Step Up For Students - Florida Inc

The family empowerment scholarship program was established in 2019 to provide children and families in the state of florida which have limited resources with educational options to achieve success in their education. The family empowerment scholarship was expanded into two branches: family empowerment scholarship for educational options and for students with unique abilities (formerly known as gardiner scholarship). Family empowerment scholarship educational options: this scholarship is intended to help reduce the wait list for the tax credit scholarship program and similarily serves students from low-income and working-class households. Step up for students-florida, as an approved sfo, administered this scholarship and served 145,155 k-12 students for the 2023-2024 school year. In 2023, the florida state legislature opened the scholarship to all eligible residents of florida. Qualified students could receive up to a maximum scholarship of $11,223 depending on grade level and county residence, for private school tuition and fees or up to $2,232 in transportation costs to attend an out-of-district public school.family empowerment scholarship for students with unique abilities (formally known as gardiner scholarship): in the 2023-24 school year, step up for students-florida administered this scholarship program for students with unique abilities with specific diabilities that include: autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, spina bifida, intellectual disability, williams syndrome, and more. Through this scholarship program, 96,678 eligible students received a scholarship for the 2023-24 school year at an average of $9,990 each. The program empowers families to choose the educational services that best meet the needs of their student, and the money can be spent for schools, therapists, specialists, curriculum, technology even a college savings account.

Hope scholarship program: step up for students-florida administers the hope scholarship, which was created in 2018 to provide the option of private school scholarships to students in public schools who have experienced acts of bullying and intimidation. The scholarships are financed by contributions from automobile buyers, who are allowed under the law to redirect up to $105 of their state taxes on each purchase. Those contributions are used to provide tuition scholarships to participating private schools. Qualified students could receive a maximum scholarship of $11,223 depending on grade level and county residence, for private school tuition and fees or a maximum of $2,232 in transportation costs to attend an out-of-district public school. The scholarship began in 2018 and served 893 students during the 2023-24 school year. Up to 95% of unused funds in the hope scholarship program can be used to fund scholarships to students on the florida tax credit scholarship program in the next state of florida fiscal year.

New worlds reading scholarship program: new worlds scholarship account program: the new worlds scholarship was created in 2018 to provide academic support for elementary school students in district or charter schools, who struggled in reading and was expanded to include math in 2023. Step up for students-florida, as an approved scholarship funding organization, administers the program. The scholarship is available to students in k- through fifth-grade who have scored a level 1 or 2 on the english language arts and/or math sections of the florida standards assessment. Each scholarship is worth $500, irrespective of whether the student needs help in either or both areas of study. The parent can use these funds to pay for tuition and fees related to part-time tutoring, summer and after-school literacy programs, instructional materials and more. Through the new worlds scholarship account program, 31,764 students received scholarships in the 2023-24 school year.

Policy, innovation and empowerment: this department takes the message of the scholarship programs to constituency groups, community and political leaders, and local, state, and national news publications. It issues press releases on topics of special concern and writes commentary for various publications. The team analyzes demographic, achievement and participation data, and trends in the program and education choice movement. The team responds to numerous information requests from newspapers, other media, and legislative and agency offices. The team also organizes advocates and supporters who believe children should be educated based on how they learn, rather than where they live. The team educates, informs, and trains parents to be advocates and supporters for the protection and expansion of choice opportunities. These services are provided to parents of children participating in programs administered by the organization and may also be provided to parents utilizing other choice options.