Want our kids to be seen, heard, and valued? Get the community involved.

by Joyce Mayberry | Aug 6, 2024

The proven building blocks of child development can empower communities to get involved in helping parents raise highly capable kids.

Want our kids to be seen, heard, and valued? Get the community involved.

Key Points

Community is a powerful force in the journey of raising healthy, happy kids. Research shows that relationships with others, especially adults, shape who children become.
A powerful tool for parents and communities is understanding the research-based building blocks of child development.
Engaging with these building blocks empowers communities to better address the physical, emotional, and social needs involved in raising kids well.

Research shows that children’s relationships with others—extended family members, caregivers, teachers, coaches, and the broader community—shape who they become as adults.

If these relationships are positive and nurturing, then kids learn that the world is safe and secure and that they are loved.

At the Georgia Center for Opportunity, we believe that community is a powerful force in the journey of raising healthy, happy kids.

What happens in homes and communities has the greatest impact on the outcomes of each person’s life. After all, families and neighborhoods are the first places where people learn to love and trust one another, to live in community, and to sacrifice for others.

This dynamic is especially important for children in difficult situations, whether it be poverty and or other disadvantages. Children thrive when they have access to nurturing relationships and supportive environments, which help the development of important life skills.

When these supports are lacking, children may face additional challenges, including mental health struggles, difficulty finding employment, and economic hardship. By giving parents and communities tools to address these needs, we can shape better outcomes for all children.

According to the Search Institute, young people need positive relationships with three or more adults outside of their family to help them become healthy, responsible, caring adults themselves.

Children’s lives are formed in community

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” (Margaret J. Wheatley)

While parents are the first and best teachers for their kids, children’s lives are shaped by many different people, places, and experiences within their community.

GCO’s Raising Highly Capable Kids (RHCK) program gives communities a resource that’s designed to involve parents, caregivers, teachers, and broader communities equipping kids with skills and behaviors that will carry them into a successful future.

RHCK teaches these through a research-based framework known as the 40 Developmental Assets. The effect of these developmental assets is even more powerful when whole communities understand and engage with them.

Young people need more relationships with positive adult role models for their development.

What happens when a community embraces the building blocks of raising highly capable kids?

Shared responsibility: Involving the community ensures that children’s development and education is shared among the most important influences in kids’ lives—parents, educators, coaches, caregivers, and local organizations.

Holistic support: Community involvement provides access to a range of resources and support systems that can serve the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive needs that are essential to raising highly capable kids.

Diverse perspectives: Communities are rich in diversity—with individuals from different cultural, socioeconomic, and professional backgrounds. Involving the community brings together diverse perspectives and experiences, enriching the educational process and ensuring that it’s inclusive and culturally relevant.

Stronger networks: Community involvement forms connections between parents, educators, and community leaders, creating networks that are valuable sources of information and encouragement for parents as they navigate the challenges and joys of raising their kids.

Access to resources: Communities have access to a wide range of resources like educational programs, recreational facilities, health services, and social support networks. Community involvement ensures that parents and caregivers have access to resources that enhance their ability to support their children’s development.

Positive norms and values: Communities play a crucial role in shaping the norms, values, and expectations that influence child development. By involving the community in educational initiatives focused on the 40 developmental assets, we can promote positive norms, values, and expectations that prioritize the well-being and success of children and families.

Supportive environments: Communities help create a supportive and stable environment where parents and caregivers feel empowered and encouraged in their role as primary influencers in their children’s lives. This support can boost parental confidence and resilience—enabling them to overcome challenges and advocate effectively for their children’s needs.

Sustainable impact: Communities foster a sense of ownership and investment in the well-being of children and families. By engaging the community in educational initiatives focused on the 40 developmental assets, we can invest in the well-being of children and families in a way that leads to long-term impact for current and future generations.

Our Raising Highly Capable Kids program is designed to bring parents and communities together to fostering a supportive environments and a common goal of nurturing capable and resilient kids.

Highly capable communities lead to highly capable kids

Our world is marked by constant change and uncertainty. And kids today are often pulled in directions that their parents and grandparents can barely fathom.

Communities coming together to prioritize family health and overall well-being of the parent-child relationship has never been more important in raising highly capable kids who will lead purpose-driven, meaningful lives.

