If you’re looking to send your student to a private school for the 2020-2021 school year and are wondering how you’re going to pay for it, it may be time to look into Step Up For Students in Clearwater, FL. The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program currently offers two scholarships for low-income students in Florida: the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and the Family Empowerment Scholarship. Deciding which of these scholarships that you should apply for can be a difficult task, which is why we’ve taken this opportunity to outline what the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program is all about and the difference between these two scholarships.
Related: Why It’s So Important to Apply for Income-Based Scholarships for the 2020-21 School Year
The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (FTC) was established in 2001 by the Florida Legislature in order to provide an income tax credit for corporations that contribute money to nonprofit Scholarship Funding-Organization (SFOs) — institutions that award scholarships to families with limited financial resources. The purpose of the tax credit was split off into three main goals: encourage private contributions to nonprofit SPOs, expand education opportunities for children in lower-income families, and enable children to achieve a higher level of excellence in their education.
Of America’s school choice programs, the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship is one of the largest in terms of student participation. As of Fall 2019, there were 108,570 participating students with an average scholarship value of $6,195 and 1,836 participating schools. 50 percent of families with children in the State of Florida were income-eligible for this tax-credit scholarship program.
The one major difference is that the Family Empowerment Scholarship can only be used toward private school tuition and fees while the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship allows families to choose between financial assistance toward private school tuition and fees OR transportation costs to attend a public school other than the one the student is currently assigned to attend. Other minor differences do exist, such as that renewal students have first priority for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, but the majority of parents are going to be concerned with where these scholarship funds are able to be directed. Another important factor to consider is that, despite the fact that the eligibility criteria differs between the programs, the application is the same for both.
Related: Everything Parents Should Know About Florida’s New “Family Empowerment Scholarship”
Your child may income qualify for either one of these scholarships if your household meets any of these conditions:
For example, the Family Empowerment Scholarship income level is designed to serve students in households at $76,800 or below. Priority is given to students whose incomes are below $48,470. If your income is below the income criteria in the income priority chart, your student will be placed on a waiting list until all the renewal families and new families whose income falls under the priority table receive funds.
In terms of other eligibility requirements, you’ll want to make sure that your student has spent the prior school year in attendance at a Florida public school for the Family Empowerment Scholarship. This means that your student was enrolled and attended a Florida public school for both the October and February student counts. The only exception applies for a dependent child of a member of the military transferring from another state or a foreign country due to a change of station. If you are interested in applying for either of these scholarships and are looking for one of the best Step Up For Students participating schools, choose Lakeside Christian School.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the Step Up For Students participating schools, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Applying to college is already a stressful experience for many high school students and their parents. Throw in a global pandemic, and you’ve got a recipe for frustration unlike any other. Between unprecedented financial situations to campuses that can’t be toured, almost every key aspect of the college admissions process has been turned on its end. Fortunately, one of the best private high schools in Clearwater, FL, Lakeside Christian School, has compiled a comprehensive list of ways you can assist your child with applying to college during COVID-19.
Related: What Colleges Look For in Your Child’s School
Nationwide bans on large campus gatherings have forced many colleges to cancel in-person campus tours and admission events. To compensate for the lack of admission visits, a number of colleges have begun using virtual webinars, tours, and events to allow prospective students to get a feel for the school during the admissions process. You can find a number of these tours and virtual webinars on the college’s website. For example, if your student wanted to attend Harvard, they’re welcome to attend a student-led Virtual Historical Tour of Harvard via Zoom for a history of the university, general information, and a unique perspective of the student’s individual experience. If your student is deciding between several options, you could also use CampusTours — the leading provider of video tours, photorealistic interactive campus maps, and compelling walking tours. No matter which college your student is interested in, there’s sure to be a virtual component available for them to get a better understanding of what it’s like on campus and in the classroom.
More than ever, U.S. universities are seeing a surge in interest from in-state students looking to stay closer to home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Some students may want to be closer to home in case the pandemic once again forces classes online, while others are looking to benefit from the in-state tuition rates. If your child was only applying to out-of-state schools with one safety school in their home state, now would be the time to broaden their application net, applying both to high-range and safety schools. We also recommend spending time with your child to re-identify schools that are the best fit for them based on academics, financial aid, campus culture, and, now, distance from home.
