What changes for the child.

My daughter was doing her homework on my phone because we didn't have a computer at home. She never complained, but I watched her fall further behind while other kids had everything they needed. The grant covered a refurbished laptop. Her grades went up almost immediately. Now she's talking about college like it's a real thing, not just something that happens to other people.

My daughter was starting second grade and couldn't read at grade level. I knew something was wrong but couldn't afford to do anything about it. The grant paid for tutoring twice a week. Six months later her teacher called me to say she was one of the strongest readers in the class. I cried in the parking lot after I hung up.

Back-to-school was always the hardest time of year. Three kids, three supply lists, and never enough. My oldest was embarrassed to go in without what the other kids had. The grant covered all three lists and a backpack for each of them. They walked into the first day of school like they owned it. That's all I wanted.

My son's school called to tell me he was disengaged and distracted. What they didn't know was that he'd been worrying about money because he'd seen how stressed I was. I applied for this grant thinking it would help with supplies, and it did, but the bigger thing was that he stopped carrying that weight. Kids shouldn't have to carry that.

My fifteen-year-old wanted to take the SAT prep course and I kept having to tell her we couldn't. She stopped asking after a while, which was worse than the asking. The grant covered the course and the exam fee. She took the SAT in the spring. Whatever score she gets, she went. She showed up. That's what I wanted her to know she could do.

My son's school announced a STEM program that required students to bring their own device. I had nothing I could send with him and I didn't know how to tell him he couldn't participate. The grant covered a tablet. He is now in the program and comes home every day and shows me what he built. Every single day.

Both of my kids needed glasses and I kept postponing it because I couldn't afford both pairs at once. My younger one was squinting at the board and her teacher didn't even know. The grant covered the exams and both pairs. Her teacher called me two weeks later to say she was a completely different student in class. She could just see.