Renewal Application Process for Unique Abilities (FES-UA) 2025-2026

Today we will be explaining the Renewal application process for families renewing their Family Empowerment Scholarship for unique abilities ensuring they can navigate it smoothly. The following slides provide instructions on how to adjust your browser settings to your preferred language, allowing you to view Emma in the language you choose. To use the translation feature in Google Chrome, click the three dots in the top right corner. Select Translate. Note these steps are specific to the Google Chrome browser. Finally, choose the language from the drop down menu that best suits your translation requirements. Your page is ready. You can now view it in your preferred language. Here are a few reminders before you get started on your scholarship application. Per new legislation, families can only apply for one scholarship per student at the same time. Each time you log on to the EMA platform, you must complete a Multi Factor Authentication. We recommend you use a cell phone or phone number that does not answer as a recording, you will receive updates via email when your application review is complete. The new Renewal Student Application Checklist is now available on our website. See the QR code and link here for easy retrieval. We want to share an important legislative update. If your student turned 3 or 4 years old before December 31st of the school year in which they are applying, they will now be eligible for the FESUA Scholarship. To apply, you will need to submit the child's birth certificate as documentation in addition to proof of residency and diagnosis. To apply for the Family Empowerment Scholarship for unique abilities, please Please go to step up4students.org to log into your EMMA account, please input your username and password. If you can't recall your username, just click on the Forgot username button. If you misplace your password, simply choose the Forgot Password option. You will be directed to your dashboard where you can choose a scholarship program you would like to apply for. Important note, you may not apply for multiple scholarships under the FESUA Scholarship and FTC Scholarship for an individual Student at the same time. Please ensure all students have been added to the My Students section before you apply. You can choose Save as a Draft at any moment to preserve your work and return to it later. All your saved drafts will be accessible on your dashboard, allowing you to select them and continue where you left off. Once you have selected your students by sliding the radio button to the right, Please answer the two following has the student graduated from 12th grade? Has the student completed a high school equivalency GED or similar? Then click Continue in the bottom right corner. Important to note if you select YES to indicate your child is graduating, they will appear as continuing for the next school year but will not receive funding for that school year. This applies once A student graduates 12th grade or turns 22 years old, whichever comes first. If you answer YES to either of the questions, your student will not qualify for additional funding for the upcoming school year. After you have finished selecting the students, please click Continue located in the bottom right corner. At any stage prior to submitting your application, you have the option to add an existing student by clicking the blue Add a Student button. To move forward with a chosen student, simply click on the View Details link located beneath the student's name and fill out the fields below. Enrolled School Information Expected School Information Please be informed that you can now select either 3 or 4 year olds when determining a grade level. Keep in mind that students must be three or four years old by December 31st of the school year for which they are applying. If you are a parent or guardian using funds for Pre K tuition and fees, kindly choose Pre K from the drop down menu. High Risk Child A high risk child is defined as a 3 to 5 year old on or before September 1st of the school year with a developmental delay in cognition, language or physical development. Hospital bound, homebound, dual sensory impaired or high risk students may need to renew their disability proof over time by uploading updated documents. High risk status only applies until age 6, after which a new qualifying diagnosis is required. Do any of these apply to your student? This information is essential to ensure your student receives all the benefits they are eligible for. If you answered yes to any of the questions above, please upload the necessary supporting documentation to prevent any processing delays. Once you have filled out all the sections, click Continue in the bottom right corner to move forward or select Save as Draft to save your progress and return to finish the application later. After completing the previous section, go to Guardian Information and click View Details to verify accuracy. For changes to grayed out fields, click the profile icon in the upper right corner. Not making corrections may cause processing delays. You will need to provide your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number and Proof of residency. To prove residency, submit documents that 1 valid, 2 current dated within two months for recurring bills and statements or 3 match the guardian's full name and current physical address on the application. Check the Guidelines for Acceptable Documents. This list identifies what documents are required for proof of residency. You need to upload either one document from column A or two different documents from column B. Submitting only one document from column B will result in an error. To resolve this, scroll up and submit another document. Type Both Proof of Residency documents from column B must be in the same Guardian's Name Submitting a Florida driver's license requires another document like an insurance statement. Two pay stubs for income verification count as one document, so an