The Family Empowerment Scholarship is different from other state scholarships in that it allows parents of children with special needs to personalize their child’s education by directing money toward a combination of programs and approved providers. These can now include schools, therapists, specialists, curriculum, technology – even a college savings account.

The Florida Empowerment Scholarship (formerly Gardiner), may be worth up to $50,0000 per year.

You must apply by August 1st to qualify for the full scholarship.

Key highlights of the new, improved scholarship program

1. Services for an even broader range of conditions are now available
For Florida private and homeschool students who have been diagnosed with one or more of the following:

• Anaphylaxis
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Being a high-risk child
• Cerebral Palsy
• Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia
• Down syndrome
• Emotional or a behavioral disability
• Hearing impairment, including deafness
• Hospital or homebound
• Identification as dual sensory impaired
• Intellectual disability
• Language impairment
• Learning Disabilities
• Muscular dystrophy
• Orthopedic impairment
• Other health impairment
• Phelan-McDermid syndrome
• Prader-Willi syndrome
• Rare diseases
• Specific learning disability
• Speech impairment
• Spina bifida
• Traumatic brain injury
• Visual impairment, including blindness
• Williams syndrome

2. There are age requirements
Students must be at least 3 or 4 years old on or before Sept 1, 2021
Students entering kindergarten must be 5 on or before Sept 1, 2021
Students entering first grade must be 6 on or before Sept 1, 2021

3. Diagnosis confirmation is needed
For most conditions, all that is required is a note from a Florida Psychologist or a Physician from any state that confirms the qualifying condition.  The note must be on their official letterhead (print or digital)  Certain medical conditions may require more information.

4. Funds can be used for more than one service
For example, you can hire a speech therapist, a tutoring center (3D Learner for example : ), and a physical therapist for one child.

5. New rules for private school families that affect siblings
The scholarship now covers both the student with the qualifying condition AND their siblings who go to the same private school. Private school students are now available to qualify, even if they have never attended a public or charter school.

6. Active duty USAF
The scholarship now covers dependent children of active-duty members of the United States Armed Forces.

7. APPLY NOW!
To get 100% of the annual amount, estimated to be just under $10,000, applications must be submitted by August 1, 2021.  We predict the Gardiner Scholarship will be oversubscribed.  Parents who take action now will have a higher likelihood of qualifying. Click here to apply.

For more info click here to download the Florida Empowerment Parent Handbook.

What makes 3D Learner unique among most Gardiner Scholarship providers?

• 3D Learner is an approved tutoring and support service provider and has helped many Gardiner scholarship recipients make great gains in learning.
• Many Gardiner Scholarship students are Visual Learners with some processing challenges — working memory, processing speed, auditory and visual processing challenges.
• 3D Learner teaches the way the Visual Learner learns. We help you be a more effective coach for your child.
• Our comprehensive assessment will discover how your child learns best, and their strengths and challenges.
• We identify underlying visual or auditory processing challenges and current performance levels.
• Our hands-on approach improves word recognition vocabulary and reading comprehension.
• We focus on continuous improvement that boosts your child’s self-esteem and self-advocacy skills.
• We help reignite a child’s innate curiosity and love for learning.

One Family’s Experience with the Gardiner Scholarship and 3D Learner

My daughter’s reading comprehension has increased four grade levels and her rate of reading by 100 words per minute. Her ability to comprehend what she is reading has also improved and she doesn’t hate reading for the first time in her life.  Her math skills are improving as well and that is her most difficult subject due to a specific learning disability in math. All of this occurred in less than one full academic year. All while she’s battled severe chronic pain and medical treatments requiring hospitalization.  Denna McGrew

Still have questions?

Get in touch with us on our Visual Learner Facebook Page or by calling us at 561-361-7495.

Click here to take our FREE 10 question quiz – Is My Child A Visual Learner?

Schools and parents should be assessing where their children are academically and emotionally this summer and providing any academic and emotional support that they think might be needed to get them ready for the fall. Pamela Davis-Kean, U of Michigan professor of psychology at the Institute for Social Research

How is your child doing?

Many parents are overwhelmed when they realize just how far behind in school their child may be.  In discussions with parents over the last 5 months, we have seen more significant academic and anxiety challenges than in any year of our 25 years. McKinsey estimates the average student lost 7 months during the pandemic.  For the child who was behind before the pandemic, the learning gap has widened even more.

Right now, we are seeing four major challenges for all students, but especially for Visual Learners.

