Gardiner Scholarship Information for Florida Residents

Good news for Florida residents! Your child may be eligible for the Gardiner Scholarship. Also known as the PLSA, Personal Learning Scholarship Account, this NEW financial program is designed to better meet the individual educational and therapeutic needs of Florida children with disabilities, ages 3-22 (or 12th grade.)

If your child qualifies for the PLSA, you can purchase approved services or products such as speech therapy from certified providers such as Great Speech.

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:

Residency: For Florida residents only
Age: Applicants must be 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1 of the year in which the student applies for program participation, or eligible to enroll in kindergarten through 12^th grade in a Florida public school or 22, whichever comes first.
IEP: Applicant must have an IEP

Diagnosis of Disability: Applicant must have a diagnosis of disability from a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 or a Florida state-licensed psychologist
Disabilities: A number of diagnoses are covered including: autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, Williams syndrome, cerebral palsy and specific intellectual disabilities.
School: Applicant must be enrolled in a private school or participating in a home school program

The PLSA is not a set amount but rather is determined by a number of factors including where you live in Florida, level of need and grade, though the average for the 2015-16 school year is approximately $10,000.

Your child may be eligible for FREE speech therapy services, and as a licensed provider, we hope to provide those services to you. For more information or to apply, click here.