Related: 3 Qualities College Admissions Offices Look For In Applicants
There was already a trend in place of colleges moving away from requiring the SAT or ACT and, because of the pandemic, nearly two-thirds of colleges in the United States have gone test-optional as thousands of students had their tests canceled due to COVID-19-related safety concerns. If your child has already taken the SAT or ACT, the decision whether or not to submit these scores for their college application can be a difficult one. To have the best chance of getting accepted into the university of their choice, we recommend that your child only submit their scores under two conditions:
For example, if the university’s SAT average is 1400, and your child earned a 1250 on the SAT, it may prove detrimental to submit their SAT scores in their application. For a high school that knows exactly what colleges are looking for in your child’s education and will work with them every step of the way to properly prepare them well in advance of the college application process, choose Lakeside Christian School — one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the top private schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
The holiday season is upon us. It’s time for students to take a well-deserved break from school, enjoy the cooler weather of the winter months, and spend quality time with their loved ones. Unfortunately, even Thanksgiving Break, which is typically only a week off from school, can have a negative impact on your child’s academic achievement levels. In what’s known as winter learning loss or “winter slide,” students experience significant setbacks in their math and reading skills as a result of not engaging in any acts of meaningful learning during the break.
Thankfully, incorporating meaningful learning into your child’s Thanksgiving or Christmas break doesn’t mean sending them off to summer school or forcing them to spend each day practicing their multiplication tables. In this brief article, Lakeside Christian School, an affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, goes over three methods parents can use to keep their child’s mind sharp over a holiday break.
Related: 3 Important Ways To Foster Your Child’s Development In Elementary School
Keeping your child reading is by far the most important method on this list. It’s incredibly tempting for elementary students to spend their winter break glued to a screen somewhere in their home like a television, video game console, or tablet. One of the best ways to stimulate their brain and make sure that their reading skills continue to strengthen is to motivate them to continue reading throughout winter break. Below, we’ve compiled some easy tips to do just that:
Fortunately, if you find your child inevitably drawn to technology like a mobile phone or tablet, there are thousands of online educational resources available at the click of a button. A quick Google search reveals a whole host of great websites and applications that combine fun and games with valuable learning opportunities. To help you select the best option for your child, we’ve compiled a list of websites and apps below based on teaching value, reliability, and ability to engage students.
The truth is that we’re always learning, even if we don’t notice it. One way to keep your child engaged in learning is by taking advantage of teachable moments. For example, you could make a habit of asking your child to read license plates, road signs, and restaurant menus. Any little bit helps toward the progression of your child’s reading skills. For math, we’d recommend asking your child to perform basic math problems like counting the number of commercials that come on during a television show. This will also help to show your child to realize that the skills they’re learning in school have real-world applicability.
All of these steps, however, are virtually useless if your child is not returning from their winter break to an elementary school that best fits their needs. If you want your student to benefit from the best possible education, smaller class sizes, and individual attention, it’s time to consider enrolling him or her in Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
As private and public schools across the country build their budgets for the next school year, they’ll be allocating millions of dollars in spending plans to fund scholastic sports. This includes the cost of coaching salaries, equipment, transportation, facility rentals, and other items necessary to provide students with the opportunity to participate in athletics at school. During the time of a pandemic that’s quickly morphing into a major economic crisis, it’s clear why some parents and teachers alike may be questioning whether athletic programs are worth the cost.
To answer this question, we have to consider the role of athletics in your child’s education. In this article, we’ll explore why Lakeside Christian School, one of the top private high schools in Clearwater, FL, and many other schools believe that athletics has a profound impact on your child’s school performance, values, and well-being. For more information or to schedule a tour of our campus, please give us a call at (727) 261-0937.
Contrary to the widely-held notion that athletics is detrimental to a student’s academic performance, recent studies have shown that student-athletes are just as successful if not more successful than non-athletes in terms of academic achievement. In a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical activity was consistently related to positive outcomes, including academic achievement, cognitive skills (memory and concentration), and academic behaviors.
Increased time spent on physical activity also did not detract from academic performance even when less time was devoted to subjects other than physical education. This strongly aligns with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s recommendation that students participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily. In addition to improved concentration and academic achievement, those who participate in high school sports are also 15 percent more likely to attend college as a result.
Related: LCS Athletics Quick Facts
The athletic program at Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL, plays a crucial role in teaching our students to act with discipline, respect themselves and their peers, assume responsibility, apply God’s word and his principles to their lives, and develop a commitment to their team and the school as a whole. The student-athletes at Lakeside Christian School serve as role models for their fellow classmates and members of their community. Other essential life skills students frequently take away from athletic programs include:
Related: What Sets Lakeside Christian School Apart From Other Private Schools in Clearwater, FL?
