Tampa area’s National School Choice Week festival will be going to celebrate next week. It features a student jazz band, an avionics demonstration, a speaker from the Florida Department of Education, and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks player Jerry Wunsch. The festival combines family-friendly entertainment with informative booths from a wide range of education stakeholders. Celebrate Youth is coordinating the event.
The festival runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19 at Pasco Safety Town and about 2,000 people are expected to attend.
This event is planned to coincide with the history-making celebration of National School Choice Week 2019, which will feature more than 40,000 school choice events across all 50 states. From January 20 through 26, 2019, more than 40,000 independently-planned events will be held in celebration of the Week.
“Many families in our county live in poverty and parents are unaware of what resources are available for their children’s education. For families who do not have access or confidence in reaching out for those resources, we provide a face-to-face, hands-on approach to get them the information they need and deserve,” said Kelly Steen, member of the Celebrate Youth planning committee. “The festival helps them decide which school choice is best for their children.”
“School choice gives parents the ability to choose a school that is the best fit for their child’s needs. It gives parents the power to decide how to educate their children,” said Tricia Staltare, member of the Celebrate Youth planning committee. “With the many scholarships available, parents have the ability to choose the school that works best for their child.”