Alphabet Soup

The Step Up for Students (SUFS) scholarships have helped numerous families give their children the education they need over the past couple of decades. I'm not even sure the initiators of the project knew how large it was going to become. So, let's sort through the acronyms to see if one of these scholarships can fit your family's needs. Disclaimer: This is only a surface explanation for these programs so as not to write an entire novel here. I will only be discussing the FES-UA, FES-EO, and PEP in this post.

Why were these scholarships created?

The first scholarship was initially created to help low-income families give their children a "step up" with their education. They allowed them to have a school choice if they attended a school that was not up to snuff educationally or let's just say certain fear factors attached to it. As time moved on, lawmakers began to see the benefits of school choice and began passing bills that led to the expansion. In 2014, the legislature started seeing the needs for children with uniques abilities, thus beginning the route toward a scholarship for those with specific diagnoses.

Who provides the funds for the Step Up scholarships?

Individual and business donations- this can be you, a small business, or a large corporation

Florida Tax Credit- Tax programs set up for Florida companies who have certain tax liabilities for their services including but not limited to insurance premium tax, corporate income tax, oil and gas tax, etc.

What is the FES-UA scholarship and who can apply?

The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities was created for those who have different needs for their education- Average award amount per school year >$9000. This scholarship can be used for multiple programs, therapies, instructional materials, curriculum, private schooling, and college tuition.

In order to be awarded this scholarship, a child has to have a specific diagnosis. The range for these specific diagnoses is large. Pages 31-34 in the FES-UA Parent Handbook go over these diagnoses extensively. Through this scholarship, the child is either awarded the funds as a homeschooler or private school student.

Applications open in the spring and can be turned in well into the fall. However, the later an application is turned in, the more likely that students will be wait-listed. If they are wait-listed, they will typically receive the scholarship the following school year if not earlier. You will need documentation confirming a diagnosis in order to apply. This can include findings from a doctor, NP or PA, specialist, therapist, psychiatrist, school psychologist, or a current IEP (< three years).

What is the FES-EO scholarship and who can apply?

The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options is strictly for private school attendance- Average award amount per school year >$7000. The awarded amount is paid directly to the private school and any leftover funds are sent to an educational savings account (ESA) which can be used toward other fees such as instructional materials, standardized tests, apprenticeship programs, etc.

Any child not enrolled in the public school system can apply for this scholarship, but low income families will be awarded first. Children cannot receive both a UA and EO scholarship. You can apply for both, but if awarded both, only one can be chosen.

What is the PEP and who can apply?

The Personalized Education Program is through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program- Average award amount per school year >$7000. PEP scholarships provide access to an ESA which can be used for instructional material, curriculum, services provided by a public school, fees for standardized tests, tutoring, etc.

Any child not enrolled in the public or private school system can apply for this scholarship, but low income families will be awarded first. Once awarded, children must be removed from the county's home education program and will then enroll as a home education student through PEP.

So, what is the difference between a PEP and regular homeschooling? Parents must submit and maintain a Student Learning Plan annually. The learning plan is created to guide instruction for their students. Children must take a standardized test annually and submit the results to Step Up.

Serving hundreds of thousands of students, these educational scholarships are only planning to grow larger allowing opportunities that previously escaped so many families. As with anything, there are pros and cons. All families must determine if this path will serve them well. My personal pros and cons come from utilizing the FES-UA scholarship for three of my children (two now since my oldest graduated).

Pros:

• costs for therapy

• purchase interesting and enjoyable instructional materials that we were unable to in the past

• purchase educational items more in tune with each child's interest and ability

• P.E. items were a huge blessing to get the kids moving around

• learn more as their mother/teacher about their needs

• the ScholarShop typically has a speedy turnaround and there is no guesswork in knowing if the items are covered or not

Cons:

• determining whether something will be reimbursed or the wait time for pre-approval

• reimbursements take a while to be approved and then received

• some reimbursement requests require more paperwork than you were prepared for

• customer service wait time is typically lengthy

• these programs are new to so many employees of the school board, Step Up, and outside companies that when a problem arises, the back and forth of getting all of your ducks in a row is timely and tedious

These are only my personal pros and cons, but many parents I have talked to throughout the scholarship adventures have their own. Current scholarship awardees, please feel free to comment any of your pros or cons that you have come upon while utilizing a scholarship.