Gardiner Scholarship Program – [UPDATED]

The Step Up For Students Organization is pleased to announce the Gardiner Scholarship Program 2023 for children with special needs.

The Gardiner Scholarship (formerly called PLSA) helps parents personalize the education plan for their children with special needs.

Gardiner Scholarship program differs from other state scholarships in that parents are allowed to individualize their children with unique skills and also let them have a better future.

The average amount for students in the 2023 school year is $10,000. Hurry now and apply if you don’t want to miss this great opportunity.

You can quickly scroll through the table of contents below to get an overview of all this post entails.

What You Need to Know About Gardiner Scholarship 2023 

Level/Field of Study

The Scholarship is open to Florida students from 3 to 22 years old or 12th grade with special needs or disabilities, as listed in the Eligibility section below.

Host Nationality

The Step Up For Students is a state-approved USA nonprofit scholarship-funding organization that administers scholarships for Florida school children.

Some of the scholarships they administer include The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program (FTC) for low-income children and Gardiner Scholarship (PLSA) for children with special needs.

Eligible Nationality

The Gardiner Scholarship Program 2023 is open to only USA citizens or permanent residents in Florida, USA.

Scholarship Worth

The funding of the scholarship is prorated based on the date the student is found eligible by the SFO.

  • Applications that are received on or before August 1 and found eligible on or before September 1 = 100%
  • Applications that are received on or before October 1 and found eligible on or before November 1 = 75%
  • The Applications which are received on or before January 1 and found suitable on or before February 1 = 50%
  • Applications that are received on or before March 1 and found suitable on or before April 1 = 25%

However, the amount varies based on the counties and grades, as stated in the Pdf below:

Gardiner Scholarship Amount

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for the Gardiner Scholarship Program 2023 is stated below:

  • The Scholarship is open to Florida Students from 3 years to 22 years old or 12th grade, whichever comes first, with the following disabilities: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Spina Bifida, Williams Syndrome, Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, or Delayed Mind ( severe cognitive impairment).
  • Students aged 3, 4 or 5 who are lagging or deemed ‘high risk’ due to developmental delays may be eligible for the year they apply. (Please note that students must not be older than 5 on September 1st.)
  • Students need an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) from a Florida school district or an official diagnosis from a Florida-licensed physician or psychologist.
  • Students must be at least 3 or 4 years old on September 1st. The incoming kindergarten students must be 5 years on or before 1 September. First-grade students must be 6 years old by September 1st.
  • Students can participate in the Gardiner Scholarship Program (PLSA) as part of home education. However, they can not be registered on any other state-sponsored scholarship (McKay or Florida Tax Credit Scholarship).

How to Apply

Renewal Families: If your child uses a Step Up Gardiner scholarship (formerly PLSA) for the 2023 school year, click on the following link to apply for the 2023 school year or to access your account using your existing username and password.

https://gardiner.sufs.org/SmartApp/Control.aspx?OSP=5

New Families: They also accept scholarship applications for the 2023 school year, prioritizing previously waitlisted students.

All applicants must have an email address to create an online application. If you do not have an active email address, create one to start the application first.

First-time applicants, please click on the link below to begin your application.

https://gardiner.sufs.org/SmartApp/Control.aspx?OSP=6

Important Note:

If you are an applicant who applied for the Gardiner Scholarship with Step Up in a previous year or have started an application for the 2023 school year, but you must access your account to submit documents, check status, etc. Click here to log in with your existing username and password. To log in with your existing username and password.

Check out the “Forgot Password” link for help if you have forgotten your password.

Application Deadline

All applications should be made on or before June 30, 2023, as funding priority will be given to those who submit before the stated deadline.

However, all new students found eligible for the Gardiner Scholarship 2023 will be placed on a waitlist due to a requirement to provide renewal students priority.

For more information on the Gardiner Scholarship Program 2023, interested applicants should click on the link below:

https://www.stepupforstudents.org/for-parents/special-needs/how-the-scholarship-works/

Contact information:

If you have any questions, you can call 1-877-735-7837

FAQs

Who is Gardiner Scholarship Program for?

The Scholarship is open to Florida students from 3 to 22 years old or 12th grade with special needs or disabilities, as listed in the Eligibility section below.

Who host this scholarship?

Step Up For Students is a state-approved USA nonprofit scholarship-funding organization that administers scholarships for Florida school children.

When s Gardiner Scholarship Program application deadline?

All applications should be made on or before June 30, 2023, as funding priority will be given to those who submit before the stated deadline.

AUTHOR’S RECOMMENDATION

1 comment

Comments are closed.

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.


You May Also Like