Applying for Florida’s PEP scholarship

Overview

Enlightium Academy families living in Florida may be eligible to have some or all of their student’s tuition reimbursed through Florida’s Personalized Education Program (PEP) scholarship. The Enlightium Academy team has been coordinating with Florida’s Department of Education representatives to pave the way for your family to take advantage of this offering.
All Florida families are encouraged to pursue this opportunity by applying as a Personalized Education Program student through Florida’s Step Up Program. This article will walk you through the steps to apply and submit for reimbursement upon approval. Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The PEP scholarship application is open to all families whose students are in Kindergarten through 12th grade, are Florida residents, and are not planning to be enrolled in a full-time brick-and-mortar private or public school. This includes students enrolled in Online Christian Schools such as Enlightium Academy.

Your Next Steps

To take advantage of this opportunity, Enlightium Academy families can follow these steps:

Pay the standard tuition using the Enlightium prepayment discount; please speak to Enlightium’s enrollment consultants team if you have questions about this.
If you do not have an account, you will need to create one at apply.stepupforstudents.org.
Add your student(s) to your account by clicking “Add Student” and completing the form.
Click on “Apply for Scholarships” on your dashboard.
Choose “<applicable school year> FTC/FES-EO and FTCPEP Application.”
Complete the application for the FTCPEP scholarship. For step-by-step instructions, refer to the video link here or see “Detailed Written Steps” below.
Once your scholarship is awarded, you may submit your paid tuition for reimbursement. It can take up to six weeks for your application’s status to be updated.
Email billing@enlightiumacademy.com to request a statement for the applicable school year.
Once Enlightium’s Billing Department has provided you with a statement, sign into your account and use the statement to submit a reimbursement request.
When completing the reimbursement request, input the following responses:
1. Under the “Home Education Tuition / Fee” category, submit the statement for reimbursement.
2. In the description, type “Online course”.
3. Where it asks, “Who did you pay?” type “Enlightium Academy.”
4. In the “Education benefits” section, type “Homeschooling with Enlightium Academy”.
5. In the provider dropdown, do not select “Enlightium Academy”.
Email billing@enlightiumacademy to let us know if you are reimbursed! We want to make sure as many Florida families can take advantage of this as possible. Hearing from families about their approvals or reasons for denial will allow us to better serve you and other Enlightium families.

Important Details

Remember the following when completing your application:

At any time, you may select “Save as a Draft” to save your progress and come back later. All your saved drafts will be found on your dashboard, and you can select the saved draft(s) to continue the process.
At any point before you submit your application, you can add an existing student via the “Add a Student” blue button, or you can remove a student via the trashcan icon next to the student’s name. You will only submit one application for your household for the FTCPEP scholarship.

After You Submit the Application

Once you have completed your application:

Remember that it could take up to six weeks to receive your application status
To view your student’s scholarship status, follow these steps:
1. Click on the “My Student” tab within your EMA account
2. Click view next to your active student’s name
3. Scroll down to see the Award ID under the “Scholarship Status” section.
You will only be able to access your student’s “Award ID” number after you have completed your student’s application and they have been awarded.

Click here to access the Step-Up for Students website, where you can file an application for the PEP Scholarship.

Detailed Written Steps

The steps below provide detailed instructions for applying for the FTCPEP Scholarship. Any examples provided are for instructional purposes only.

