Step Up For Students

Riverside Presbyterian Day School proudly accepts scholarships provided by Step Up for Students. Step Up for Students is a state-approved, nonprofit scholarship funding organization that empowers families to pursue and engage in the most appropriate learning options for their children. Below are the scholarships that RPDS welcomes.

Notice to parents enrolling students under the FES-UA scholarship: Please note that our school accommodates students with disabilities in accordance with the requirements under federal and local law. However, your child may not necessarily receive the types of accommodations or related services that your child may be entitled to receive at a public school as public schools have different obligations under the IDEA. The IDEA does not apply to private schools. We are happy to have a conversation with you about the accommodations that your child may need and be entitled to at our school.

Step Up for Students applications are completed via https://www.stepupforstudents.org/scholarships/.
Please contact Step Up for Students directly at 1-866-735-7837 with any questions.

Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC)

Income-based scholarship
Kindergarten - 12th Grade

Family Empowerment Scholarship

Family Empowerment Scholarships with Unique Abilities (FES-UA; formerly Gardiner)
- Click here to view the eligibility criteria
- 3 year olds - 22 year olds
Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO)
- Dependents of the US Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Space Force, and reservists) and law enforcement officers qualify, regardless of income. Military families, click here for more information. Law enforcement officer families, click here to learn more.
- Kindergarten - 12th Grade
- Beginning in Kindergarten, siblings of students who qualify for FES-UA are also provided assistance via Step Up FES-EO.

If a grant from Step Up for Students is received, those additional funds will be considered part of the student’s Financial Assistance award and should be disclosed to RPDS as soon as possible. This allows RPDS to redistribute funds into our Financial Assistance program and utilize it for other students in need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Am I eligible for a Step Up for Students Award?

RPDS accepts three different Step Up awards. The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) is income-based. The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) has several components, including income-based, children of military or law enforcement parents, and siblings of students who receive the Family Empowerment Scholarship of Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA). FES-UA is for students with qualifying diagnoses, such as autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, language disorders, and others. If any of these circumstances apply to your family, visit the Step Up for Students website to learn more and apply.

I have received my award letter from Step Up for Students. What’s the next step?

RPDS must have a copy of all Step Up awards on hand in order to receive funds from Step Up. Email the electronic version of your letter to tmullen@rpds.com. After your letter has been received, the Business Office will apply the funds awarded to your RPDS tuition account. (Please note that Step Up award amounts are not finalized until sometime during the summer, so we must estimate the amount until that time and then make adjustments, if necessary.)

If I have been awarded financial assistance, can I also receive a Step Up for Students award?

If you are applying for financial assistance, please include your Step Up award information in your FAST application. This information will be considered when determining financial assistance awards. While some families do receive both Step Up and financial aid, for others, the Step Up award is sufficient.

Please note that if you have already been awarded financial assistance, and you receive a Step Up award later, no additional award will be made. We will reduce your financial assistance award by the amount of your Step Up award, which allows more families who are not eligible to receive Step Up to receive financial assistance.

Step Up for Students says that my child is on a waiting list. What does that mean for my award status?

Students may come off the waiting list during the school year, and if so, their award might be prorated. If you do come off the waiting list mid-year, please submit your award letter to us as soon as possible, and check with Step Up for the exact amount of the award. If you remain on the waiting list for the whole year, you will not receive a Step Up award, but you are welcome to apply for financial assistance.

I just heard about Step Up for Students and received my award letter late. Will I receive the full award or a lesser amount?

I have one child who receives the Family Empowerment for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA). Is it true that this makes my other children eligible for Step Up?

Yes! If you have FES-UA for one child, your other child(ren) must meet the following criteria to receive FES-EO: 1) be between kindergarten and 12th grade; 2) be enrolled in a private school; and 3) does not receive any other Step Up scholarship. Apply for FES-EO on the Step Up website, and mark the option that the child has a sibling receiving FES-UA. Please note that there are different log-ins for FTC/FES-EO and FES-UA. If you have children with both awards, you will have two separate log-ins.

How does RPDS apply my Step Up award to tuition?

RPDS applies each family’s Step Up award to match the payment plan they have chosen. For example, for a family paying over 10 payments, an equal amount of the Step Up award is applied to each of the 10 payments. For a family paying semi-annually, the award is split in half, and so on.

Please note that, while we award Step Up up front, we only receive our payments from Step Up quarterly. For FTC/FES-EO families, we ask that you log in to your Step Up account to verify your quarterly payment to us. For FES-UA families, we will send quarterly invoices, and you must log into your FES-UA portal to approve the invoice. In both cases, someone from the Business Office will contact you to remind you to either verify or approve the payment from Step Up to RPDS.

Landing Nav

Breadcrumb

In This Section