Florida's Step Up scholarship program, previously known as "Gardiner," has been a valuable resource for numerous families since its establishment. It has provided assistance to a wide range of families, including those who homeschool and children in public schools. Having extensive experience working with this scholarship and engaging with Step Up regularly, I have compiled the most commonly asked questions about the Step Up scholarship for your benefit. Enjoy!
>Disclaimer: If you notice any inaccuracies in the information presented below, please feel free to inform me. I am only human :)
Can my middle school child, a public school kiddo with special needs, receive step-up funds to pay for tutoring? No, currently, as of right now the public school tutoring program is only for K-5th grade. Qualifications can be found below. https://www.stepupforstudents.org/scholarships/newworlds/
I received funds from the UA scholarship, but my child is enrolled in a public school. Can I use these funds? No, you need to prove that you were unenrolled from the public school system to use these funds.
How do I find you on the EMA? For some reason, when I search for the words "Niceville Tutoring," it does not come up. That being said, I would just search for the word "Niceville" with no filters and it will come up.
I can only send payments in increments of $75, but my bill is only $52. What will happen now? Every Monday, I process invoices. Any excess funds from the invoice are returned to the parent's account. After a long phone call with Step Up, they informed me that once I approve and process the invoice, the funds should appear back in the parent's account quickly.
Is it better to just file for reimbursement? Depends on how long you want to wait to be reimbursed. It varies greatly, anywhere from 30 days to 10 months.
What happens to the money when I reserve funds? It currently sits in a queue, until I push it through after the service has occurred. If the service ends up not occurring and the parent changes their mind, I will send back the funds to the family.
Can any of your tutors be used for the step-up platform? I would love that to be the case, but step-up is picky. This allows me to approve educators with either a Bachelor's or master's degree in education or an unexpired Florida teaching license. I hire from a variety of backgrounds and do not believe that this is a true indicator of a quality tutor. I just make sure families needing a step-up tutor are provided one.
Can you direct bill if my funds are from the 2022-2023 school year? No currently it only allows me to direct bill starting at the 2023-2024 school year. But you can file for reimbursement.
When is the New World Scholarship opening for the 2024-2025 school year? This I can not find on their website, but joined the email list. On the good news end, it is supposed to be $1200 in funds, a large increase from the $500 in previous years.
Are you paid instantly with step up? I wish! That being said, I always pay my staff first, and then I normally have to wait anywhere from 10-30+ days till the funds are in my business account.
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