The goal of RHCK is to empower anyone who works with kids and youth—including parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, church and business leaders—to pool collective resources, knowledge, and experiences. This type of collaboration creates a support network to raise the next generation to become valued, flourishing members of the community.

Whether it’s through RHCK or another opportunity, the reality on the ground remains the same: Children’s growth and development is shaped by those closest to them.

By reaching into homes, schools, and faith-based groups, we can ensure communities are nurturing places where families can thrive and future generations have good opportunities for enriching relationships, meaningful work, and better quality of life.

Marriage Rates in Georgia Are Down. But Marriage Still Matters For Quality of Life and Upward Mobility.

by David Bass | Jun 27, 2024

Marriage rates in Georgia are down, which is a factor to watch for overall well-being.

Marriage Rates in Georgia Are Down. But Marriage Still Matters For Quality of Life and Upward Mobility.

Key Points

Georgia has seen a decline in marriage rates, mirroring a national trend. Only 30% of Georgians have been married at least once, and U.S. marriage rates have fallen by nearly 60% over the past 50 years.
Despite these trends, marriage remains a significant predictor of adult well-being, more so than education, race, age or gender. Married individuals often report higher happiness and satisfaction levels, and benefits include emotional stability, financial security, and social support.
We must address economic, education, and social safety-net barriers to marriage while creating a supporting environment that fosters marriage and family formation.

Recent reports, including a piece from Axios, have highlighted a concerning trend in Georgia—declining marriage rates.

According to data from the American Community Survey, only 30% of Georgians have been married at least once in their lives. This is indicative of a larger national trend: The marriage rate across the U.S. has fallen by nearly 60% over the past 50 years.

While societal pressures to marry have lessened and many young people doubt the benefits of marriage, this decline raises important questions about the impact on individual well-being and societal mobility.

Marriage rates in Georgia are a leading factor in quality of life

Helping people form healthy, committed relationships is a key pillar of the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s mission to help all Georgians flourish. Relationships are essential to well-being in general, but marriage has a particular impact on the quality of life and upward mobility for men, women, and children.

Quality of life

Marital status is one of the strongest predictors of adult well-being, surpassing other factors like education, race, age, and gender. According to the Institute for Family Studies and Gallup, married individuals often report higher levels of happiness and satisfaction compared to their unmarried peers. This isn’t just about companionship—marriage can provide emotional stability, financial security, and social support, all of which contribute to a better quality of life.

Upward mobility

Marriage also plays a critical role in economic mobility. Couples often benefit from dual incomes, shared resources, and consolidated expenses, making it easier to save and invest in the future. This financial stability can lead to better opportunities in terms of education, homeownership, and overall wealth accumulation. Essentially, marriage can act as a catalyst for achieving a higher economic status and breaking free from cycles of poverty.

Benefits for children

Children raised in two-parent, married families often experience greater stability and economic advantages, contributing significantly to their overall well-being. Additional research from the Institute for Family Studies shows that children who live in households with married parents experience more financially secure environments, less conflict, and more parental support.

Marital status is key factor in personal well-being and quality of life.

According to polling from Gallup, married people report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. This is another indicator of how essential relationships are for personal well-being and quality of life.

Marital status is a key factor for personal well-being and quality of life.

According to polling from Gallup, married people report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. This is another indicator of how essential relationships are for personal well-being and quality of life.

Certain barriers in Georgia make marriage and its benefits hard to pursue

Despite marriage’s benefits, Georgia has several barriers that discourage marriage as a path to fulfilling relationships and flourishing lives. Educational challenges and a social safety net that frequently discourages marriage are a couple of significant roadblocks that can make it harder for people to pursue marriage.

Educational challenges

Educational attainment is another significant barrier. Those with higher levels of education are more likely to marry, but educational opportunities are not evenly distributed across the state. Addressing these disparities could encourage higher marriage rates and, consequently, greater upward mobility.

A social safety net that punishes marriage

Another significant barrier to marriage in Georgia is the “marriage penalty” embedded within many social safety net programs. The term refers to the phenomenon where low-income individuals or couples may actually lose financial benefits by getting married.

