Governor DeSantis on May 9, 2024, signed into law several critical changes to Florida’s scholarship programs.
The following changes take effect July 1, 2024.
GENERAL FAQ
Q. I’m an active-duty military and currently live out of state, but I’ve been assigned to a base in Florida and plan to move soon. Are my children eligible for a scholarship?
A. Yes. If you are active duty and have been given permanent change of station orders to Florida you will be eligible for the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO), Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA), Personalized Education Program (PEP), or Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) before you make your move. You can apply with your base address or new Florida home address (if you have one) and upload your permanent change of station paperwork with your application.
Q. I’m an active-duty military and a resident of Florida, but I’ve been assigned to a base outside of Florida and plan to move soon. Can my children still keep their scholarship?
A. Yes, as long as Florida residency is legally maintained. Please note this option is only available to students on the FES-UA or PEP scholarships. Active-duty military with change of station orders out-of-state may apply for, or renew their FES-UA or PEP scholarships, if they can prove maintenance of Florida residency. You will not be eligible to keep FTC or FES-EO scholarships to attend private schools out-of-state.
Q. Can I apply for more than one scholarship at a time for my child?
A. No. Law changes prohibit applying for more than one private school or parent-directed scholarship at a time for your student. You can apply for a new scholarship once you’ve been denied or have declined an awarded scholarship. However, you may apply for both the Transportation Stipend and New Worlds Scholarship Account if your student qualifies.
Q. How can I decline a scholarship that I’ve applied for?
A. You can use this form here to decline a scholarship.
Q. My student was attending a private school on scholarship, but now we attend a public school. What happened to my scholarship? Am I eligible for anything else?
A. If you had an FTC, FES-EO, FES-UA, PEP, or Hope scholarship and enrolled in a public school, your scholarship will end, and the remaining funds will be returned to the state. As a public-school student, you may be eligible for a New Worlds Scholarship Account or a Transportation Stipend.
Q. I was awarded an FES-EO or FTC scholarship for my student, but we now want the FES-UA scholarship instead. How do I apply?
A. You will need to decline the scholarship you were awarded and apply for the scholarship you want as a new student. You can decline a scholarship using this form here.
Q. What is the scholarship value for my county?
A. Official scholarship values will be posted once the new budget is approved by the governor.
FES-UA
Q. Is the FES-UA enrollment cap increasing?
A. Yes. The legislature approved an increase of more than 20,000 students. The enrollment cap exemptions, such as being enrolled in a public school in the prior year, remain in place.
Q. How much will the FES-UA scholarships be worth in 2024-25?
A. FES-UA scholarships vary by grade, county and severity of need. The average scholarship is about $10,000, though children with matrix scores of 254 or 255 will see between $22,000 and $34,000 on average.
Q. Where can I see the scholarship values by county?
A. Official scholarship values will be posted once the new budget is approved by the Governor.
Q. Can I use the FES-UA funds to pay for private school tuition and fees for my pre-K student?
A. Yes, you can pay for preschool tuition and fees at an eligible private school.
Q. Can I get FES-UA and VPK for my preschool student?
A. Yes. You can have FES-UA and VPK to pay for preschool tuition and fees.
Family Empowerment Scholarship
for Unique Abilities
A Unique Education for a Unique Child
Unique Abilities Scholarship Handbook
Who Is Eligible?
- Active-duty members of the U.S. military, with a specific diagnosis, who have received permanent change of duty station orders to Florida.
- Students from age 3* through grade 12 or age 22, whichever comes first, who have a specific diagnosis.
*Families of students who turn 3 or 4 years old during the year will be able to apply that year.
How Does It Work?
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) provides access to an education savings account (ESA) that functions like a bank account from which you direct funds to pay for tuition and fees for a private school, homeschooling options, therapies, tutoring and more.
Families have the option to purchase products through MyScholarShop or services through EMA without having to pay out of pocket. However, they can still use providers or vendors outside of MyScholarShop and EMA for pre-approved purchases by paying upfront and submitting a reimbursement claim.
- Apply for a scholarship through Step Up For Students. You will need to show proof of your child’s age, diagnosis, and residency. Here is a checklist of documents you may need. (Please see page two for new students.)
- Once approved, funds will be deposited on a quarterly basis into an ESA on your student's EMA account.
- Go to MyScholarShop to find products. Payments to vendors are made directly from the ESA
Important Notice: Any completed and eligible FES-UA application submitted after December 15, 2023 that counts towards the program’s statutory cap will be considered as pre-registering for the 2024-25 school year.
Working with Providers
Specialized services by approved providers include but are not limited to the following:
- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services
- Services provided by a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)
- Services provided by a licensed occupational therapist
- Services provided by licensed physical therapists
- Services provided by listening and spoken language specialists
- Other specialized services provided by an approved provider
Specialized services providers must be one of the following:
- An organization approved by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) as a provider
- An individual licensed by the Florida Department of Health
- A staff member, listed under an organization approved as a provider through the Office of Early Learning for Specialized Instructional Services Provider (SIS), which includes behavior analysts licensed by the Behavioral Analyst Certification Board
- An individual listed on the BACB website as practicing in the state of Florida.
Stepping Up To Success