Finally, athletics also plays a role in the well-being of your child. Since student-athletes have a greater sense of personal responsibility and initiative, they are more likely to build stronger relationships with their peers, have higher self-esteem, and participate more in volunteerism. A recent study conducted by Gallup on behalf of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) found that students who competed in athletics were more likely to report as “thriving” when it comes to community engagement, job satisfaction, and relationships.
If you’re looking to reap any of the benefits of including a strong athletics program in your child’s education, reach out to Lakeside Christian School — one of the best private high schools in Clearwater, FL that currently offers varsity football, volleyball, baseball, softball, basketball, cross country, and more.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the top private schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
If you’re worried that your child may be falling behind in school, you’re not alone. The 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that 65 percent of fourth-graders performed below the NAEP Proficient level on the reading portion of the assessment. The NAEP Proficient level is intended to represent students who “have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter.” If your student is performing below this level, then there’s good reason to be worried that they’ll face difficulty catching up to college and career readiness benchmarks later in life.
In a study performed by the National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA) in 2012, researchers found that fourth-graders who fell far off track had only a nine percent chance of reaching college readiness benchmarks in eighth grade. What this should signal to parents is that catching students up from falling far behind college readiness standards is incredibly difficult. The key to establishing a secure path toward college and career readiness is by sending your student to an affordable private elementary school in Clearwater, FL, like Lakeside Christian School, that prioritizes the importance of an early start in closing the academic preparation gaps.
Related: How Private Schools Improve College Readiness
One of the most crucial elements Lakeside Christian School focuses on in order to prepare your student for college and career starting in kindergarten through fifth grade is data-driven instruction. In simplest terms, data-driven instruction is an approach to improving student learning that involves the use of information gathered from student assessment. There are two types of data used in the classroom: formative (gathered during the process of learning) and summative (gathered at the end of a learning period).
Effective educators analyze this data, determine if their style of teaching is appropriate for each student, and create smaller groups concentrated on the skills with which students are struggling. This means that your student receives an educational plan entirely tailored to their needs to eliminate academic gaps or propel them forward in their education if they’re already on track. At Lakeside Christian School, we’ve been practicing this type of instruction for several years and have already noticed massive improvements in our scores and effectiveness at closing academic gaps.
Related: 3 Qualities College Admissions Offices Look for in Applicants
Another aspect Lakeside Christian School focuses on in order to ensure our students are on track for college and career readiness is what’s known as aligned curriculum. Aligned curriculum refers to any academic program that is free of academic gaps, aligned across grade levels and subject areas, and purposefully designed to facilitate learning. The concept is based around the idea that students’ knowledge builds on itself naturally rather than repeating unnecessarily.
This gives all students a better chance at eliminating academic gaps from day one. Lakeside Christian School links student test scores on ACT Aspire assessments with post-high school performance and determines what that student needs to learn to be ready for college and career. This gives both educators, students, and parents the necessary information to determine the appropriate educational path, possible interventions, and the resources necessary to succeed.
Supporting the development of your student’s career and college readiness can’t be delayed until high school because it’s incredibly difficult for students to get caught up once they’ve fallen behind. If you want to establish a secure path toward success for your student, it’s time to send them to one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL — Lakeside Christian School. Apart from data-driven instruction and aligned curriculum, we also believe in best-practice instruction, a safe and secure learning environment for all students, complementary technology, and more. Consider scheduling a free tour with Lakeside Christian School today so that you can see for yourself what makes us so different from other schools in the Greater Clearwater area.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Whether your child’s in high school or preschool, chances are you’ve thought about what your son or daughter’s experience will be like when the time comes for them to apply to college. Will they have the grades and test scores to be enrolled in the school of their dreams? Will the admissions office be able to clearly see the qualities that sets your child apart from other applicants?
In this brief article, we will discuss three of the main qualities colleges look for in applicants. At Lakeside Christian School, a Clearwater private school, it’s our goal to challenge students to achieve their academic, social, and career-minded goals. We are also proud to offer core academic preparation that increases their college readiness. To learn more about one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL, please visit our website.
It should come as no surprise that your child’s grades and overall grade point average (GPA) will impact whether or not they are selected for enrollment at the college of their dreams. Along with their grades, colleges assess:
Clearly, any of the above items can be impacted by the core academic preparation your child receives in high school. At Lakeside Christian School, we are committed to helping high school students reach their full potential by offering small class sizes, daily tutoring programs and homework assistance, and the academic preparation they need to enjoy success in college and beyond.