Programs such as Medicaid, housing assistance, and food stamps often have income thresholds that discourage marriage. When two low-income individuals marry, their combined income might exceed these thresholds, leading to a reduction or complete loss of benefits—creating a “benefits cliff.”

This financial disincentive can make marriage less appealing for low-income individuals who rely on these crucial programs to make ends meet. By losing access to necessary support, the economic stability that marriage can potentially offer is compromised, perpetuating a cycle where the cons outweigh the pros.

Addressing these safety-net barriers is essential for fostering an environment where marriage can thrive and contribute positively to individual and societal well-being.

The way forward

While the decline in marriage rates in Georgia is a complex issue influenced by various societal and economic factors, it’s essential to recognize the underlying benefits of marriage. Beyond the romantic ideals, marriage plays a pivotal role in enhancing quality of life and facilitating upward mobility.

To counteract the downward trend, it’s necessary to address the barriers that discourage marriage and create a more supportive environment for couples.

Two new laws bring good news for charitable giving in Georgia

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Jun 21, 2024

Georgia law expands protections for donors' privacy and confidence that their gift will be used as intended.

Two new laws bring good news for charitable giving in Georgia

Key Points

Georgia lawmakers passed two new bills in 2024 that strengthen protections for charitable giving in Georgia.
The Donor Intent Protection Act allows donors to file a legal complaint if their gift is misused.
The Personal Privacy Protection Act protects individuals from having their personal information publicly disclosed by the government when they volunteer for or financially support a cause.

Guest post by Megan Schmidt, senior director of government affairs at Philanthropy Roundtable

There are over 64,000 nonprofit organizations in Georgia, and in 2021 Georgia donors gave $9.4 billion to charity, according to the IRS. These generous donations to charitable organizations are about to get important protections under two bills passed by the state legislature in 2024.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed the Donor Intent Protection Act and the Personal Privacy Protection Act into law. Both pieces of legislation offer donors and charities new avenues to ensure the proper use of donations, while safeguarding donors’ right to privacy in giving.

The two bills offer legal protections for donors and nonprofits to ensure charitable giving can continue freely and effectively in the state. When donors are free to give where and how they choose without fear of their information being unfairly released or their donations being misused, charitable organizations are better suited to help those who need their support.

The Donor Intent Protection Act

Sponsored by Sen. Bill Cowsert (R), the Donor Intent Protection Act passed the legislature on a strong bi-partisan vote, co-sponsored by Sen. John F. Kennedy (R) and Rep. Matt Reeves (R).

The Donor Intent Protection Act provides a legal pathway for donors to enforce written endowment agreements. Donors may give to a charitable endowment with specific written instructions for how they would like their gift used or invested.

Prior to this bill, when a charity agreed, accepted the gift and then violated the agreement, donors had no legal standing or recourse to enforce their written agreement. But under the Donor Intent Protection Act, donors now have the ability to file a legal complaint in court if their gift is misused.

This protection encourages giving and benefits donors, charities, and the many individuals served by nonprofit organizations in Georgia. It also bolsters levels of trust between donors and charities by adding an extra layer of protection for donor intent. Donors can give freely and generously without concern their mutually agreed upon instructions will be violated.

The Personal Privacy Protection Act

The second bill, the Personal Privacy Protection Act, also earned bipartisan support and protects individuals who volunteer or give to causes they care about from having their personal information publicly disclosed by the government.

The ability for donors to give privately to causes they believe in is a First Amendment right that historically has been upheld. In the 2021 Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld donor privacy and concluded that California’s bulk collection of nonprofit donor information was unconstitutional.

Georgia donors should be able to give privately to causes they care about without fear of retaliation or public exposure. Whatever their motivation for privacy, this bill is aligned with the U.S Supreme Court decision and makes any unlawful disclosure of this information a misdemeanor under the law. This also provides protection for nonprofits from being forced to release their donor and member lists to government agencies and officials.

Laws Like These Encourage Generosity in Helping Our Neighbors and Communities

Donors give to nonprofits whose cause and mission they support. With the enactment of these two bills, Georgians can continue donating generously without fear their wishes will be violated or their identity disclosed.

