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Florida Catholic September 2020
YOUR MIAMI COMMUNITY
FLORIDA CATHOLIC STAFF
MIAMI Florida offers a number of scholarship options for families who want to send their children to a Catholic school. Some of these are income-based, some are for special needs students and some are geared to promote school readiness among young children. The Archdiocese of Miami schools accept many of these educational scholarships, although different schools may accept differ- ent ones. These scholarships are funded ei- ther by the state or through the Flor- ida Tax Credit Scholarship Program and are administered by approved scholarship funding organizations. Established in 2001, the FTC en- courages private, voluntary con- tributions from corporate donors to non-profit scholarship funding organizations that award scholar- ships to children from low-income families. The approved scholarship fund- ing organizations in Florida are Step Up for Students (www.stepupforstu- dents.org/) and AAA Scholarship Foundation (www.aaascholarships. org). Here's a list of the scholarships available for families in the Arch- diocese of Miami. The following information was compiled from My Choices in Ed FL (mychoicesinedfl. org/florida-scholarship-programs) and the Catholic schools tab on the Archdiocese of Miami website (miamiarch.org/CatholicDiocese. php?op=Scholarship_Information).
FAMILY EMPOWERMENT SCHOLARSHIPS
Family Empowerment Scholar- ships are publicly funded scholar- ships to help lower and middle- income families to send their child to a participating private school.
Scholarships offered for Catholic schools
Image on the home page of Step Up for Students, one of two approved scholarship funding organizations in Florida. Image on the home page of the AAA Scholarship Foundation, one of two approved scholarship funding organizations in Florida.
COUNSELING, ENRICHMENT, INTERVENTION, PREVENTION
B
ethel Family Enrichment Center
is a non-profit recovery community faith-based organization, providing prevention, intervention and treatment referrals services in the area of drug addictions, HIV and other behavioral issues. Project services include: HIV prevention and intervention, substance abuse, prevention intervention, family counseling/ intervention, recovery coaching, youth and young adult, life skills coaching, health and wellness coaching, addiction screening and coaching, mental health prevention and treatment referrals, mindfulness meditation/coaching and more.
BETHEL MIAMI MEN PREVENTION PROJECT
17025 N.W. 22
nd
Ave., Miami Gardens, FL 33056-4721
305-627-0396
13322-0917
Sponsored by SAMHSA/CSAT TCE-HIV program. Employment opportunities available: serious inquiries only.
Students must be entering kinder- garten or have attended a public school the previous school year or recently have been in foster or out of home care. The income limits range from $51,720 for a two-person household to $105,480 for a six-person house- hold. The average scholarship value is $7,250.47 for grades kindergarten through three; $6,775.32 for grades four through eight; and $6,795.12 for grades nine through 12. Apply at Step Up for Students (www.stepupforstudents.org/low- er-income-scholarships-ftc-fes/) or AAA Scholarship Foundation (www.aaascholarships.org/).
FLORIDA TAX CREDIT SCHOLARSHIPS
Florida Tax Credit Scholarships are available to help lower-income families send their students attend a participating private school or to cover transportation costs to attend a different public school in another school district. Students who re- cently have been in foster or out of home care are also eligible. The income limits range from $44,824 for a two-person household to $91,416 for a six-person house- hold. The average scholarship val- ue for an eligible private school is $6,800. Apply at Step Up for Students (www.stepupforstudents.org/for- parents/income-based/how-the- scholarship-works/) or AAA Schol- arship Foundation (www.aaaschol- arships.org/).
GARDINER SCHOLARSHIPS
Gardiner Scholarships are avail- able to families of children with special needs. Scholarships may be used for a variety of educational ser- vices, including private school tu- ition, tutoring, specialized services like occupational therapy or speech therapy, instructional materials and more. Students must have an Individual Educational Plan (a written plan for the special education of a student with a disability) and or a 504 Ac- commodation Plan that is effective for more than six months. More information at Gardiner Scholarships in Florida (https:// mychoicesinedfl.org/florida-schol- arship-programs/gardiner-scholar- ships/).
MCKAY SCHOLARSHIPS
McKay scholarships are available to help students with special needs attend a participating private school or a public school of their choice. Students must have an Individual Education Plan or a 504-accommo- Salesian Sister Kim Keraitis, who recommended ADOM-VCS. Acknowledging Valeria's wishes made the difference in our case. I told her, these are your options. Obviously, you need to do high school, and these are the things we can offer you," Moro said. Quimby had been home- schooled and was familiar with how things worked, so Moro felt relieved, and hoped that the new educational path would work for her daughter as well. She was getting good grades, but we still hired a tutor for math and science, which was the case for her when she was attending regular school," said Moro. She also set up a weekly al- lowance system tied to Valeria's weekly grades. In March 2017, Moro was told that she needed a transplant, but the procedure was not of- fered in Miami at the time. So the family moved to New York, where they remained for a year. Valeria continued at ADOM- VCS, while her sisters attended schools in the city. When they returned to Mi- ami in 2018, Sister Kim remind- ed them that Immaculata-La Salle's doors were still open for Valeria. "But Valeria said, Mom, I really like doing ADOM (VCS)'," Moro said. She graduat- ed in the spring of 2020 and was accepted to her "dream school," the University of Hawaii, where she will major in philosophy and minor in botany. Moro's youngest daughter, Patricia, also attended ADOM- VCS. She took a dual enrollment Spanish class during her eighth- grade year at St. Hugh School in Coconut Grove. The credit she earned allowed her to advance to Spanish 3 Honors her fresh- man year of high school. Currently, Patricia and her older sister, Natalia, are at- tending Immaculata-La Salle virtually, until classes resume in person. With her health in mind, as well as the safety of her daughters, Moro will opt for a hybrid system when they return to school. She remains grateful to ADOM-VCS, but her daughters choose to attend a traditional brick and mortar school. At the end of the day, ADOM- VCS is representing the Archdi- ocese of Miami," said Bautista. It's a product that has to reflect not just one school, but an entire community of Catholic educa- tors."
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Visit www.adomvirtual.com for more information or call 305- 508-5556. Follow them on social media @adomvcs.
VIRTUAL
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dation plan that is effective for more than six months. Students must be entering kin- dergarten or have attended a public school the previous school year or recently have been in foster or out of home care. Dependent children of members of the United States Armed Forces are also eligible. The average value of a McKay Scholarship is $8,262 for students with an Individual Education Plan; $4,626 for students with a 504-ac- commodation plan. More information at www.fl- doe.org/schools/school-choice/k- 12-scholarship-programs/mckay.
SCHOOL READINESS
Florida's School Readiness Pro- gram offers financial assistance to low-income families for early education and care so their young children can do well in school in the future and the families can become financially self-sufficient. Services vary based on individual needs and range from extended day care to after-school and school-age care in some instances. More infor- mation at Florida Early Learning (www.floridaearlylearning.com/ school-readiness.)
VPK
Florida's Voluntary Prekinder- garten Education Program or VPK is a free educational program that prepares 4-year-olds for kindergar- ten and beyond. Children must live in Florida and be 4 on or before Sept. 1 of the school year they enroll. Parents can choose from private childcare centers or public schools and school-year or summer pro- grams. Parents of 4-year-olds with special needs have an option out- side the classroom setting. Apply at Florida Early Learning (www.floridaearlylearning.com/ vpk).
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