classroom, in social settings, and at home. It is so important for children...

In 2012 my daughter officially received her diagnosis of apraxia and an intellectual disability while attending a preschool for children with special needs. When it was time to transition from there to “regular” school, the anxiety was high for us all, but we were...

My name is Laura Kent. My son, Taylor, suffers with Autism, anxiety, SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), and GI Issues. He is 13 years old. We tried public school up to fourth grade. While Taylor managed to succeed, it was more passing, so he didn’t “fall through the...

Hello. My daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia while in the kindergarten. I prayed for a school where they taught her the way that she needed to be taught. We found Hannah School. She started there in second grade and has blossomed tremendously. I would not be able to...

I wanted to reach out and let anyone and everyone how much my family appreciates the Succeed Scholarship. First, let me express that I am a public school employee and a big supporter of our Arkansas public schools. My mother, aunt and mother-in-law are all retired...

The Succeed Scholarship has been such a blessing to our family and to Sam. He has thrived with smaller class sizes and his teacher and supporting staff are just a email or phone call away with quick responses. Please continue funding for this amazing support to at...

The ‘Succeed Scholarship’ has helped our son Ryan leaps and bounds where he might not have had the opportunity to grow. He has learned to write, speak, and walk within one year at Success. He was born premature and endures debilitating cerebral palsy, and brain...

As a first grader, Faith dreamed of growing up to be a babysitter. She loved caring for other kids and knew she would want to be around them as an adult. Now, as a fifth grader, Faith dreams of growing up to be a teacher. She still loves caring for kids, but now she...

My son was in public schools from K-2nd grade. He is autistic. The last two years he was in public school he was not advancing although fully capable of advancing. The school did not have the time to provide the assistance he needed given the large classroom size....

My family benefits tremendously from the Succeed Scholarship. My 12-year-old daughter, Piper, is able to attend Hannah School this year because of the scholarship. We adopted Piper when she was 5 years old out of foster care. We knew Piper had an ADHD diagnosis when...

I’m a single parent of an autistic son. He’s very quiet, and typically a loner. He has a hard time decoding messages among many other problems associated with ASD. The Succeed Scholarship has provided a safe haven for my son to learn. He has been bullied, and...

It is difficult to put into words just how much the Arkansas Succeed Scholarship has meant to our family. We became recipients of it for the first time this year, and it made it possible for our son, Owen, to not only receive a quality education but also get the...

The public school system failed my son. Moss is ADHD and requires extra attention in some areas. The day before school was letting out of my son’s 4th grade year we found out he was testing on a 2nd grade math level. Not once were we notified that there was a problem...

We are Scott and Lindsey Cobb, pre-adoptive parents of Morgan Hover. Morgan came in to foster care two years ago. She was placed in the Bryant school district for one semester. She was lost in a crowd of 700 students, lonely, no friends (sitting by herself everyday at...

My son is eighth generation of Jacksons in the small community of Berryville — the first one with autism. He attended public school like his sisters before him but struggled with behaviors and keeping up. The school did what they could to accommodate, but as he got...

Our son, Micah, is now attending Access School, thanks to a Succeed Scholarship. He has multiple special learning needs — including Apraxia of Speech and dyslexia — and he struggled mightily last year in public school (our first year in Arkansas). The Succeed...

The Succeed Scholarship has had a huge impact on our family and has truly been an amazing opportunity to have been chosen for. Without this grant it is very probable that our son, Max, who has learning disabilities, would not be able to attend his current private...

To know Mattie is to love her. She has a sweet yet stubborn disposition, is full of sass, and is always eager to help others. Her personality emanates determination, a fierce independence, and a stubbornness that can be challenging at times to her mom! Mattie radiates...

“My daughter would not have been able to attend the only school in the nation that could teach her adequately and that was affordable to me if it wasn’t for the Succeed Scholarship! My daughter was on a third grade math level and a second grade reading level until she...

The Succeed Scholarship has certainly been a huge blessing to our family. It has given our child the opportunity to go to a special school for children with learning and physical disabilities. This special school addresses his special needs academically, socially and...

I am a mother of a son who attends Our Lady of Holy Souls due to the Succeed Scholarship. Without the Succeed Scholarship, my son would not have been afforded the opportunity to attend a select school that accommodates his needs. Lawson is currently receiving speech...

My wife and I found ourselves adopting a special needs child as we are approaching our 60s. By adopting our son, we were able to remove him from an unstable home and keep him out of the foster care system, but the public school system was unable to handle his special...

The Succeed Scholarship program has given my once shy and unsocial little girl, Kiyah, the confidence, ability, and hope to thrive. On the spectrum, Kiyah was diagnosed at an early age. Her mom and I worked hard to introduce and provide her with support and safety not...

I would like to share how valuable the Succeed Scholarship has been to our family. Kelley has been attending Access since 2017 and having the Succeed Scholarship has alleviated some of the financial burden. Having a child with special needs can be financially...

Our youngest daughter, Katie, struggled for four years in the public school system. Katie needs individual attention in order to grasp new concepts – but she is completely capable of learning!! However, the intensive one-on-one attention that she needed was just not...

Our family is grateful for the amazing Succeed Scholarship. Our son John Paul was diagnosed at 18 months with autism. He began public school in the Ft. Sam Houston Independent School District. This changed to Pulaski County Special School District when we returned to...

The Succeed Scholarship has made a significant impact not only on our child but on our entire family. My son, Jackson, has dyslexia and severe speech delays. While attending public school, he was reading significantly below his grade level and fell through the cracks...

