New Beginnings Christian Center

 

 

 

            Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program

 

Step Up for Students is a part of the Florida Corporate Tax Credit Scholarships program and provides FTC funds to students in K-12 who come from low income families. These scholarships are designed to permit these students and their families to exercise greater choice in their educational opportunities and to find the right educational institution to meet their individual needs.

 

Established in 2001, the FTC program encourages voluntary contributions from private corporate donors to fund a number of Scholarship Funding Organizations responsible for helping eligible students and their families to attend participating Florida private schools. In the 2007-2008 school year the FTC program awarded over $73.5 million in scholarships, and in February of 2009 FTC was serving over twenty-three thousand students enrolled in 988 participating Florida private schools.

 

The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program was expanded in 2010 to serve more low-income students, making it both the largest and most accountable program of its type in the nation. The law lets the program grow to better meet student demand. The tax credit was increased from $118 million to $140 million in 2010-2011 and can grow by 25 percent any year after which 90 percent of the cap is met. At the same time, the scholarship amount will eventually grow to 80 percent of the basic operational spending formula for public school students.

 

The Step Up For Students FTC scholarship, based on family income, can provide up to $4,335 per student to attend a qualifying private school. This outstanding level of assistance for low-income families dramatically reduces the cost of private education for parents who seek to exercise greater choice in their students educational opportunities.

 

Eligibility and Application

The Step Up for Students program is designed for families whose income level falls into the range described by the National Free and Reduced Lunch Program. Total income is determined by all income sources benefiting your household including earned income, social security benefits, child support, food stamps, special housing, pensions, disability payments, etc.

You may qualify for a scholarship if:

1. A child entering kindergarten must be 5 by September 1st.

2. A child entering 1st grade must be 6 by September 1st.

3. If the family household income falls within the ranges demonstrated in the chart below.               

(Income amounts are subject to change on a year to year basis.)

 

 

Supporting documentation for all of the above criteria is required prior to receiving a FTC scholarship and must be mailed with the application submission. If you are interested in applying for a FTC scholarship you can start the application process online now at the official Step Up for Students website or call our Main Office for assistance in beginning the scholarship application process.

 

Please be sure to have the following documentation on hand and ready: A copy of your families most recent tax return, W-2's, SSI statements, child support documentation, disability payment information and other relevant income related materials. Families with new students must include a birth certificate with their application, whereas students entering grades 2-12 must include a public school report card showing attendance for at least the first three reporting periods of the previous school year.

 

To find out more about the Step Up for Students program you can visit their website, or call the NBCA Main Office today.