Abraham Sandy, UT When they noticed that their oldest son was well behind his peers with basic reading skills and math concepts, Brenda and Steve knew something had to change.

Despite the many hours they spent in the evenings working with Abraham and coordinating efforts with his teacher, they were not satisfied with his progress.

Desperate and unable to afford private schooling, they began looking for options. They eventually found Children First Utah and applied for scholarships.

Children First granted all of their children scholarships that paid half of the tuition required to attend a private neighborhood school near their home. The tuition wasn’t very high, but it was still more than Brenda and Steve could afford.

Determined to give her children the best education possible, Brenda now cleans the restrooms at the school everyday to pay for the family’s half of the tuition.

In an essay Abraham wrote on what this scholarship means to him, he shared this moving admission: “I love Mount Vernon because everybody helps each other not make fun when I can’t learn fast like other kids in my class.”

Brenda reports, “We’re thrilled that Abraham is thriving at his private school and is rapidly catching up to his grade level.  His success is worth everything to us.”