1. The academic gap is significant for rising 1st and 2nd graders who have had these formative years disrupted by school closings and hybrid learning
2. Rising 3rd through 6th graders are well behind where students were historically
3. Older students have fallen way behind — with a few cases where a student’s comprehension is now 4, 5, or even 6 years below grade level.
4. Your child may have been labeled with dyslexia, ADHD and/or Executive Function challenges, when they are a Visual Learner who needs a different approach to learning
5. Anxiety has taken its toll on your child, your family, and you

Here’s how your child can have fun AND make significant gains this summer

If your child struggles with traditional learning approaches such as being a visual learner, having dyslexia, ADHD, or other processing issues, this situation is even more pronounced. These children may be a year or several years behind, suffer from anxiety and low self-esteem, or be burnt out on school.

The 3D Learner summer programs make learning fun again. We use your child’s interests, whether it is computer games, sports, or other interests to custom-tailor a learning program that is sure to keep them engaged. Our students have made 2, 3, and even 4-year gains in their reading comprehension, often while igniting a greater interest in learning. This newfound understanding and self-confidence has a lasting benefit for your child.

We understand how important summers can be

Summer is a perfect time to take a much-needed family vacation and for children to have fun, without the pressures and anxiety of the classroom.  Our summer programs not only allow for both, but we also strongly encourage them.  Learn more about them here.

See what your child thinks

We are happy to offer a trial session or two to demonstrate how invaluable the 3D Learner can be for your child.  Should you choose to register, we’ll apply the investment towards the program enrollment fee. Recently, after an hour trial session, a mom commented, “Are all the sessions this enjoyable?”

If you have a smart struggling visual learner – or a smart struggling child with other characteristics, we encourage you to call us at 561-361-7495 or to click here to schedule a Stress to Success Strategy Call.

“Reading is kind of a gateway to the development of academic skills across all disciplines,” said  Ben Domingue, an assistant professor at Stanford Graduate School of Educations. “It’s a key that opens all of the doors. If a kid can’t read effectively by third grade or so, they’re unlikely to be able to access content in their other courses.”

Our children have experienced a substantial educational loss in this pandemic. The gap between those students who have moved forward and those whose progress was stifled is growing wider.  This is particularly true for students who require accommodations such as taking exams orally or with extended time limits.

At 3D Learner, we have recognized expertise working with smart, struggling students. Some are Visual Learners who respond better to alternatives to traditional school-based interventions given their inherent difficulties with traditional, logical, sequential, and auditory processes.  Other students often have memory, processing, attention, and anxiety issues.

Though many of these students receive support services in the classroom, this support has been difficult to follow through with during the pandemic. A recent survey by ParentsTogether painted a grim picture, with 40% of parents reporting they weren’t receiving any support, and just 20% reporting their children were receiving all of the special education services they typically received in school.

According to Chalkbeat, school superintendents themselves recognize this dilemma. Among the 501 school district superintendents from across the country who responded to a survey, 83% said that providing special education services was difficult to provide equitably during remote learning.

WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

In the American Psychological Association article, University of Virginia Professor Sara Rimm-Kaufman points out that an important next step will be to figure out how best to assess student’s knowledge as they start the new year. “Some kids will come in having lost months of instruction, so educators will have to make broader assessments than they usually would, and find ways to adjust their instruction accordingly.”

Under ‘normal circumstances’  going to school can be a major cause of anxiety for these students. Next year is likely to be especially challenging, as schools try to accommodate the many students who are far behind, while still moving forward with the current grade curriculum.

SIX SUGGESTIONS FOR PREPARING FOR SCHOOL

Concerned, loving parents can have more impact on their child’s resilience than even the most gifted teacher. Here are 6 suggestions for how you can help your child.

1. TALK

Talk with your child’s teacher and get a sense of how well your child is doing, where the issues are, and what they would recommend. Share your observations, suggestions, and concerns. Having clear and mutually supportive lines of communication between you and the school will make the situation easier for everyone.

2. ASK FOR INFO

It is not unusual for a teacher to say that your child is doing okay. But does ‘okay’ reflect their learning potential? If you look at the data the schools provide, you may find your child is further behind than either you or the school realize.

3. REACH OUT FOR HELP

It may be helpful for your child to be assessed by experts with experience in the issues your child is facing. Educational, psychological, and sensory evaluations can provide new insights on how your child learns best and what the schools can do to meet their needs.

4.  REMEMBER YOU ARE THE PARENT

The return to school and the frustration of not being taught in a way that works for them can trigger your child’s anxieties. It is the school’s job to teach your child. It is your responsibility to make home a safe place for them where they get support, not pressure, or punishments.

5. HUG YOUR CHILD

Hug your child and tell them things will be OK. They are looking to you for love and assurance. Your positive attitude will be contagious. Remember that school is the issue, not the child.