Before you start:
1. Gather your required application documents. 2. Go to stepupforstudents.org. 3. If you have an EMA account, enter your username and password. 4. If you do not yet have an account, you will need to make one by clicking “sign up”. If you are a new user, you will need to verify your email address. Once you have received a verification code, click “Confirm”.
Creating Your Account
5. Fill out all open boxes (see below for specific instructions).
6. Select “Account Type”.	Choose “Parent/Guardian” from the dropdown menu.
7. Username	Enter your login username. Email address is preferred.
8. Legal First Name and Legal Last Name	The name of the parent/guardian who is applying.
9. Password	Enter a password you can remember. This will be the password you use to access the system, along with the username.
Security Questions, 2-Step Verification, and Terms and Conditions
10. Set up your security questions.	Please select 3 security questions and corresponding answers. The answers to the security questions will be used to verify your identity when you contact Step Up for Students.
11. For added security, EMA will send a One-Time Password to your phone.	The primary phone number provided must be multifactor authentication compatible. It is recommended to use a cell phone or phone number that does not answer as a recording. When you have added your phone number, send the code and enter it when prompted to do so.
12. Click on the link provided to read the terms and conditions.	Read through the terms, conditions, and rules provided. Once you have read them through, check the box to certify.
Completing your Guardian Profile
13. This is a one-time step that provides demographic and contact information.	Enter your guardian profile information carefully. If you would like to change your language to Spanish, please select “Primary Language” as Spanish. Next, Add your primary phone and select the phone type. Then, add your primary email.
14. This is not a necessary step, but you can add an authorized caller if you would like someone else to call in on your behalf.	To add an authorized caller, click “Add a Caller”. For the authorized caller, set up a 4-digit PIN. Complete the remaining fields with the contact information of your authorized caller. Once completed, click “ADD”.
Manage Consents and Contact Preferences
15. This section gives Step Up For Students permission to contact you.	Read each section and select “Yes” or “No”.
16. This page provides the opportunity to select additional ways for Step-Up to contact you.	Read through the options and select your preference. For example, if you want Step Up to text you, select the box next to “TEXT”. Once completed, click “SAVE”. You will receive an email confirmation each time a change is made to your profile.
Add a New Student
17.	Click the blue box in the top right corner to get started by adding your student. Enter your student’s details in the required fields and be sure to verify for accuracy. When finished, click “save”. Refrain from using nicknames in the “Student Details” section.
Apply for Scholarships
18.	Once all of your students have been added, click on “Apply for scholarships” to start the scholarship application process.
19. On your dashboard, you will be presented with all available scholarships and given the option to select the one you are applying for.	Please choose “Scholarships for Eligible Private Schools or Personalized Education Program (FTCPEP). Please ensure that all of your students have been added to the “My Students” section before continuing since you can only submit one application per scholarship program at a time.
20. Select your students	Select the student for whom you wish to apply for FTCPEP. If anyone in your household has decision-making authority in the Step-Up For Students Organization, click “Yes” and move on. Otherwise, click “No”. When you have selected your student(s), click continue in the bottom right corner.
Complete the Student Information Section
21.	To proceed with the selected student, click on the arrow to the left of their name and complete the below information.
22. Relationship to Guardian	Your child’s relationship to you.
23. Current School Information	Indicate the type of school your student is attending for the applicable school year and the county that the school is in.
24. Expected School Information	Please select “Florida Homeschool” from the dropdown.
25. Do you intend to use the scholarship for FTC PEP (Personalized Education Program)?	Check “Yes”.
26. Additional Information	Complete the checkboxes as appropriate. Should you answer yes to any of the questions, you will be required to upload supporting documentation. Click proceed to continue. *Please note: if your student is a rising Kindergarten or 1st-grade student who will turn 5-6 years old by September 1, of the applicable school year, you will be required to submit a government-issued birth certificate.
Complete the Guardian Information Section
27. Would you like to opt out of providing income documentation?	If you select yes, it will automatically be assumed that your income is over the 400% Florida Poverty Guidelines and your application will be marked as the lowest priority for processing. If you select no, you will be prompted to enter accurate household income with verification documents to be considered for income priority. Review the guardian information to ensure that it is correct and make any necessary changes. Enter your social security number or tax identification number.
Provide Proof of Residency
28. Whether or not you have opted in to provide income information, you will need to provide proof of residency information.	Ensure that submitted documents are: - Valid - Current (dated within two months) - Match the primary guardian’s full name, as well as the current physical street address provided on the application.
Income Verification
29. If you selected “yes” on number 27, skip this step.	Provide necessary information and documentation about your employer and income received. Please note: If you are a homemaker, student, or unemployed, you may need to provide proof of living expenses. If you receive payment in cash, please download Form 1055 which you will need to complete and attach to your application. If applicable, complete the Spouse/Partner section with the required information indicated by a red asterisk. Press continue to proceed.
Providing proof of TANF, SNAP or FDPI support. 30. If you selected “no” on question 27, skip this section.	If you opted out of providing income verification, you will be asked if anyone in your household received the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). If yes, please upload supporting documentation. *If applicable, complete the Spouse/Partner section with the required information, indicated by a red asterisk. Press continue to proceed.
Adding Additional Household Members
31. All household members are to be added to your application.	Household members are: Any non-scholarship person residing at your address: If they are under 18, they must be included. If they are over 18 and share expenses or income with you, their employment information must be provided. Once you have reviewed these requirements, click “Add Member” to proceed and enter the necessary information. Repeat for each household member.
Application Summary and Submission
32. The application summary provides a review of your entire application.	At this point, you can pause to review everything you have inputted thus far.
33. You will be required to complete the “Parent/Guardian Terms & Conditions” and “Sworn Compliance Template”.	Make sure to click each box once you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions. If you opted out of providing income, you will need to confirm by clicking “Submit” on the pop-up box.
34. Signature	Type your name in the box and sign your name in the signature box. If you are satisfied, click “Keep”.
35. Submit the Application	You are now free to submit your application! This will send your application for processing.