On this episode, reimaginED senior writer Lisa Buie talks with Renè Field, a mother of four who moved her family from Colorado to Florida in 2020 to find an alternative to pandemic-induced remote learning that was making her two school-aged sons “miserable.”
Field discusses how Colorado’s rules were too restrictive and how she and her husband, Rob, yearned for more freedom, which included in-person learning for Caden, 12, and Keiren, 9, as well as for 6-year-old Tristan, who entered kindergarten this year. After sacrificing for a year to afford tuition at a St. Petersburg Catholic school, Field was surprised to discover that her children qualified for the Family Empowerment Scholarship – Educational Options program.
“The scholarship means everything. I was moved to the point of tears when I found out we got it … I wanted my children to have a great education in a safe environment in a school with people we can trust and build community and fellowship with.”
EPISODE DETAILS:
- The family’s life in Colorado and what drew the Fields to Florida
- How they decided that St. John Vianney Catholic School would be the best fit for their kids
- How they learned about Florida’s school choice scholarships and the change in statute that made them eligible
- The difference the scholarship has made and what their lives might have been like if it had not been available