The Donor Intent Protection Act is now law in three states and the Personal Privacy Protection Act is now law in 19 states. The protections offered by both bills will encourage donors to remain generous with their resources more than they might otherwise be.

Donors in states without these protections face uncertainty when they give because they don’t have the reassurance their identity is protected or that the court will grant them legal standing in the case of a violation.

Georgia is primed to move forward with a healthy charitable giving environment with the passage of these two bills so communities in need around the state can benefit from the generosity of Georgians.

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Atlanta has $29.8 million in public safety funding for 2025. Here’s why it matters.

by Josh Crawford | Jun 17, 2024

Atlanta's public safety funding for 2025 invests in best practices for better community safety.

Atlanta has $29.8 million in public safety funding for 2025. Here’s why it matters.

Key Points

The Atlanta City Council approved nearly $30 million dollars for public safety funding as part of the 2025 city budget.
They also approved a 3.8% increase in the number of authorized positions within the Atlanta Police Department.
More officers on the street and more tools for those officers generally mean less crime.

Atlanta’s City Council has adopted its budget for 2025, which includes $29.8 million for public safety funding as well as a 3.8% increase in the number of authorized positions within the police department.

This is good news for the city. In the first quarter of 2024, murders in Atlanta were up 15%—a trend that runs opposite to other major cities and to Atlanta’s own drop in violent crime in 2023.

While it’s not helpful to overreact to changes during such a short period of time, the increase is a reminder that Atlanta must keep prioritizing best practices to lower crime, reduce fear, and foster an environment where opportunity can thrive.

Atlanta's murder rate is up 15% in the first quarter of 2024.

Atlanta public safety funding to boost a key element of the justice system

Atlanta, like many cities around the country, began to see increased homicides in the late 2010s that then exploded with the onset of the COVID-19 lockdowns, urban unrest, and changes in policing practices in 2020. Atlanta then had three of its deadliest years in decades in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Thankfully Atlanta’s elected leaders have not sat by idle. By investing more in policing, Atlanta Mayor Dickens and the city council are attempting a time-tested truism: more police means less crime.

Police are the element of the criminal justice system most visible to the public and the arm with which citizens are most likely to interact. As Eastern Kentucky University professor Dr. Gary Potter puts it, “[t]he American system of criminal justice is predicated on an assumption of effective policing. After all, in order to deter criminals and punish the evil-doers you have to catch them.”

This is more than theoretical. Research on policing and crime has repeatedly found that more well-managed police leads to less crime. Most recently, a 2018 study looked at police and crime data from 1960 through 2010 and concluded that every $1 spent on policing generates about $1.63 in social benefits, mostly through reductions in homicides.

Atlanta City Council invests in technology for a safer community environment

Atlanta’s public safety funding will go to more than just additional police staffing and pay incentives for officers. Other allocations include:

$3.4 million for technology upgrades like body cameras, data storage, and identification technology.
$750,000 for additional security cameras in city parks and other areas highlighted by the department.

Of particular importance are the funds allocated for additional cameras.

Washington, D.C., which until recently had been plagued by skyrocketing homicides and carjackings, recently implemented a similar expanded security camera program. As a result of the program, DC chief of police Pamela Smith recently revealed a substantial increase in arrests for shootings, carjackings, and robberies. Importantly, she also noted an increase in cooperation from crime-weary citizens due to increased trust in the department.

Hopefully the new investments will produce similar results in Atlanta, where residents are equally crime-weary and hoping for relief.

9 Benefits of Work for Teens and Young Adults

by David Bass | Jun 14, 2024

In addition to earning money, the benefits of work for teens include positive impacts on mental health, physical health, and relationships.

9 Benefits of Work for Teens and Young Adults

Key Points

Research has shown that there are numerous benefits of work for teens and young adults across all areas of life, including finances, relationships, and physical and mental health.
Labor force participation rates show teens and young adults are working less than previous generations.
Encouraging teens and young adults to work can be a valuable way of helping them lead meaningful lives and become healthy, resilient adults.

As summer break approaches for many teens and young adults, most will be looking forward to leisurely activities like a trip to the beach, camping, or even summer camp. Kids at this developmental age indeed need relaxation and rejuvenation over summer breaks, but it is also a valuable opportunity to reap lifelong benefits.

