ADPA – Advocate for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities
Providing information and support to parents with children with learning disabilities. We also provide information in Spanish.
McKay Scholarship Program
Florida's school choice programs ensure that no child will be left behind by allowing parents to choose the best educational setting—public or private—for their child. The the McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program provides students with special needs the opportunity to attend a participating private school. The McKay Scholarships Program also offers parents public school choice. A parent of a special needs student who is dissatisfied with the student’s current school may choose to transfer the student to another public school.
1. How do you know if your child qualifies?
· A child qualifies for the McKay Scholarship if they have attended public school for the entire school year.
· Your child also qualifies if they have been enrolled in a public school and attended at least one day during the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) count in the month of October and February. The Florida State Department of Education counts the number of students attending the public school system usually, but not always, during the first two weeks of October and the first two weeks of February. In order to be counted, your child must attend the public school of its district at least one day during this period.
· Your child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) when you change your child from the public school system and register him in a private school approved by the McKay Scholarship program.
· Please be aware that the last IEP in place at the time you change your child from the public school to a private school is the IEP that will be used to determine the amount that your child will receive from the McKay Scholarship.
2. How to file the “letter of intent” online:
· You have to go to the official website of the McKay Scholarship www.FloridaSchoolChoice.org. You must file the letter of intent by July 3 in order to use your McKay Scholarship for the school year that starts in August of each year.
· Click on “McKay Scholarships.” Look under “Links for Parents,” and click on “Apply for a McKay Scholarship.” And follow the instructions.
· After submitting the application fully completed, the Florida State Department of Education is notified, they in turn request from the public school district information on your child. Within 30 days the public school district will inform the Department of Education your child’s matrix score.
· The public school district sends you a letter informing you the amount of the McKay Scholarship your child has received.
3. How to register your child in a private school?
· You can use the funds received from the McKay Scholarship to register your child in any private school that is approved by the McKay Scholarship and that will provide your child with the education and accommodations your child needs. You must contact the private school and obtain all the necessary information regarding tuition costs, curriculum, and method of education used, transportation, and regulation.
· You will find a list of private schools approved by the McKay Scholarship in their website www.FloridaSchoolChoice.org.
· Once you register your child at the private school, it is the responsibility of the private school to register the student into the McKay Scholarship system.
· Make sure that your child is enrolled in the private school before you withdraw him from the public school, the private school first or you will not qualify for the scholarship. Make sure your child is enrolled in the private school and THEN withdraw them from public school.
Important deadlines regarding the McKay Scholarship
In order to pull out our child from the public school and enroll him in a private school using the McKay Scholarship funds you must file the “letter of intent: no later than:
· July 3 for September 1 payment –your child will receive 100% of scholarship amount
· September 2 for November 1 payment –your child will receive 75% of scholarship amount
· December 3 for February 1 payment – your child will receive 50% of scholarship amount
· January 31 for April 1 payment – your child will receive 25% of scholarship amount