Ok. Getting help to pay for all of the AMAZING resources at GCH is something you REALLY want. And the state of Florida just past a law to help you! But they all have funny acronyms, you don't know if you qualify, and you don't know if the money will be there in time for the start of school.
Well, we've been looking through all of the new information to give you the most up-to-date help and guidance! So here we go:
Where does the money come from?
Step-Up is a non-profit organization that uses "tax programs, individual donations, workplace giving, planned giving, and more" to fund scholarships for families who want to place their children in non-traditional schooling (public school) but need financial help to do so.
What IS it?
Scholarships are provided to meet a variety of needs. They are:
At GCH, most of our families utilize either the UA (Unique Abilities) scholarship or the PEP (Personalized Education Plan) scholarship that just became active July 1, 2023.
There have been a lot of questions about what will be required of families who are awarded the PEP grant. News continues to come out, but as of the writing of this blog in mid-July we know the following:
Families will be asked for an SLP (Student Learning Plan). According to Step Up, "The SLP is simply a personalized learning plan developed by parents/guardians to help them identify their student’s learning priorities and how to best spend their scholarship dollars.​ It provides ideas and links to instructional resources to help your child. For more information about the SLP, please click here." When you go to submit your SLP, you will be asked to list "Personal Learning Priorities" (e.g. Decision-making, Sefl-Sufficiency, Social Skills, Time Management and Organizational Skills, etc) and "Academic Learning Priorities" (e.g. Language Arts, Math, Science, etc).
Your student will NOT be subject to state testing requirements unless they are taking college-required tests such as the SAT or ACT. However, you will use the SLP you created at the beginning of the year to evaluate your student's " proficiency" in each category that you selected. This can then be printed out and used in your student's records. They are clear to stress that these evaluations are "for your use only" and not something that the government is using or requiring.
Am I eligible?
Everyone is eligible to apply for this scholarship, however, preference is given to families within a certain income level. Please see the first video in this blog for more information.
What if I don't get the money before school starts?
That's a good question. Each circumstance can be a little different and we would love to talk to you about yours. BUT often what will need to happen is that you will pay the upfront costs and we will provide you with a paid invoice which can be used to request reimbursement from Step Up. For further instructions on how we do this, please speak with Paola (paola@generations.school, 561-508-3579).
How do I apply?
Please visit this link to apply.