Parents, guardians, or even mentors may want to encourage their teen to get a summer job—not just to earn a little spending money but because work has many other benefits to the health and resiliency of teens.

It’s true that the brains and bodies of kids need some time to relax and rejuvenate after a long school year—and taking a much-needed break in the summer months can be a good thing. There’s also a lot to be said for getting a summer job that teaches the value of work and offers benefits that reap dividends over the course of their lives.

Work is good for young people

Research shows that seasonal and part-time employment for teenagers and young adults has almost universally positive impacts. The truth is that holding down a summer job is something that previous generations commonly experienced—and enjoyed—but kids today have been comparatively shielded from working until much later in life.

In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the summer labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-olds in July 2023 was only 60.2%—slightly down from the previous year’s rate of 60.4%. By comparison, back in July 1989, the rate peaked at 77.5% before trending downward over the next 20-plus years to settle between 60.0% and 60.6% from 2012 to 2018.

Since then, the rate dropped significantly to 57.3% in 2020 due to the economic dislocation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, though it has since returned to pre-COVID levels at around 60%.

Contrasting by gender, the 2023 gap in summer labor force participation was the smallest on record—at only 0.4%—with only 60.4% of young men working compared to 60.0% for young women. Interestingly—and not surprisingly—the gender gap was its widest at 40.9 percentage points back nearly 75 years ago in July 1950. Also not surprising is that today most summer jobs for teens and young adults are in leisure and hospitality (25%), retail trade (18%), and education and health services (13%).

Clearly, the current generation of teens and young adults is working less than their predecessors. But what’s the impact on their lives?

They not only miss out on the financial benefits of earning money, but also on learning “soft” skills and attitudes that will positively impact them for the rest of their lives, including time management, respect for supervisors, following instructions, being reliable, demonstrating an upbeat attitude, dressing appropriately, accepting constructive criticism, and even using work-appropriate language.

As teens and young adults take on fewer seasonal or part-time jobs, they miss out on the benefits of work.

In July 2023, the summer labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-olds was 60.2%. In July 1989, the rate peaked at 77.5%. The drop means more young people are missing out on the benefits of work.

For young people, benefits of work span all areas of a healthy life

Beyond this, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) team has thoroughly reviewed the literature and found that there are nine benefits for work that help teens and young men and women develop a strong work ethic that lays the foundation for success in every area of life:

1. Personal finances: When we think of work, we immediately think of a paycheck. That’s the most obvious benefit. Work enables kids to buy both necessities and luxuries, to pay for education, even to start saving for retirement. Attaching to work early is also important for avoiding the trap of the social safety-net system that can unintentionally keep people mired in poverty.

2. Serving others: Earning money in a free market economy shows the ability to create value by serving others and learning self-reliance.

3. Economic impact: The more people work, the more the economy grows. This creates a more prosperous society and leaves those who work personally better off than those who don’t work. Those who don’t work deny society resources that could have made everyone better off—while simultaneously pulling resources away from other important societal needs.

4. Personal well-being: Work confers dignity and respect. It provides a sense of meaning and purpose in life. In contrast, those who don’t work are, overall, less happy and experience higher levels of personal and familial stress, sadness, despair, hopelessness, apathy, and depression.

5. Mental health: Those who work experience improved mental health outcomes and have higher self-esteem, fewer psychosomatic symptoms, less anxiety, and decreased suicide risk.

6. Alcohol and substance abuse: Those who work generally have reduced drug use and improved treatment outcomes. The impact of substance abuse appears to be greater on those who don’t work.

7. Physical health and lifespan: Those who don’t work generally have poorer physical health, including disrupted sleep patterns, higher risk for cardiovascular disease and respiratory infections, and shorter longevity.

8. Family relationships: Working has a particularly positive impact on males when it comes to family formation. Young men who work are much more likely to marry and have a family.

9. Crime: Working typically has a positive effect on teens and young adults by increasing future wages, building human capital, and reducing criminal behavior and recidivism—especially for economic crimes involving property damage, theft, and drugs.

Taken together, the evidence is strong for teens and young adults to start working on a seasonal or part-time basis. Whether it’s learning to manage a summer job in between camps, family vacation, and other enrichment activities or working during the academic year after school or on the weekends, the benefits of employment go far beyond earning money.