Although success in the classroom is a crucial element of the college admissions process, high school students should also focus on events and activities outside of the classroom. Extracurricular activities are one way that a prospective applicant can stand out from the competition. Moreover, your child’s participation in extracurricular activities provides college enrollment offices with a chance to see their personality and appreciate their commitment to this activity.
For example, if your child participates in an athletic program, it shows that they honor commitment, unity, and respect. Whether your child is committed to athletics, an after school academic group, or volunteer work, they are showcasing their leadership and dedication to projects.
Similar to extracurricular activities, there are many other ways outside of the classroom that your child can impress college admissions offices. Does your child have a unique artistic talent? Are they passionate about a topic that could resonate with the university of their choice? At Lakeside Christian School, one of our main areas of focus is on providing students with accelerated writing skills in order to prepare them for their college studies. An impressive essay can highlight your child’s achievements, personalize their experience, and showcase why they are a great fit for university life.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
Since 2002, the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship Program has funded more than 784,000 scholarships thanks to approximately $3.9 billion in donations from the corporate community. This landmark achievement is responsible for strengthening school choice in the State of Florida while simultaneously making private education significantly more affordable for low-income families. Remarkably, the FTC Scholarship is only one of several scholarships offered by Step Up For Students, a state-approved nonprofit scholarship funding organization that helps administer scholarships for students in Florida; however, we will be focusing solely on the FTC Scholarship in this article — more specifically, the amazing donors that make this program such a resounding success year in and year out.
Related: Step Up For Students in Clearwater, FL
When the Florida Legislature established the FTC Scholarship Program in 2001, it signaled a new era of school choice for parents looking to provide their children with the best education possible. According to Step Up For Students, “the Florida Department of Revenue gives dollar-for-dollar tax credits to companies that contribute their eligible tax dollars to fund the K-12, income-based education scholarships.” This provides a significant incentive for donors to continue contributing to Florida’s economically disadvantaged children on an annual basis, as indicated by year-over-year growth in the number of scholarships provided. The FTC Scholarship Program is the largest of those offered by Step Up For Students in Clearwater, FL. Recipients of the FTC Scholarship have two financing options:
Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis; however, priority is given to renewal families, followed by families with the greatest financial need. Acknowledging that the homestead may be required to relocate for any number of reasons, the FTC Scholarship is transferable to any eligible school in the Sunshine State.
Related: Qualifications and Eligibility for the Family Empowerment Scholarship
Without the gracious corporate sponsors that support the FTC Scholarship Program, none of this would be possible. Dollar-for-dollar credits are offered for numerous financial liabilities, including:
Those who have chosen to involve their businesses have made life-changing contributions to countless children while furthering the ultimate goal of Step Up For Students: choice of learning environment for the betterment of every child’s education. As one of the Step Up For Students participating schools in Clearwater, FL, Lakeside Christian School would like to give a heartfelt thanks to all of those who have contributed to this program. Your generosity has aided our mission to provide top-flight education services for children who wouldn’t otherwise have access to a private education.
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.
Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship was launched in 2019 to help relieve pressure on the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program waitlist while simultaneously expanding school choice options for low- and middle-income families looking to put their children on the path to academic success. It may be the fifth school choice program enacted in Florida (and the second operating voucher program), but it will undoubtedly be the first choice for families that qualify. In this article, we’ll tell you all about the Family Empowerment Scholarship, including eligibility, funding, regulations, and more. The Family Empowerment Scholarship may be just what your family needs to enroll in a Clearwater, FL, Christian school.
Before we break into the particulars of the Family Empowerment Scholarship, let’s cover a few “fast facts” to help you understand the scope of this program. As we mentioned above, it is Florida’s second operating voucher program. It’s estimated that 54 percent of families are income-eligible across the Sunshine State. The maximum value for one of these vouchers is $7,122, which equals 95 percent of the value of public school per-student spending or the cost of private school tuition and fees (whichever is less). Payments are transferred from the state’s general revenue fund to parents every quarter.
Initial eligibility is predicated on whether or not a student is already certified to receive food assistance, Florida Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, or qualifies for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Families with a combined income not exceeding 300 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $77,250 for a family of four, also qualify. Children in foster care are also eligible for this scholarship.
