Important Message For Our Families
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Step Up For Students wants our impacted families to know that we are here for them in these trying times, and are committed to doing all we can to ensure their education opportunities will continue during the recovery. Please visit our Hurricane Updates page for the latest information.
Hi Step Up families,
Click the name of your student’s scholarship program for reminders and updates to be aware of.
Information varies by scholarship program. If you have children benefiting from different scholarship programs, please check each appropriate section.
2024-25 Application Update
We are no longer accepting applications for the 2024-25 school year. To be among the first to be notified when 2025-26 applications become available, please sign up here.
Family Empowerment Scholarships for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) students awarded a scholarship after October 25, 2024, will receive a prorated award amount.
2024-25 Reimbursements and Pre-Authorization Requests
We are pleased to announce that families may now submit reimbursements for newly eligible items and services for the 2024-25 school year. These reimbursements may be submitted for purchase or service dates beginning with July 1, 2024.
For FES-UA legacy students (those funded through the FES-UA program since the 2022-23 school year and before), the family must continue submitting reimbursement requests and pre-authorization requests through the Legacy System.
For all other FES-UA students, families may submit reimbursement requests and pre-authorization requests in EMA.
2024-25 Purchasing Guide
The 2024-25 FES-UA Purchasing Guide has been received from the University of Central Florida and is now available here. For a helpful one-pager highlighting some of the changes within the guide, please click here.
2024-25 Application Update
The PEP scholarship is “At Capacity,” meaning there are no more PEP scholarships remaining for this year. Florida Law limits the PEP scholarship to 60,000 students in the 2024-25 school year. We will review program capacity regularly and award additional eligible students if space becomes available.
Requirements for 2024-25 Awarded Students
Families must have submitted an awarded PEP student's 2024-25 Student Learning Plan (SLP) in EMA by Friday, October 25, 2024, for the student to be eligible to receive 100% of the scholarship award.
Additionally, those who utilized the PEP scholarship for the 2023-24 school year must have submitted their student's 2023-24 end-of-year norm-referenced test or statewide assessment results in EMA by Friday, October 25, 2024. to be eligible to receive 100% of the scholarship award.
2024-25 Handbook and Purchasing Guide
The 2024-25 Handbook for FES-EO, FTC and PEP is now available here. For a one-pager outlining what has changed since last year, please click here.
You may also view the 2024-25 FES-EO/FTC/PEP Purchasing Guide here. For a helpful one-pager highlighting some of the changes within the new guide, please click here.
Enrollment Deadline
Students awarded an FTC/FES-EO scholarship for the 2024-25 school year must be “Enrolled” in EMA to receive funding.
IMPORTANT: Students enrolled in EMA between October 26, 2024, and January 15, 2025, will be reviewed for a prorated scholarship award.
If your student is not yet showing as “Enrolled” in EMA, take these steps ASAP:
- Provide your student’s 2024-25 Award ID to your school. Find your student's Award ID in your EMA account.
- The school will submit your student's School Enrollment Form within their EMA account.
- Review your student's enrollment for approval.
All steps must be completed for the student to be available for review for the next round of funding.
2024-25 Handbook and Purchasing Guide
The 2024-25 Handbook for FES-EO, FTC and PEP is now available here. For a one-pager outlining what has changed since last year, please click here.
You may also view the 2024-25 FES-EO/FTC/PEP Purchasing Guide here. For a helpful one-pager highlighting some of the changes within the new guide, please click here.
Reimbursement Deadline
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Step Up For Students wants our impacted families to know that we are here for them in these trying times, and are committed to doing all we can to ensure their education opportunities will continue during the recovery.
As a result of the storm, we have extended the deadline to submit New Worlds Scholarship Accounts reimbursement requests for the 2023-24 school year to October 7, 2024.
2024-25 Applications
We are no longer accepting applications for the 2024-25 school year. To be among the first to be notified when 2025-26 applications become available, please sign up here.
2024-25 Handbook
The 2024-25 New Worlds Scholarship Accounts Handbook is available here.
2024-25 Applications
Families may apply now for a 2024-25 Transportation Stipend. To learn more about this opportunity and to apply, please click here.
2024-25 Handbook
The 2024-25 Transportation Stipend Handbook is available here.
