“Sometimes you’ve got to go the extra mile in order for your kids to be safe
and for them to learn. If you don’t follow through with the best education
for your kids, you will be letting them down. With a scholarship, you’re
able to choose
from different types of schools. I think this is a good
opportunity for all low-income parents.”
—Nikia Hammond, WSF Scholarship Parent
WSF Programs & Services
D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (D.C. OSP)
Often referred to as the D.C. voucher program, the D.C. OSP provides genuine school choice in the form of scholarships of up to $7,500 per child each year to attend grades K-12 at any of our 60 participating non-public schools within the District’s boundaries.
Attention D.C. Families! Interested in receiving an Opportunity Scholarship? Click here to learn about the eligibility guidelines and the application process.
During the 2007-2008 school year, over 1,900 students are participating in the D.C. OSP and attending 55 of 60 participating non-public schools. Read our D.C. OSP Fact Sheet (2007-2008) to learn more about the history and impact of this watershed program.
The U.S. Congress passed the 2003 D.C. School Choice Incentive Act establishing the D.C. OSP as a five year pilot program, and WSF was selected by the U.S. Department of Education to operate it in 2004. A federally mandated evaluation of the D.C. OSP is being conducted by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education, along with the Westat Corporation and lead investigator Patrick Wolf from Georgetown University.
Signature Scholarship Program (SSP)
This program provides scholarships up to $3,000 per child each year to attend grades K-12 at schools in D.C., MD, and VA. The SSP does not have specific partner schools because all non-public schools in the region accept these private scholarships.
Attention D.C. Families! Interested in receiving a Signature Scholarship? Click here to learn about the eligibility guidelines and the application process.
During the 2007-2008 school year, over 420 students are participating in the SSP. Read our SSP Fact Sheet (2007-2008) to learn more about the history and impact of WSF’s original scholarship program.
Parent Support Services
Our dedicated team of Family Support Specialists provides comprehensive services for families, including:
- Connecting families with schools that meet their children’s needs
- Helping families through the process of applying to schools
- Helping families understand scholarship guidelines and complete the necessary application paperwork
- Informing families about partners and other organizations in D.C. that provide complementary educational resources
- Offering monthly Parent Empowerment Group Meetings (PEGs) where parents can share information about their educational experiences
- Providing information to graduating seniors about college options
In addition to serving our over 2,300 scholarship families in 2007-2008, we also interface with approximately 3,500 other D.C. families each year, educating the community about our programs and communicating with families involved in the federal evaluation.