Parents Challenge, a nonprofit educational-choice organization marking its 25th anniversary this year, is expanding beyond Colorado Springs to enable more schooling options for low-income families in Eastern El Paso County, Teller County and Pueblo County.

“Our mission is to provide true choice to parents in their children’s education,” said Deborah Hendrix, executive director.

The organization offers grants and scholarships to qualifying families to help pay for their children to attend a school that best fits their individual needs and preferences.

A recent infusion of $1.7 million in grants is driving the program’s growth.

Parents Challenge was selected as one of 25 semifinalists for a national award, the Yass Prize, a ranking that included an award of $200,000. The program “recognizes and rewards education providers who demonstrate ‘Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless’” education.

Also, a $1 million grant from the local John E. and Margaret L. Lane Foundation, and an anonymous donation of $500,000, constitute the largest collective contribution to the organization in its history, Hendrix said.

“We are proud to invest in an organization that places parents at the forefront of educational choice,” Phil Lane, board chairman and secretary of the Lane Foundation, said in a statement. “Their commitment to empowering families aligns with our foundation’s mission to foster sustainable and transformative initiatives in our community.”

The show of support means Parents Challenge will add up to 60 young scholars to its current roster of 355 kindergarten through high school clients in central El Paso County, she said.

“Parents know their children best, and there should not be a debate over school choice or educational freedom,” Hendrix said. “At the end of the day, parents have to be the deciding factor in what’s working, whether it’s private school, the neighborhood public school, a charter school, homeschooling, online schooling or micro schools.”

The money families receive can be applied to school tuition for private schools or to defray expenses related to school uniforms, extracurricular activities and other out-of-pocket costs for public, private or at-home learning.

Participants also receive mentoring, study tools including free tutoring, career preparation and other support to help them realize their educational goals.

The organization assists parents by providing seminars and trainings on topics such as education, health and wellness, money management and career preparation. In addition, parents are asked to volunteer 20 hours annually and are held accountable for their child’s academic performance.

Parents Challenge works with 195 families and will add up to 35 more families as its service area widens, Hendrix said.

The 17% increase in clients won’t come with high administrative costs, though, she said. Operations will continue from a central office in Colorado Springs, and the three and a half staff members will grow by one and remain “lean and efficient,” she said.

After a quarter of a century promoting educational options for low-income families and successful outcomes for students regardless of where they attend school, Parents Challenge is recognized as “one of the longest-standing parent-focused organizations in the nation,” according to the Yass Award.

The organization differs from others in that it doesn’t push families to private schools but rather advocates for families to choose whatever education they deem best for their child, according to Hendrix.

This year’s $1.3 million budget is entirely funded by private donations and grants, so families are not at risk of losing their support in relation to whatever happens with the United States Department of Education, she added.

Colorado Springs developer Steve Schuck and his late wife, Joyce, founded the organization in 2000. Schuck now serves as the chairman of the board, a role he works on daily, according to Hendrix.

“We’re continuing to do what he and Joyce put into place to support low-income families around what they decide is best for their children and are excited to be able to expand this opportunity to more families,” she said.