Jody Underwood, Ph.D.

The Families Behind the Numbers

Sandwich board on grass outside a building announcing an EdOpt fair

Last week, EdOpt hosted another education options fair in Claremont. Ten families signed in and spent time talking with schools, homeschoolers, and other education providers. If you’re measuring success purely by attendance, ten families may not sound like a lot. But that’s not how we measure success. The families who come to our fairs are … Read more

EdOpt Fair in Claremont June 3 📣

Lighthouse shining a light on the Claremont Fair announcement, with QR code

The EdOpt Fair in Claremont is taking place Wednesday June 3! Come join us and have one-on-one conversations with these providers: Don’t forget to stop by the EdOpt table if you want some guidance. Looking forward to seeing you there! This will be our last fair until the end of July. Please check out our … Read more

New scholarship coming in 2027

Lighthouse casting light on three buildings, happy family in front of the scene

Beginning in January 2027, New Hampshire families will have access to a new source of education funding: the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit program. New Hampshire is one of the many states that has already opted in, with Governor Kelly Ayotte announcing the decision earlier this year.   If you’ve heard this program referred to … Read more

EdOpt Fair in Swanzey May 21 📣

Lighthouse shining a light on the Swanzey Fair announcement, with QR code

The EdOpt Fair in Swanzey is taking place Thursday May 21! Pollianne Stenstrom from The Younger Years microschool is our local organizer. We are so grateful that she is making it happen. It’s our 3rd fair in as many weeks, whew! This will be an intimate fair. Come join us and have one-on-one conversations with … Read more

📣 Tmrw! EdOpt Fair in Goffstown 📣

The background has pictures of people interacting around tables at an education fair, with overlay text boxes displaying details of the Goffstown fair

The EdOpt Fair in Goffstown is taking place tomorrow! Katy Ann Myers from the Goffstown Homeschool Community and I worked closely to make this happen. What a ball of positive energy she is! Come join us and meet this wide range of providers: Don’t forget to stop by the EdOpt table if you want some … Read more

📣 Today! EdOpt Fair in Candia 📣

Details about a school choice fair with round picture inset of students

The EdOpt Fair in Candia is taking place today! This is the second annual fair that Kathy Carlson from Jesse Remington High School has organized with us. It’s been great working with her. Come join us and meet this wide range of providers: Don’t forget to stop by the EdOpt table if you want some … Read more

A New Approach to Autism Care

Woman and child on a colorful mat playing.

At Education Options, we hear from families every week who are trying to find the right fit for their children — including many navigating special education needs. Some of those conversations are difficult. Parents share stories of services that aren’t available, supports that fall short, or systems that simply can’t meet their child where they … Read more

Your school district has shaky oversight

Gavel hitting a mute button

Before I get to the feature of this post about your district having shaky oversight, I first want to remind you that you can… Double your impact for NH families! Helping families discover all their school options is exactly why EdOpt exists. We hold in-person fairs all around the state and do not charge a … Read more

3 School Options Nobody Knows

Three panels with question marks representing 3 education options people don't know

What Many NH Families Don’t Know About Their Education Options At nearly every EdOpt event, we hear the same sentence from parents: “I didn’t know that was an option!” New Hampshire families actually have far more flexibility in education than many people realize. The challenge isn’t that options don’t exist — it’s that many families … Read more

📣 New podcast: Choosing School 📣

Ocean background with sailboat with EdOpt life preserver in the center.

Introducing the Choosing School Podcast Every family wants the same thing: an education that truly fits their child. But figuring out what that looks like—and what options even exist—might seem difficult. That’s why we’re excited to introduce the Choosing School Podcast. In this new series, we talk directly with parents about the education choices they’ve … Read more

Update: 3 more spring fairs!

People talking with fair providers

Check out the new school choice fairs this spring! Put the dates in your calendars. Some education providers have already registered, but it’s just the beginning — check them out! Candia Goffstown Swanzey Claremont We’re working on a fair in Concord and other places in the summer and fall. Let us know if you want to organize … Read more

Manchester Fair in one week!

Fair flyer with notebook paper background

Our next Fair is in less than a week in Manchester! EdOpt is partnering with Children’s Scholarship Fund for this one. Saturday March 21, from 11-2pm at Trinity High School at 581 Bridge St, Manchester, NH. We’ll have a DJ and a food truck, and lots of education providers across the range of options. EdOpt … Read more

Wow! Manch Fair a huge success

People talking with fair providers

The Manchester Fair was a huge success! This was the first fair co-organized by EdOpt and the Children’s Scholarship Fund. It was held this past Saturday March 21 at Trinity High School in Manchester, NH. The DJ and food truck attracted hundreds of people (and their children!) to talk with over 50 education providers across … Read more

🎉 EdOpt Navigator is Live!

Navigator interface floating above a simplified map of New Hampshire. Light connection lines extend from the map to icons representing different education options. Mother and two boys engaging with the tablet.

If you’re a parent trying to understand your education options in New Hampshire, you may have discovered something frustrating: the information exists — but it’s scattered across dozens of websites, policies, and reports. Worse, you don’t know which ones to look at. That’s why we built EdOpt Navigator. Thanks to the testing many people did, … Read more

Recurring Dreams of School

AI generated image of "school anxiety dreams." Man sleeping, four different thought bubbles of different anxiety dreams

Have you had recurring dreams about school? Were they pleasant or disturbing? Personally, I always liked school. But I don’t think I ever had a good dream about school. I read an article recently that summarized a survey of people who have had recurring dreams about school. I thought the results would be interesting to … Read more

Help Test EdOpt’s New AI Assistant (Beta)

Teenage boy and girl smiling, looking at a computer and writing in a notebook, with iced coffee on the table. Two other scenes with children at the bottom. Image of a phone overlays it all.

Finding the right education path for your child in New Hampshire can feel overwhelming. There are so many options — public schools, charter schools, private schools, homeschooling, Education Freedom Accounts, enrichment programs — and it’s hard to know where to start. That’s why we’re building the EdOpt AI Assistant. We’re launching a beta version today, and we … Read more