Who Can Benefit from Step Up For Students Scholarships in Florida?

Step Up For Students, the state-approved nonprofit scholarship funding organization, is dedicated to providing students with more opportunities to succeed in education by administering four scholarships: the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship Program (for low-income families), the Gardiner Scholarship (for special needs children), the Hope Scholarship (for victims of bullying), and the Reading Scholarship (for students who struggle with reading).

These scholarships have helped countless students achieve their dreams, but the eligibility requirements for each scholarship are unique. If you are applying for Step Up For Students in Clearwater, FL, read this article to learn about some of the students who have benefitted from this gracious, state-approved program in the past.

The FTC Scholarship Program: Changing the Lives of Adopted Siblings

The FTC Scholarship provides funding for low-income families who require financial assistance to enroll their children in a private school. With over 680,000 FTC Scholarships awarded to children grades kindergarten through 12th since 2002, this Step Up for Students Scholarship has made an indelible impression on Florida’s private school system.

In the case of three adopted siblings from Florida — Diego, Alyssa, and Bianca — the FTC Scholarship helped lead them from the darkest time in their young lives to a brighter, happier tomorrow. With a father who was always gone and a mother who was addicted to drugs, the three children struggled to survive until they were adopted by foster mom, Patricia Sobel. Sobel applied for the FTC Scholarship to help send the adopted children to a private school. Today, the children are happy to be in school learning about the world and making new friends.

The Gardiner Scholarship: Helping Students with Special Needs Attain the Real High School Experience

Parents who have children with unique abilities or special needs can apply for the Gardiner Scholarship. This scholarship allows parents to provide their children with individualized educational plans designed to better serve their needs.

Take, for example, the story of Nicolas Ratliff-Batista, a senior at Monsignor Pace High School in Miami Gardens. Nicholas was diagnosed with high-functioning autism when he was only 3 years old. Although Nicolas deftly traversed elementary school and middle school, thanks in part to the familiarity of the setting, classmates, teachers, and administrators, his mother feared that high school would prove to be a much greater challenge.

The Gardiner Scholarship allowed Nicolas to find a school where he was primed for success, learning in small classroom settings with an average teacher-to-student ratio of 1:14. After graduating, he will pursue a degree in environmental science at Broward College.

If you would like to learn more about Step Up For Students participating schools in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.