More learning options with the Family Empowerment Scholarship (formerly the Gardiner Scholarship)

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The Family Empowerment Scholarship is different from other state scholarships in that it allows parents of children with special needs to personalize their child’s education by directing money toward a combination of programs and approved providers. These can now include schools, therapists, specialists, curriculum, technology – even a college savings account.

The Florida Empowerment Scholarship (formerly Gardiner), may be worth up to $50,0000 per year.

You must apply by August 1st to qualify for the full scholarship.

Key highlights of the new, improved scholarship program

1. Services for an even broader range of conditions are now available
For Florida private and homeschool students who have been diagnosed with one or more of the following:

Anaphylaxis
Autism spectrum disorder
Being a high-risk child
Cerebral Palsy
Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia
Down syndrome
Emotional or a behavioral disability
Hearing impairment, including deafness
Hospital or homebound
Identification as dual sensory impaired
Intellectual disability
Language impairment
Learning Disabilities
Muscular dystrophy
Orthopedic impairment
Other health impairment
Phelan-McDermid syndrome
Prader-Willi syndrome
Rare diseases
Specific learning disability
Speech impairment
Spina bifida
Traumatic brain injury
Visual impairment, including blindness
Williams syndrome

2. There are age requirements
Students must be at least 3 or 4 years old on or before Sept 1, 2021
Students entering kindergarten must be 5 on or before Sept 1, 2021
Students entering first grade must be 6 on or before Sept 1, 2021

3. Diagnosis confirmation is needed
For most conditions, all that is required is a note from a Florida Psychologist or a Physician from any state that confirms the qualifying condition. The note must be on their official letterhead (print or digital) Certain medical conditions may require more information.

4. Funds can be used for more than one service
For example, you can hire a speech therapist, a tutoring center (3D Learner for example : ), and a physical therapist for one child.

5. New rules for private school families that affect siblings
The scholarship now covers both the student with the qualifying condition AND their siblings who go to the same private school. Private school students are now available to qualify, even if they have never attended a public or charter school.

6. Active duty USAF
The scholarship now covers dependent children of active-duty members of the United States Armed Forces.

7. APPLY NOW!
To get 100% of the annual amount, estimated to be just under $10,000, applications must be submitted by August 1, 2021. We predict the Gardiner Scholarship will be oversubscribed. Parents who take action now will have a higher likelihood of qualifying. Click here to apply.

For more info click here to download the Florida Empowerment Parent Handbook.

What makes 3D Learner unique among most Gardiner Scholarship providers?

3D Learner is an approved tutoring and support service provider and has helped many Gardiner scholarship recipients make great gains in learning.
Many Gardiner Scholarship students are Visual Learners with some processing challenges — working memory, processing speed, auditory and visual processing challenges.
3D Learner teaches the way the Visual Learner learns. We help you be a more effective coach for your child.
Our comprehensive assessment will discover how your child learns best, and their strengths and challenges.
We identify underlying visual or auditory processing challenges and current performance levels.
Our hands-on approach improves word recognition vocabulary and reading comprehension.
We focus on continuous improvement that boosts your child’s self-esteem and self-advocacy skills.
We help reignite a child’s innate curiosity and love for learning.

One Family’s Experience with the Gardiner Scholarship and 3D Learner

My daughter’s reading comprehension has increased four grade levels and her rate of reading by 100 words per minute. Her ability to comprehend what she is reading has also improved and she doesn’t hate reading for the first time in her life. Her math skills are improving as well and that is her most difficult subject due to a specific learning disability in math. All of this occurred in less than one full academic year. All while she’s battled severe chronic pain and medical treatments requiring hospitalization. Denna McGrew