Serving Our Children Awarded Contract to Administer DC Opportunity Scholarship Program

Serving Our Children Awarded Contract to Administer DC Opportunity Scholarship Program Washington, D.C. (Aug. 21, 2015) –Serving Our Children (SOC), a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) organization, has been named by the U.S. Department of Education as the new administrator for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP).

“We are honored to have been selected by the Department of Education to administer this incredible program that has benefitted thousands of children from low-income D.C. families since the 2004-2005 school year,” said Kevin P. Chavous, chairman of Serving Our Children. “On behalf of our board of directors, we want to thank the Department of Education for placing their trust in us. We also want to thank Chairman Marie Johns and the D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation for their dedicated efforts in managing the program over the last several years.”

“I am delighted that Serving Our Children has been selected to administer the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program,” added Anthony Williams, board member of Serving Our Children. “As a former Mayor of the District, I fought hard to bring this program to our City so that underserved children in the District could have every possible opportunity to further their education and achieve their dreams. As a Board Member, I look forward to continuing to ensure that even more D.C. children can benefit from the excellent educational options available under the DC OSP.”

The Serving Our Children board includes former D.C. City Councilman Kevin P. Chavous, former two-term Mayor of the District of Columbia Anthony Williams, founder of Friendship Charter Schools Donald Hense, and veteran OSP parent Sheila Jackson whose child graduated from the OSP as valedictorian of her high school in 2013. Additional board members will be announced in the coming weeks. The executive director of Serving Our Children is Rachel Sotsky, a 23-year veteran of Capitol Hill. Rachel previously served as deputy legislative director for former Senator and Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), and oversaw the OSP for the committee.

Serving Our Children will begin immediately to work closely with the U.S. Department of Education and the D.C. Trust to ensure a smooth, efficient, and timely transition as students head into the 2015-2016 school year.