I am an educator by trade, so seeing my daughter, Isabella, struggle in school hurt my heart. When she started the third grade, we transferred her from an academically advanced public charter school to my home school, a public elementary school. I was SURE she would...

This is my son, Ian. He started school at Compass Academy in 2019 for his 5th grade year. Ian has Autism, ADHD, Dysgraphia, a Chromosomal Microdeletion, Cognitive delays, low IQ, and so on. He also has several health problems and currently sees seven specialists at...

My name is Britney Beumeler. My daughter, Harper, is a student in the Lower 2 class at Access Academy. This is Harper’s second year at Access. She is able to attend this school because of the Succeed Scholarship. Harper is a twin. She and her 6-year-old brother are...

After six months of trying to work with our public school district to transition our son from developmental pre-k to kindergarten, our son was denied an IEP. The school disregarded all of our concerns related to our sons disability, ignored all previous evaluations,...

I am writing to you today as parent of a student served by the Succeed Scholarship. My son Grant is 8 years old, and he is in the second grade at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Morrilton. He has a rare chromosome deletion, ADHD, and intractable epilepsy. We sent him...

Fischer is the happiest, sweetest, most laid back child ever. We discovered at an early age, he was going to struggle to hit milestones. He was delayed but not severely. He had no diagnosis besides developmental delay. He attended a developmental preschool and...

Our daughter was really struggling at the elementary level to even grasp the basics of what she was being taught. Even with the IEP assistance, she was falling further behind every year and falling through the cracks in the public school system. We were so fortunate...

In 2014 my son was diagnosed with high functioning autism. In 2017 my son attended kindergarten in Conway public schools. Before the school year I reached out to the principal to inform her that my child needed to be in resource classes that he was autistic and he...

Both of our sweet boys have special needs. We like our public school system and all they have to offer, but our boys needed something different. This scholarship has changed their lives in such a positive way, and their parents. Both are excelling academically and...

We have received word that it has been asked of you to defund the Succeed Scholarship program. I wanted to share what this scholarship has done for our family. Our daughter, Elliot (7 years old), was born 2 months premature and while she was in the NICU at...

My son, Eli is an 11 year old who has Down Syndrome. The last several years have been frustrating for us as parents to see Eli’s educational growth come to a near stand still. Eli hated school and fussed each day about having to go. He was considered a problem child...

My son, Drake is 17 and has multiple disabilities. He spent his elementary school years in the public school where he was constantly teased and made fun of for his stuttering and not knowing how to do certain things. The teasing just got worse the older he got. Drake...

Dear Congressional leaders, I would like to start by saying “Thank you” for your service to fellow Arkansans on a daily basis. I would also like to say as leaders in our community, I believe you have a responsibility to listen to all sides of a story before...

We are so grateful for the Succeed Scholarship program. Our son Cole, is visually impaired and just started at Catholic High in August as a direct result of qualifying for the Succeed Scholarship. Cole would have been attending LR Central High, and we know it would...

Our son Cole is 16 years old and was born with Apraxia. He’s been at Access since he was 3 years old. The main issue with this learning disorder was his inability to speak as well as motor planning skills. After looking into our options for help we decided to send...

I have two special needs kids. If we didn’t have Succeed Scholarships for both of our kids, they would not be able to go to the special school (Easterseals Academy of Riverdale) that they need to function daily and get the one-on-one learning they need. The Succeed...

We are so grateful that our daughter receives the Succeed Scholarship! Parenting a special needs child is so hard. Our daughter Christina was born with a rare genetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome. She is nonverbal and has some mental disability and is prone to...

We are so grateful to have the Succeed Scholarship for our daughter Cassidy. She is able to attend our local Catholic high school with all her friends, following in the footsteps of her mother and sister. Cassidy loves being a Belle and was even a manager for the...

Our son was 3 years old when he was diagnosed with autism. Although the public school system offers therapy, there is not a program specifically designed for his specific needs like the program offered at Access Academy. We are so thankful for this scholarship because...

The Succeed Scholarship is a true blessing to my son Cal. He is a 16 year old young man who has been in two public school districts for his entire school life. Before coming to school at Easterseals Academy at Riverdale, he was always in a self contained classroom...

I first met my children 5 years ago when a social worker brought them to my house at 11 pm on a Monday night. Brandon was 20 months old and his sister Skylah was only 6 months old. Brandon did not speak or have any expression on his face. It was 4 months before a saw...

We are so thankful that our son, Brady, is a Succeed Scholarship recipient. He is able to attend Compass Academy, where they are better equipped to help each individual child thrive based on how they learn. Brady enjoys going to school, and they are so passionate...

The scholarship has helped my daughter Ayanna out a lot. She is at Easter Seals Academy at Riverdale; before that she was in public school. They took all her therapies — my baby couldn’t talk, was not potty trained, among other things. She has suffered a lot in her...

The Succeed Scholarship has allowed our child to develop the best of skills. He is thriving in a small school and small classroom! We are forever grateful for the countless hours that physicians, therapists and now teachers are dedicating to his growth! His future is...

My son Asa is a recipient of the Succeed Scholarship. The Succeed Scholarship has allowed us the opportunity to put him in a private school that can meet his needs on a level that our local public school could not. My son has Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental...

Our son Arya was adopted from India four years ago. At the time, he was 11 years old and could barely speak, walk or complete kindergarten-level work. He has several disabilities that make learning a challenge for him in several ways; however, we saw that Arya was...

I am writing to express my concern about the funding for the Succeed Scholarship. This scholarship provided financial assistance to my son which allowed him to attend the Access Academy School. He has made so much progress since enrolling in 2019. I am humbly...