Get money for education expenses. Empowering Parents is open for applications

(Idaho Ed News) – The application window for Empowering Parents opens Monday.

Families can now apply for their share of the $30 million education micro-grants program. Instructions and the online application can be found here.

The basic rules have not changed.

Families can receive up to $1,000 per student or $3,000 per family. They can use their money to cover a variety of educational expenses, such as learning equipment and software, teaching materials, tutoring, and sports uniforms and fees.

Households with an adjusted gross income of less than $60,000 will have first access to the money. After that, the state will accept applications from households with an AGI of less than $75,000. The money will then be paid out on a first come, first served basis.

This is the third year for the Empowering Parents program.

Last school year, Idaho awarded 28,962 scholarships.

Of these grants, 69% went to families with an AGI of $60,000 or less, and more than 86% went to families with an AGI of $75,000 or less.

The State Board of Education recently made a change to the project. The state hired Florida-based ClassWallet to run the program and create an online portal for applications. ClassWallet replaces New York-based Odyssey, which had a tumultuous two-year tenure as Empowering Parents’ contractor.

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Originally published on IdahoEdNews.org on October 21, 2024