Carly Hill

“I had gone to elementary school at a private school and actually still live in the town where I attended. And I loved my experience as a student. So, I started to explore the idea of my own children being able to go to the private school that I had attended as a kid and loved.”

“I knew that if he went to private school we would need financial aid of some kind. Having four kids, we could maybe afford to send one of them to private school, but I wouldn’t send one to private school and the other three at the same time to a different school.”

“The scholarship is really the difference-maker for us in the options that we have and the doors that are open versus closed.”

“This is my oldest son’s third year receiving the Empower Illinois scholarship, and it’s our first year having two kids receive the scholarship in the same year.”

“We don’t view our public schools as a bad option. I used to work in a public school. I am thrilled with what public schools do for families and I hope they stick around and thrive. I just love that we don’t have to have the finances be the only driving factor. Finances is part of the picture, but it doesn’t have to be the only thing.”

“Families are wanting options more than anything else. If he didn’t get financial aid of any kind, that would be our answer and he would go to public school. It’s simply a perspective or a priority that families can choose things that best fit their individual needs beyond simply what they can afford.”

Carly Hill
Owner, Debt Free Mom
Morton, Illinois