5 Years + 100 Donors = 20,000 Children's Lives Saved - Donor Rally

October 20, 2006
Orlando, Florida

Click here to view the slideshow

On October 20, 2006, over 2,000 supporters of school choice rallied to celebrate five successful years of the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program and the 100 corporate sponsors that have made it possible. The Donor Appreciation Rally celebrated Central Florida’s commitment to education and thanked empowered families that make good decisions for their children, a community that embraces well-educated citizens and, most importantly, the corporate partners who make it all possible.

Step Up For Students would like to thank Governor Jeb Bush for being our distinguished keynote speaker at the Donor Appreciation Rally and our corporate partners who have contributed over $260 million to this program over the past five years, making it possible for up to 20,000 children of low-income families achieve academic success.

We also wish to thank our Title Sponsor, WellCare, and all of our Rally Sponsors – Albertson’s, Lowe’s, Progress Energy, Chico’s FAS, Mercantile Bank and SDE Solutions – for their support of this event.

On behalf of those present that day and also the thousands of low-income parents across the state who have or want school choice, we thank our corporate sponsors for helping students to STEP UP. For more information on this unique program, visit www.stepupforstudents.com.

Mission

The mission of Step Up For Students is to improve Florida’s K-12 educational system by creating and sustaining affordable educational options for low-income families and their children. By empowering parents to choose the education that best meets their child’s learning needs, parents become consumers of their child’s education. As parents begin to shop for the best academic educational setting for their child, the level of education for all students will rise as schools—public and private—become more productive in an effort to keep and enroll new children. 

Overview

Step Up For Students was created in 2001 by the Florida legislature to offer additional educational opportunities to low-income families.  Our vision is that every child in the state of Florida should have an equal opportunity to a quality education.  Under this program disadvantaged students receive scholarships of up to $3,750 to attend a public or private school that best fits their educational needs.  Scholarships are awarded to students who qualify under the federal guidelines for the national free or reduced lunch program.

2006-2007 Scholarship Data

The Step Up For Students program serves a diverse group of Florida’s children. Step Up For Students scholarship recipients include 40 percent African-American students; 25 percent Hispanic students; and 23 percent Caucasian students. The average income of families applying for the scholarships is $23,347, and more than 60 percent of applicants live in single-parent homes. Statewide over 800 schools serve these students, with an average tuition of $4,300 per year. Parents pay out of their own pockets to be on the program. 

The scholarship program has grown tremendously over the past five years. Corporations have contributed more than $300 million corporate in corporate tax credit dollars. As a result of over 100 generous CTC donors, up to 20,000 disadvantaged children throughout the state will be on the scholarship program this year. Currently, more than 2,400 low-income students just in Orange County are attending their school of choice through Step Up For Students provided by the Children First Florida scholarship funding organization. This number is continually growing as more and more low-income families learn about the scholarship program and apply.