BOISE, Idaho — Announced Monday in a news release, the Idaho State Board of Education (ISBE) has approved the last of the funds for Empowering Parents grants for the recently concluded state fiscal year.
ISBE said that means that Odyssey, the program administrator is now processing the final batch of eligible grants.
The news release stated that there was a large interest in the program, with over 59,000 applications submitted. Of those, 37,000 were considered eligible for an Empowering Parents grant.
"This concludes the second year of the Empowering Parents program and more than 78,000 grants have been awarded to students since the program's launch," State Board President Dr. Linda Clark said. "Empowering Parents is making a real difference for Idaho students and their families, and I thank Governor Brad Little and the Idaho Legislature for their continued support."
Here are some quick facts about this year's Empowering Parents program, according to ISBE:
- 28,916 Idaho K-12 students received Empowering Parents grants in the 2023/24 program year.
- 71% of the grants were awarded to families making less than $60,000 per year.
- Idaho parents and students can spend grant money on over 11,000 items and services available on the Empowering Parents online marketplace.
- Over 400 Idaho small businesses are vendors in the program, offering such items and services as laptop computers, educational summer camps and tutoring and instructional materials.
The Empowering Parents program was created in 2022 to assist families address pandemic-related learning loss, while also supporting Idaho businesses and the local economy throughout the process.
Idaho lawmakers appropriated $30 million for additional Empowering Parents grants for the current fiscal year, which started on July 1.
The next Empowering Parents application window will open in the fall for the next school year.
For more information regarding the Empowering Parents grant, visit their site here.
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