6. EXPLORE ALTERNATIVES

Finding the proper support system for your child has never been more important or more accessible. With the introduction of online help, you can access services like 3D Learner to improve your child’s academic and processing skills while building their confidence.

While academics are important, nothing is more important than your child’s mental health.

If your child is smarter than school grades show, it may be because he/she is a Visual Learner. There is nothing wrong with that. It simply reflects how some children learn best. For a simple assessment take the free Visual Learner Quiz at www.3dlearner.com/quiz-2.

At 3D Learner, our goal is to strengthen student capabilities to deal with academic, processing, and mental health challenges. By doing so, we reduce anxiety, build self-esteem, and rekindle your child’s love for learning. Our holistic approach is designed specifically to the needs and interests of your child.

To better prepare children for the next school year, 3D Learner has expanded our summer services including;

• Our traditional 1-on-1 program
• Small group training at reduced rates.
• Brain Training for those students whose key issues are a combination of processing issues such as working memory, processing speed, visual processing, attention, and/or anxiety.

After thorough observation and conversations, we’ll share our insights into how your child learns best, their strengths and challenges, and their present level of reading comprehension. We will also offer suggestions on how you as a parent can help your child succeed.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU

If you would like to discuss your concerns about your child’s struggles, we welcome the opportunity to learn more about them during a free Stress to Success Strategy consultation.  You can arrange a time by either calling us at 561-361-7495 or by clicking on Book a Strategy Session.

There are so many reasons to be anxious these days. Succeeding at school should not be one of them.

photo: Annie Spratt-Unsplash

Parents today are facing challenges that no one has faced. Beyond trying to keep their own heads above water, parenting kids through a pandemic is truly navigating through uncharted waters.  

For families with neuro-diverse kids, those who think differently including students identified as gifted or twice-exceptional, are facing even more peril. Our initial instinct is to make our kids like everyone else. Parents must recognize that  ‘I was like this and I just pushed through” is no longer a feasible plan for succeeding in today’s – and tomorrow’s  – world.   

Because of the public health crisis, parents now must take on the reigns of educating their kids- whether implementing the entire education plan or just making sure they are “in-class” remotely. With so much learning now taking place at home, many more families are seeing first-hand where their child stands academically and how their child learns best.  For some, this has been a positive experience. For others, this has been a nightmare. 

We must help neurodiverse kids – those who think differently often making unexpected connections –  be best prepared for a world that desperately needs their gifts. Yet traditional educational approaches and curriculum may not work for the creative neuro-diverse kids our world needs most.  

Our educational system needs to be reconstructed to make it possible for these kids to shine, not shamed.  Neurodiverse kids today are far more complex and far more at risk than ever before. 

Especially in this age of remote learning, it is vital to get an accurate and in-depth diagnosis of the creative, imaginative children who are neurodiverse. We owe it to them and the future that needs them to look at the whole child and identify the positive interventions based on their strengths.  

At 3D Learner, we have seen how important some simple, subtle changes can be for giving smart, underperforming children the skills they need to thrive both academically and socially. We saw it when we developed the program for our own children and for the thousands of students who have benefitted from this unique approach.  

As our understanding of neurodiversity grows, there is increased interest in the concept of visual learning as an underlying factor in educational achievement. Is your child a Visual Learner? Take our simple 10 question assessment or contact us for a free 15-minute telephone assessment.  

Why is it so stressful for your child to get ready for school or bedtime? Are you always late for things? We’ve experienced how frustrating it can be. Our children had little sense of time and, not coincidentally, had difficulty with reading comprehension. 

Problems with reading and time can be indicators of a deeper issue. By researching how we could help understand these behaviors, we discovered our children were Visual Learners. The problem wasn’t their ability to learn, it was finding a different way to teach. Traditional schools aren’t designed for the way Visual Learners process information. 

Small changes make a big difference.

We soon learned how important visual aides were to their comprehension so we created the 3D Learning Program. It is a pragmatic approach that gives you and your child the tools you need to thrive. 

Some things are so simple yet so powerful. One of them is to use a family visual schedule

Use our Visual Schedule (link below) to plan for the next week. Work together (It is really important for your child to feel part of the process) to identify all the key obligations and activities and when they occur. This includes specific times for waking up, getting dressed, having breakfast,  going to school, and coming home. Include things like doctor’s appointments, after-school activities, snacks, homework time, playtime, dinner time, and more. Put in your obligations as well. Like “mommy work time”- that way they know they need to find something to do independently during this time.

You will find that being able to see their activities makes it easier for your child to complete them. Transitions become easier as children know what to expect. You can even review it every night before going to bed so that your child can start to picture what their next day, and the rest of the week, is going to look like.

Creating a visual schedule together with your child is one example of how the right visual tool can make an enormous difference for a Visual Learner.