FACTS Tuition and Aid
(awarded by St. Charles Borromeo though the Endowment Fund)
Orlando Catholic students who show demonstrated financial need and do not qualify for the Florida Tax Credit scholarship programs may apply for assistance from St. Charles Borromeo through FACTS Tuition and Aid. FACTS is a third party agency that assists with the gathering of information and makes recommendations to the school. Tuition assistance awards are based on the family’s demonstrated need as determined by FACTS Tuition Aid.
Requirements: Student must be a registered practicing Catholic and family must have applied for the Florida Tax Credit scholarship program in order to apply for FACTS Tuition and Aid.
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Programs
(Step Up & A.A.A.)
To expand educational opportunities for children of families that have limited financial resources and to enable children in this state to achieve a greater level of excellence in their education, the Florida Legislature created the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program in 2001. The law provides for state tax credits for contributions to nonprofit scholarship funding organizations, (SFOs). The SFOs then award scholarships to eligible children of low-income families.
St. Charles Borromeo works with two scholarship funding organizations (SFOs), Step Up for Students and A.A.A. Scholarship Foundation. Families may apply to either or both agencies; however, may only be awarded assistance through one.
Each of the Scholarship Funding Organizations (SFO) below are approved to administer the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program and the Gardiner Scholarship. Please contact the SFO to determine the programs they administer.
A.A.A. Scholarship Foundation- FL, LLC
P.O. Box 15719, Tampa, FL 33684
Phone/Fax: 888-707-2465
info@aaascholarships.org
Additional information and how to apply can be found by clicking the link below
Step Up For Students
P.O. Box 54367
Jacksonville, FL 32245-4367
Phone : (877) 735-7837
info@stepupforstudents.org
Additional information and how to apply can be found by clicking the link below
McKay and Gardiner (PLSA) Scholarship Programs
The McKay and Gardiner (formally PLSA) scholarship programs are state funded scholarship programs designed to serve students with disabilities who meet specific guidelines set forth by the State of Florida. St. Charles Borromeo participates in both scholarship programs and adheres to all program guidelines given by the state.
McKay Scholarship
The McKay Scholarship program for Students with Disabilities ensures that no child will be left behind by allowing Florida students with an active IEP or qualifying 504 plan from a Florida public school the opportunity to attend a participating non-public school.
Any parent of a public school student with a disability who has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 accommodation plan may receive a McKay Scholarship if the student meets the following requirements:
- The student has spent the prior school year in attendance at a Florida public school (the student was enrolled and reported by a Florida school district for funding during the preceding October and February FTE surveys in Pre-K through grade 12), or
- The student was enrolled and reported for funding by the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind during the preceding October and February student membership surveys in kindergarten through grade 12, or
- The student received services under the Specialized Instructional Services (SIS) program during the previous school year and has a current IEP developed by the local school board in accordance with State Board Rule or a 504 accommodation plan, or
- The student is a foster child or is a dependent child of a member of the United States Armed Forces who transfers to Florida from out of state due to a parent’s permanent change of station orders, and
- The parent has notified the school district in a manner that creates a written or electronic record of the notification (this is done by filing intent on the School Choice website) at least 60 days prior to the date of the first scholarship payment, and
- The parent has obtained acceptance for admission of the student to a private school that is eligible for the program.
Gardiner (Formally PLSA) Scholarship
The Gardiner Scholarship Program provides eligible students a scholarship that can be used to purchase approved services or products in order to design a customized educational program for the student. Scholarships can be used for specialized services such as speech or occupational therapy, instructional materials, tuition at an eligible private school, contributions to a college prepaid account and more. The program is directly administered by state-approved nonprofit scholarship funding organizations.
Who is eligible to receive a Gardiner Scholarship?
To be eligible to receive a scholarship a student must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Is a resident of this state;
- Is eligible to enroll in kindergarten through grade 12 in a public school in this state or will be 3 or 4 years old before September 1;
- Has a disability as defined below: Autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, an intellectual disability, Phelan-McDermid syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, Williams syndrome or a high-risk child as defined in s. 393.063(23)(a), Florida Statutes.
- Is the subject of an IEP (individual educational plan) written in accordance with rules of the State Board of Education or has received a diagnosis of a disability as defined above from a physician who is licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 or a psychologist who is licensed in this state.
