New Hampshire has moved to universal eligibility for its Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs). The practical question is: how do families find and use the right education option? In this interview, Jody Underwood—retired learning scientist, longtime Croydon school board member, and president of Education Options New Hampshire (EdOpt)—explains the state’s toolkit and how families can use the right education option effectively. She also explains how EdOpt helps parents navigate it.

She outlines the major pathways: town tuitioning (including private and religious schools). There are also the business-funded Education Tax Credit scholarships and state-funded EFAs, plus public options like charter schools and emerging open enrollment. She distinguishes EFAs from tax credits (funding source, oversight), notes growth in EFA usage, emphasizes the importance of using the right education option, and highlights ‘Learn Everywhere’ and dual enrollment for earning credit outside traditional classrooms.

EdOpt pairs an online, filterable provider map (schools, co-ops, learning centers, activities) with in-person school choice fairs around the state. It also offers one-on-one consultations. They seeded the directory with resources from state and other publicly available listings. They also accept provider submissions.

Underwood stresses mastery over seat time, ability grouping, and parent empowerment to ensure they use the right education option. She also flags trade-offs—for example, some homeschoolers prefer staying outside EFA rules to maintain maximal autonomy. Meanwhile, she welcomes public schools to fairs to keep all options on the table.

See the interview here: