Dear Florida Parents,
Your income does not have to stop your child from having a good education!
On Saturday, July 1, 2023, I attended a Freedom From Public Education Seminar at the Ocala Christian Academy. I did not know what to expect but I left with more knowledge than I think the majority of parents may have about their educational choices. As a result, I wanted to share some of my takeaways for a parent, grandparent, or guardian with a young child who may need an alternative approach to education.
Takeaways a few of you will find useful.
- July 1, 2023, marked the first day of legislative changes for School Choice. Signed on March 27 by Governor DeSantis, HB1 went into effect the day of the event (July 1)! Read the Bill or get a synopsis in layperson’s terms of the Legislative Updates.
- Step Up For Students is a state-approved nonprofit scholarship funding organization that helps administer several scholarships for Florida schoolchildren. Parents can now send their child (even those with special abilities/diagnoses) entering kindergarten or above to a private school near them using scholarships: https://www.stepupforstudents.org. Step Up For Students empowers families to pursue and engage in the most appropriate learning options for their children, emphasizing families lacking the information and financial resources to access these options. They see this as their mission to help public education fulfill the promise of equal opportunity. You need to apply by September 2.
- http://www.GoFlCa.org will help you start a micro-school and “rescue kids and teachers” from government-run public schools. A micro-school is a new term for me but a relevant concept for these days when education is about far more than ABCs and arithmetic.
- FPEA – Florida Parent Educators Association is an organization that helps parents home-school. They do home schooling together and offer several educational conferences throughout the year. https://www.fpea.com.
May God bless you in your decision-making. I trust that He will lead you in the way you should go. Really,
Leah