additional document is still needed. Here's the necessary documentation for dependent children of active duty members of the United States Armed Forces moving to or from Florida on permanent change of station orders. After answering all the questions in the Guardian Information section, click Continue to move on to the next part. You should now be on the Summary section, which provides an overview of all submitted documents and completed sections. You have the option to review and modify any aspects you wish to change. Use the headers at the top of the page to easily navigate through different sections. Complete the Parent Guardian Terms and Conditions. Make sure to click on each box you have read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions. You will also be required to complete the Sworn Compliance statement. Make certain to click on the box at the bottom. Once you have read and agreed to the terms, please enter your name in the designated box and provide your signature in the Signature area. If you'd like to retain your signature, click Keep. Should you wish to modify your signature, simply click Clear and sign again. Once you've approved your signature, you have the option to either select Save as Draft to finish your application at a later time, or to click Submit. By clicking Submit, your application will be forwarded for processing. A confirmation notice will appear on your screen your application has been successfully submitted. You can now go back to the dashboard to review your recent submission and check the status of your application. Once your application has been processed, you can view it under Action Items to approve your submission. To proceed, click on the arrow located to the right of the application that is currently in pending Action status as shown above. You should be able to view the student who is marked as eligible for the specific application on your screen. On this page, you can click the highlighted link to view an overview of the scholarship award and funding process. A detailed step by step guide to your scholarship will now be presented. Please note you can always come back to decline this scholarship and apply for another one if the application window is still open. If your student is already enrolled in a school, you'll need to withdraw them from that school before you can decline the scholarship. To view the specifics of the application, just click on the View Details link. The information is now available for qualified students. You can carry out this action for all eligible students within your account. Guardians need to select either Decline Scholarship or Accept Scholarship on this screen. Please be aware no scholarship decision will be made until you either accept or decline your student's scholarship. If you choose to accept the scholarship, you will either receive confirmation of your award or notice that the program has reached its capacity. You will be notified via email. You are welcome to return here anytime to check your status. After you accept the scholarship, you will see Scholarship Accepted next to the student's name. What steps should I take if I mistakenly decline my student Scholarship? To restore a scholarship for a student, simply click the View Student button on the dashboard associated with that specific student. Next, please click on the View Application button. On this page, please click the highlighted Accept Scholarship link in blue. A pop up will emerge offering you the choice to click the Cancel button to return or the Accept Scholarship button to continue. If you click the blue Accept Scholarship button, you will be taken to this page. Please be aware that a Scholarship Accept Accepted notation will appear Program At Capacity A family renewing their FESUA application before the April 30 deadline should never encounter an At Capacity message as renewal families are given priority. However, if they submit their application after April 30, they will be treated as new applicants and may receive the At Capacity notification. Displayed here are the application statuses pending. Your student's eligibility status is currently being reviewed. Please keep an eye on your EMA account for any updates awarded. Your application has been approved and the student is now eligible for a scholarship. However, please be aware that the student has not yet received funding for the current school year. Funded the scholarship for the student has been successfully credited to your EMA account. You are now able to use the funds available in your account at capacity. The scholarship has reached its capacity as defined in statute for this school year and a scholarship for which you applied is not currently available for your student after a student is awarded. If you plan to use your student scholarship at an eligible participating school or you need to contact a school to start the enrollment process. Student ID this is your unique identification number as a student which the engagement center will require to access your application Award id. You'll give this number to an eligible private school of your choice. They will use this number to enroll your student. When a qualified private school registers a student in their system, you will receive an email notification prompting you to log in and and examine the enrollment requests. If the amount due to a school matches your total yearly obligation to the institution, which encompasses both the scholarship and any out of pocket expenses, Confirm your enrollment. If the amount due to school is inaccurate or if your student plans not to attend this school, please be certain to decline the enrollment offer. All payments to schools require quarterly verification and approval from the guardian you can review, approve or deny these school payments directly from your dashboard. Please note, no payments to a school will be processed until this action is completed. And as always, if you still need assistance, feel free to call, chat or email us here at Step up for Students.