While it may be fashionable for parents to shelter their children from the working world as long as possible to allow them to enjoy a more carefree and leisurely adolescence, the data—and generational wisdom—show that we do kids more harm than good by unduly delaying their exposure to the workforce.

Everything to Know About Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) in Georgia

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Jun 3, 2024

Education savings accounts in Georgia empower parents to customize their child's education.

Everything to Know About Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) in Georgia

Key Points

Education plays a powerful role in breaking the cycle of poverty and helping children lead healthy, flourishing lives. Education savings accounts in Georgia are a solution to help more kids get the benefits of a quality education.
Georgia’s education savings account program is the Promise Scholarship. Starting in fall 2025, it will give eligible families $6,500 scholarships to access the education option that best meets their child’s needs.
Education savings accounts, or ESAs, in Georgia can have several positive impacts on communities, including better support for public schools, less crime, and greater upward mobility.

Education is an essential building block for a healthy, flourishing life. It has the power to break the cycle of poverty that can persist across generations.

When children from impoverished backgrounds receive a quality education, they’re more likely to escape poverty themselves and provide better opportunities for future generations.

Good education goes hand-in-hand with many other positive outcomes—like better jobs, higher personal income, valuable relationships, better physical health, and a longer life.

We all want these good things for children in our communities. Education savings accounts are one solution that Georgia can use to increase opportunity and prosperity for students who need it most.

What are education savings accounts?

Education savings accounts, also called ESAs, give parents a portion of state education funding that they can use to tailor their child’s education if traditional public school isn’t a good fit.

ESA programs expand education opportunity by giving parents greater flexibility and freedom in education choices. Whether a family prefers homeschooling, private schooling, or other alternatives, ESAs let parents access the best type of education for their child’s unique needs and interests.

The Georgia Promise Scholarship helps students in low-performing public schools access education options for their needs.

Get Started With Georgia’s ESA Program: The Georgia Promise Scholarship

Georgia is getting ready to launch Promise Scholarships in the fall of 2025. If you’re interested in enrolling your child, make sure you’re signed up to hear about next steps.

Get on the List for Updates

How do ESAs work?

To create education savings accounts programs, states must first pass a law. States then take a portion of what they would have spent on the student’s public school education and put it into a state-administered account.

Parents can use these funds for a range of education expenses—tuition, tutoring, homeschooling curriculum, educational therapies, online programs, or even a combination of educational services. States require parents to complete an application process to switch to an ESA.

What do families get from education savings accounts in Georgia?

Flexibility: ESAs let parents customize their kid’s education.
Financial Support: ESAs allow states to expand access to options that families may not be able to afford otherwise.
Empowerment: Parents can take charge of their child’s education journey with confidence.
Diverse Options: Parents can explore various educational paths that suit their child’s needs and interests.

What is Georgia’s ESA program?

Created in 2024, Georgia’s ESA program is the Georgia Promise Scholarship. It provides state-funded scholarship accounts that give eligible families $6,500 per student for each school year.

The program will be available starting in the 2025-2026 school year, and it will be limited to students in the lowest-performing public schools.

Georgia’s Promise Scholarship Explained
Find out what the program is, how it works, and which students will be eligible.

See the Promise Scholarship FAQs

Who do education savings account help in Georgia?

ESAs are for all kinds of students. Whether a child is struggling in school or has special learning needs, ESAs can help. Georgia’s ESA program, the Promise Scholarship, is specifically designed to help families who may not have the resources to access better opportunities.

Students in Underperforming Schools

Thousands of Georgia kids are stuck in public schools that have received a failing grade from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. To help these kids in particular, the Promise Scholarship will be for students in the bottom 25% of Georgia’s public schools. With an ESA, these students can access higher-quality education options that prepare them for successful careers and fulfilling lives.

Low-Income Students

Choosing a different school or educational path has often been a privilege for wealthier families. What about families that struggle to make ends meet?

With an ESA, low-income families can consider schooling options that may be out of reach otherwise. The Georgia Promise Scholarship makes sure these students are helped first. Available scholarships will go to families below 400% of the federal poverty level (around $120,000/year for a family of four). Any leftover funding can then serve students above that threshold.

