Katz Hillel Day School grants over $1,800,000 in scholarship assistance each year to families in need.

CLICK HERE to apply for FACTS Grant & Aid

If you have any problems with, or questions about the FACTS website, please call FACTS customer service at 866-315-9262.

The information will be reviewed with strict confidentiality by a scholarship committee at the school and the amount of each scholarship, if any, will be determined, and communicated directly to the family. Financial aid awards are limited, and so prompt submission of the required forms and information are highly recommended.

THE DEADLINE FOR 2022/23 FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS & ALL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS IS MARCH 31, 2022 

Returning families submitting financial aid applications after 3/31/22 will be assessed a $150 per-child late fee.

Please review THIS DOCUMENT which details a number of available scholarship opportunities for KHDS students.

CLICK HERE to apply for Step Up for Students

CLICK HERE to apply for AAA Scholarship

Scholarship Open Enrollment Guidance 2022-2023

Income-based Scholarships

1. FTC (Florida Tax Credit) and Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) – use Step Up for Students or AAA scholarships platforms.
2. Step Up is releasing a new platform for the 2022-2023 school year. It will require registering FES-EO and FES-UA. (formerly Gardiner and McKay).
3. Students who are assigned “FTC” or “FES” but want to switch need to do so before they are enrolled in the school’s portal. (This will impact students who want to take FLVS classes-students receiving “FTC” can take two classes free but students on “FES” will need to be self-pay-unless the schools will pay for it).
4. Open Enrollment will be divided into two groups renewal and then new applicants.
5. Renewal applicants will not need to complete an electronic application or upload documents-only the “intent to continue form”
6. Open Enrollment- Step Up for Students:  parents can sign up for their interest list to be notified when they can apply for an income based scholarship. https://go.stepupforstudents.org/ftc-interest-2022-2023-
7. Open Enrollment -AAA Scholarships:  New 22-23 school year applicants: Check back on their site after March 24, 2022 for information about the 2022-23 school year scholarship applications.
   Renewing 22-23 school year applicants:  They mailed information about re-applying in mid-February. Parents should keep checking their mailbox and contact AAA if your mailing address has changed.
8. Renewal parents need to reapply, but not requalify based on income.
9. Siblings of Gardiner recipients (this includes McKay students) or students qualifying for the new disability scholarship under FES, will qualify for FES without an income requirement.
10. BEST PRACTICE: apply to Step Up as the first option and AAA Scholarship only in the circumstances listed below.
    1. A student is applying later in the year and wants to receive the full scholarship amount.
    2. They will qualify based on their 1040 Tax Return rather than prior 30 days income.
    3. They missed Step Up for Students deadline for submission.

Special Needs – McKay, and Gardiner (Family Empowerment Unique Abilities-FES-UA)

1. Open Enrollment will be divided into three groups: renewal, waitlist, and new applicants.
2. New applicants will require the following 3 documents for processing. 1. Proof of residency Diagnosis letter    3. Sworn compliance statement (found under the “print and send documents tab).
3. Those who received the Gardiner scholarship, now Family Empowerment Unique Abilities (FES-UA), prior to the 2021-2022 year will continue at the higher level. ($10,500 or $11,500).
4. All students who qualify with a diagnosis only starting in 2021-2022 will receive the 253 amounts of ($9,100-$9,600).
5. McKay applicants-They do not count toward the cap and will have a guaranteed slot in 2022-2023. They will have to choose a Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO) when contacted by DOE.  Here are the FAQ’s for McKay applicants. https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/mckay/fes-faqs.stml
6. Parents can apply for a child as a new FES-UA applicant and still apply as a renewal for a sibling voucher, but if awarded both they must choose one scholarship.
7. BEST PRACTICE: apply early and follow the guidance document.

1. Do we need to reapply during open enrollment?
   Waitlist families must reapply during open enrollment. During the period for “new families” but your application will take priority.

2. When do waitlisted families apply?
   Step Up indicated that waitlist applicants will apply during open enrollment for new families, but waitlist applications will be given priority over new applicants.

3. Will diagnosis documents be required?
   Step Up has indicated they will not request diagnosis documents for either renewal or waitlisted families. They will require residency documents and the sworn compliance statement: along with proof of enrollment in a private school and a birth certificate.

4. Do I have a guarantee of funding for 2022-2023?
   It depends on the outcome of this legislative session. If the additional slots are added then the full waitlist should be funded.

5. Can I sign up to be notified of open enrollment?
   Step Up interest list https://go.stepupforstudents.org/ftc-interest-2022-2023
   Sign up for Teach Florida’s notification list https://mailchi.mp/678c91218bc2/teach-florida-email-list

Security Funding

1. State – security guards are now included in the state funding due to strong advocacy from Teach Coalition. We also increased the allocation from $2.5 to $4 million for this year.
2. Federal – NSGP up to $150k from National Homeland Security Grant-FL – application has not yet been released.

Title funding: Title 1, Title II, and Title IV

1. Title 1-instructional services and PD (low-income neighborhood school)
2. Title II Part A-March 4^th for Needs Assessment.
3. Title IV Grant-student support and academic enrichment-

As a funding specialist, I can follow up with Step Up or DOE to address scholarship applications that were denied, but when the denial letters showed eligible income or other clerical errors. (e.g. Issues with students who were enrolled through FES by Step Up, but on the Step Up school portal are showing as FTC).

If parents have further questions, they can contact Step Up for Students directly (877) 735-7837 or communicate on their chat feature on their webpage stepupforstudents.org. Additionally, Teach Florida has created a scholarship webpage with a list of FAQs and a link to submit a question.  https://teachcoalition.org/fl-scholarship/

State Scholarships:

Income-based

1. Step Up for Students Scholarships for Private School (Recommended)                                            

https://www.stepupforstudents.org/scholarships/scholarships-for-private-school/apply/

2. AAA Income-Based Scholarships

https://www.aaascholarships.org/parents/florida/

Disability-based

1. Step Up for Students Special Needs Scholarship (formerly Gardiner and McKay) (Recommended): https://www.stepupforstudents.org/logins/special-needs-login/

2. AAA Disability Based Scholarships (formerly Gardiner and McKay): https://www.aaascholarships.org/parents/florida/

3. McKay-Check here for the guidance from the Florida Department of Education how your child will transition to the disability-based scholarship. https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/k-12-scholarship-programs/mckay/fes-faqs.stml

Scholarship Support

1. Step Up for Students- Call customer service (877) 735-7837 or communicate on their chat feature on their webpage org.

2. AAA Scholarships- Contact # 1888-707-2465 option 6 or 0- income-based & option 1 for disability-based scholarships

3. Teach Florida- Visit our webpage to check eligibility, review our FAQs, or submit a question. https://teachcoalition.org/fl-scholarship/