As a parent, you know that selecting a school for your child is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever have to make. In the State of Florida, we recognize that school choice is a crucial component to ensuring that all parents have the opportunity to provide their children with access to an outstanding education. That’s why our state is the national leader in providing a wide variety of school options to meet the unique educational needs of each family.
One of the options you have for your child is religious and other nonpublic schools through Florida’s scholarship programs, including the John M. McKay Scholarship for Students With Disabilities, the Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship, and the Opportunity Scholarship Program. In this brief article, we’ll discuss how Step Up For Students in Clearwater, FL can provide your student with more school options.
Related: Everything You Need To Know About Step Up For Students In Florida
Step Up for Students is a state-approved nonprofit scholarship funding organization founded in 1998 by Tampa venture capitalist John Kirtley as a solution to the lack of educational options available for low-income students. Today, the organization manages multiple scholarship programs offering five separate scholarships to thousands of Florida schoolchildren: the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (FTC), the Gardiner Scholarship, the Hope Scholarship, the Reading Scholarship, and the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES). The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, on its own, is the largest scholarship program of its kind in the nation and offers scholarships to more than 100,000 low-income students.
There are two income-based scholarships offered to low-income students through Step For Students — the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and the Family Empowerment Scholarship. The only major difference between the two is that while the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship allows families to choose between financial assistance toward private school OR transportation costs to a public school other than the one the student is assigned to attend, the Family Empowerment Scholarship is only to be used towards private school tuition and fees. Your student will not be found eligible for either scholarship if your family’s income is found to be between 261% – 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Applications are processed in the order that they are received, and the available scholarships are awarded with a priority given to renewal families and those with the greatest financial need. That’s why it’s important to submit your application as soon as possible, ensuring that all of your financial information is accurate. For the Family Empowerment Scholarship, your child must also be either able to enroll in kindergarten or have spent the last school year in attendance at a Florida public school.
Related: Does My Child Qualify For A Step Up For Students Scholarship?
Once you’ve received your scholarship, your next step is to select one of the Step Up For Students participating schools. While there are a wide variety of participating schools in the region, you’ll want to select a school that can help your student achieve their academic, social, and career-minded goals like Lakeside Christian School. With small class sizes and a plethora of opportunities for individualized education, our students are able to grow connected with their fellow students, develop academically and spiritually, and prepare themselves for college and beyond.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the Step Up For Students participating schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Approximately 5.7 million students out of the 56.4 million students in the United States were projected to attend private schools in Fall 2020. If you’re looking to send your child to a private middle school in Clearwater, FL, you want to be sure that the school you choose will support your child’s social and emotional development and provide them with a comfortable learning environment where they can succeed. The middle school years are especially difficult for students, which means it’s incredibly important to find a school that will assist your child throughout the process academically, socially, and emotionally.
With the right school, this transition period between elementary and high school can be the perfect opportunity for your child to develop lifelong skills, a love for learning, and the ability to advocate for themselves. In this brief article, we’ll review a few questions you should ask yourself when choosing the best Clearwater private school for your child.
Related: Why Middle School Students Benefit From A Private Education
This question encompasses everything the private middle school does when it comes to academics, including the standards, curriculum, instructional strategies, and college readiness. At Lakeside Christian School, a private middle school in Clearwater, FL, this comes in the form of our high school prep program, complete with our algebra preparation curriculum, our study skills division, and our writing prep program — all of which serve to provide our students with the foundational skills and academic confidence they need to succeed in high school and beyond. Each of our students benefits from daily structured homework assistance and tutoring time as well as accelerated writing instruction.
You’ll also want to get an idea of how your child’s school aligns their educational programs, classes, and units with their strategically designed curriculum. Lakeside Christian School uses data-driven instruction, which means that your child receives an entirely customized educational plan that will work to either propel them forward or eliminate academic gaps.
This question refers to the environment or culture of the school in which learning takes place and includes a number of factors, such as class size, the emotional and physical safety provided to students, involvement with the local community, administration, and diversity. You want to know that the private middle school you’ve chosen is capable of handling disruptive behavioral incidents, bullying, and other threats to your child’s education. This means finding an environment where your child can be accepted, valued, and supported by their teachers and peers.
At Lakeside Christian School, we provide a safe place for your child to learn and demonstrate the biblical principles of loving God by fostering warm and respectful relationships among our staff members and between staff members and students. We’re constantly seeking to give back and strengthen our relationship with the community that God has given us, and we believe in providing a healthy environment where your child can feel accepted by their community.
Related: Social Benefits Of A Small School Environment
Private middle schools do much more than develop the academic abilities of their students; they also provide extensive opportunities for students to pursue their passions, broaden their horizons, and showcase their skills. You’ll want your student to be exposed to a wide variety of these opportunities for development, including athletic programs, fine arts programs, and extracurricular activities. Lakeside Christian School offers a number of athletic programs to this end, including junior high football, volleyball, cross county, cheerleading, softball, and more.
Learn more about the top Clearwater private school and the importance of choosing the best private middle school for your child by talking with an administrator from Lakeside Christian School.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, a private middle school in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Are you ready to join the Lakeside Christian School community? Contact us, and schedule a tour today.
Parents of Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan, Click Here.