Students With Special Needs

ESA programs are a lifeline for students who need support beyond what their local public school can provide. ESAs make it possible to access schools that are set up to help students who have unique learning needs and disabilities. ESA funds can also help pay for other essential resources like tutoring, therapies, and learning technologies.

Homeschooling Families

ESAs don’t just cover school tuition. They can pay for curriculum, online programs, and supplies, giving parents the option to fully customize their child’s education. This flexibility means that ESAs can help families who want to homeschool as an alternative to public or private schools.

What kind of impact could ESAs have on communities in Georgia?

Since Georgia’s ESA program, the Georgia Promise Scholarship, is new, it will be a few years before we know its exact impact on our communities. But we can get an idea from other states that have ESAs, including a couple of Georgia’s neighbors.

Better support for public schools: In 2011, Arizona became the first state to adopt ESAs. The state soon found that the program was helping to redirect state and federal dollars back to public schools where it could be used for teacher pay and operational needs.
Better outcomes for low-income students: Created in 2019, Florida’s ESA program is now the largest in the country. A November 2023 study of Florida’s education system looked at the impact of growing school choice. It found students of lower socioeconomic backgrounds—including those who stayed in public schools—experienced some of the greatest benefits.

Better economic opportunity and healthier societies: Tennessee is still working to expand its ESA program, but a study from the Beacon Center of Tennessee found that a statewide program could have incredible social impact. Their model predicted that Tennessee could have more high school graduates, higher overall personal income, less criminal activity and fewer felons, and $2.9 billion in economic benefits.

Do parents want education savings accounts in Georgia?

Overall, Americans are worried about the direction of public K-12 education.

Half of Americans think it’s moving in the wrong direction.
82% of teachers say the state of public K-12 education has worsened in the last five years.
Only 46% of school parents in Georgia think K-12 education is on the right track in the state of Georgia.

It’s not surprising, then, that Georgia parents are open to more school choice policies: 76% of Georgia school parents say they’re in favor of an ESA program.

A majority of school parents in Georgia think it's a good idea to have education savings accounts in Georgia.

What are common concerns about education savings accounts in Georgia?

Concern: ESAs take funding away from public schools.

Georgia communities don’t have to worry about this because state lawmakers are not using public school funding for the Georgia Promise Scholarship. Promise Scholarship funding is also not allowed to exceed 1% of public school funding. This set-up means public school funding is fully protected.

In general, more research is showing that, when states invest in school choice programs like ESAs, public schools benefit financially and academically. They have more per-pupil funding, less budgetary pressure, and better student outcomes.

Concern: ESAs favor wealthy families and don’t help kids who actually need the opportunity.

Quality education is a building block of a healthy, flourishing life, regardless of a family’s financial situation. ESAs are a tool states can use to ensure there’s more equality when it comes to education opportunities.

Even if an ESA program is universal—where every student is eligible—the students who gain the most opportunities are those most in need. Here in Georgia, our ESA program, the Promise Scholarship, limits eligibility to students in low-income households to make sure they get helped first.

Concern: ESAs are just another private school voucher.

Education savings accounts can be used for private school tuition but also for much more! Unlike private school scholarships, ESAs can be used for a wider range of education expenses—including tuition, tutoring, online programs, education therapies, curriculum, and textbooks.

Concern: ESAs don’t help families in rural areas.

Rural areas may not have as many schools to choose from, but thanks to the flexibility of ESAs, this doesn’t have to be a reason for states to avoid ESA programs.

Take Tanya Schlegel’s story, for example. Tanya is a mom of two kids with special needs living in rural Georgia. Despite her best efforts to work with the local public school, it just isn’t equipped to give special needs students the help they need. An ESA would give her the resources to homeschool and access specialized therapies so that her kids can have the type of education that matches their needs.

Georgia ESAs: Quick Facts

Georgia is one of 16 states with an ESA program.
10 states have universal ESA programs, meaning all students are eligible. Georgia is not yet one of them.
Georgia’s ESAs are worth $6,500 per student per school year.
76% of school parents in Georgia support ESAs.

Interested in Georgia’s ESA program?

Go here to sign up for updates as the Georgia Promise Scholarship gets up and running.