In addition to the above requirements, students must be enrolled in a Florida public school the year before they can become eligible, unless their parents are members of the Armed Forces who have recently relocated to Florida due to orders from the military. Keep in mind that charter schools and state-funded virtual schools do not meet this requirement.
Although 54 percent of families qualify, priority is afforded to students coming from families with a household income not exceeding 185 percent of FPL (currently calculated at $47,638). Once a student becomes a recipient of a Family Empowerment Scholarship, their eligibility is locked in until they graduate or hit the age of 21 years old. Even if the family’s income level has improved, they will retain eligibility. This eligibility also extends to siblings of the recipient. For now, the program will provide scholarships to 18,000 students, but this number is expected to increase by approximately 7,000 each year, allowing more and more students to experience the benefits of attending a Clearwater, FL, Christian school.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best Christian schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
All children are entitled to the attention and care that comes with private education, including and especially children with special needs. But these children are all too often barred from a proper education by the costs of private schools in Clearwater, FL. For this reason, Step Up For Students, a state-approved nonprofit scholarship funding organization, was created to empower and provide families with learning options that would otherwise be unobtainable. The Gardiner Scholarship, in particular, was created to help children with special needs and bring genuine, positive change to their lives.
The Gardiner Scholarship program is designed to better allow parents to individualize their child’s education. Unlike other state scholarships, the Gardiner Scholarship allows funds to be directed to the programs and approved providers that would benefit a child the most. Awarded funds may be directed to the following:
On average, the scholarship amount for most students is $10,000. This scholarship could allow your child to receive the physical, speech, or occupational therapy that they may desperately require.
In order to be eligible, a student must be between the ages of 3 and 22 and have yet to complete the 12th grade. Additionally, a child must have a qualifying disability or impairment, a rare disease, developmental delays, or be hospital or homebound to qualify for the scholarship. Click here for a full list of qualifying disabilities and requirements.
If you did not receive funding for a Gardiner Scholarship during the 2018-19 school year, you and your child are considered a new family. In order to give returning families a priority, new families were placed on a waiting list until June 30, 2019. Now that the deadline has passed, students who were on the 2018-19 waitlist will be seen to first, followed by new students. Renewing families that apply after the June 30th deadline may be placed on a waitlist.
Click here to apply. There is no application fee for applying to the Gardiner Scholarship. However, scholarships are first come, first served, and the state has only provided enough funding to support about 11,500 students. Don’t miss out on providing your child with the outstanding education that they deserve. Enroll them at Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL. At Lakeside Christian School, we provide over $250,000 in scholarships annually, including opportunities for students with special needs.
If you would like to learn more about Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private schools in Clearwater, FL, please give us a call at (727) 239-7808 or schedule a tour of our campus.
As we discussed in part one of this two-part series, Florida’s new Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES), which was officially signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis at William A. Kirlew Junior Academy in Miami Gardens in May, will give thousands of families the ability to select the school that is the best fit for their children’s needs. If you aren’t satisfied with the education your children are currently receiving, take charge and make a change. Apply for the FES today so you can enroll your children in a top-tier Clearwater private school like Lakeside Christian School.
Community leaders in Miami, where the signing of the law took place, such as Pastor Mark Coats of Grace of God Baptist Church and director of Grace Christian Preparatory School, are already praising the effect that the FES will have on low-income and minority communities. He noted that the FES is “a historic expansion of school choice in Florida.”
At Grace Christian Preparatory School, where nearly half of the student body is awaiting financial assistance and, therefore, being educated for free, financial pressure is starting to mount, so the FES couldn’t come at a better time.
Pastor Coats remarked, “It’s important to give kids from underprivileged areas the same opportunities to receive a good education as kids in privileged areas do. The Family Empowerment Scholarship expands those opportunities.”
Parents want what is best for their children, but when it comes to education, it can feel like your power is being usurped by strict zoning laws and existing legislation. However, this will soon be changing thanks to this new law. When it comes to academics, there are many reasons why choice is important, including:
State Rep. James Bush, who voted in support of DeSantis’ scholarship initiative, has 288 families within his district that are patiently waiting for financial assistance through the FTC Scholarship.
Bush, who is a retired school teacher, commended the bill, stating, ”I stand here today because this is the right stand to take for our children. This bill is not about public vs. private education. This is about a team effort to make sure that every child in the state of Florida, no matter what ZIP code they are from, will have the same choice of getting a quality education.”
If you would like to learn more about scholarship opportunities at Lakeside Christian School, one of the best private schools 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.