Please Help: State Allows Invest in Kids Program To Expire

During its most recent veto session, the Illinois legislature failed to renew the Invest in Kids Scholarship Program, which provided a pathway for more than 9,600 students in the state of Illinois to attend their best fit school.

As a result of the General Assembly’s inaction, the Tuition Tax Credit Program will sunset on Dec. 31, 2023. These students will lose their scholarship at the end of this school year.

Locally, more than 900 students in the Diocese of Joliet will lose their scholarship.

During the past six years, thanks largely to the Invest in Kids Scholarship Program and thousands of generous donors who contributed, the Diocese of Joliet was able to educate even more students who flourished in their best fit school setting. As students from low-income and working-class families utilized the Invest in Kids Program to attend our Catholic schools, the Catholic Education Foundation shifted its funding to help middle-class families afford Catholic education in the face of rising costs and stagnant wages.

Leadership within the Catholic Education Foundation is deeply disappointed by the situation our elected officials have carelessly placed our students and families in through their inaction.

For more than 200 years, the Catholic Church in America has been educating children, providing a quality, faith-based education and hope for a brighter future regardless of income, race, ethnicity, or religious belief. Our commitment to educating children will not stop simply because the Illinois legislature chose to put politics before families in need.

The Catholic Education Foundation is committed to walking alongside our students, families, and school partners we are honored to serve. We invite the community to join us in providing the promise of a quality Catholic education to families in need by supporting the Catholic Education Foundation.

Please visit www.CEFJoliet.org to make an online tax-deductible gift to any school in the Diocese of Joliet or to schools with the highest need.

Catholic Education Foundation : 815.221.6127 : 16555 Weber Road, Crest Hill, IL 60403: http://cefjoliet.org/