My name is Ronnie Daniel. I am the executive director of Children First Education Fund. In this video, we’re going to review the key guidelines for applying to the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship so you know exactly what you need to qualify and apply successfully.
First, let’s review the eligibility criteria. To qualify for the scholarship, your student must meet all of the following statemandated requirements. Residency. Both the student and parent or guardian must be residents of Utah. You’ll need to upload documents verifying your residency, like a driver’s license or recent utility bill statements. Disability. The student must have a documented disability as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDA. You can learn more about what types of disabilities qualify for the scholarship by googling individuals with
disabilities in education act. You may be surprised at how many learning disabilities will qualify. You will be required to upload a document verifying your child’s disability. There is a separate video that covers this in greater detail. Age and grade. Students must be between 3 and 18 years of age or qualify for preschool through grade 12.
You will need to upload a document verifying your child’s age, like a birth certificate. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade can apply for either private school or homeschool scholarships. Students in preschool are eligible for private school scholarships only. Homeschooling is not eligible for preschool. Enrollment. The student must be enrolled or planning to enroll in a qualifying private school or homeschool program. They must not be enrolled in any public or charter school when the scholarship is awarded. Parents will need to acknowledge this on the application and ensure they make the appropriate arrangements once they are informed of scholarship approval.
Income. Family income will be verified as part of the application to determine the scholarship amount. You will need to upload a document verifying your family’s adjusted gross income and family size. The best way to do this is to upload the first page of your most recent federal 1040 tax form. Important notes. Students cannot receive funding from both the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship and Utah Fitzall during the same academic year. If your child has already been approved for the Utah Fitzall scholarship, you will need to notify them that you will not be using that scholarship prior to their deadline or you cannot receive a CF scholarship.
Be sure to carefully read the full application guide on our website as it contains detailed instructions and deadlines. Now, let’s review how to apply. Applications are submitted through the parent portal on our website. You can access the portal by visiting the website shown here. You’ll need to create an account if you haven’t already, then complete all required forms and upload the supporting documents mentioned earlier. Thanks for watching. Remember, you can find additional information about the program on our website or you can email or call our team directly.
