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Languages in Action

Step Up for Students: Your Kids Can Learn Spanish (Without You Taking Money Out of Your Pocket!)

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Hello, everyone! This is Lia from Languages In Action.

I'm writing today because I need to share something that honestly feels too good to be true, but I promise you, it's real, it's legitimate, and it could open a whole new world for your children.


The Opportunity That Sounds Like a Dream

Imagine this: your child learning Spanish (or English, and soon French, Italian, Portuguese... all the languages families keep asking us for!) without you having to budget for it. No monthly payments coming out of your pocket. No choosing between language classes and other activities.

Sounds like there must be a catch, right?

There isn't one. And I'm going to explain exactly how this works, because at LANGUAGES IN ACTION, WE BELIEVE IN TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNITY.


What is Step Up for Students?

Step Up for Students is a Florida-based nonprofit scholarship organization that administers several education scholarship programs. They work with the state of Florida to provide educational funding for PreK-12 students through different scholarship options.

Here's what makes this relevant for language learning: Languages In Action is an approved provider in the Step Up marketplace, which means families who receive scholarship funding can use those funds to pay for our language classes, tutoring, and enrichment programs.

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Important: Understanding the Programs

Step Up for Students manages several different scholarship programs, and the application processes, deadlines, and eligibility requirements vary. Rather than me giving you potentially outdated information (because these programs update regularly!), I want to direct you to the most reliable sources.


The programs include:

  • Private School Scholarships (FTC/FES-EO): For families choosing private schools or supplemental services

  • Personalized Education Program (PEP): For home education families (note: this is a reimbursement program)

  • Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA): For students with specific diagnoses who need specialized services

  • Transportation Stipend: For public school students attending schools other than their assigned school


Each program has its own eligibility requirements, application windows, and funding structures. Some programs may work better than others for supplemental language learning like what we offer at Languages In Action.


Here's what I want you to know: If you're interested in language learning for your child AND you think your family might qualify for one of these scholarship programs, the best thing to do is:

  1. Visit Step Up for Students to understand which program fits your situation

  2. Call them with specific questions about eligibility and applications

  3. Once you know which program you're applying for (or already enrolled in), reach out to me so we can talk about how Languages In Action can serve your family


Your Next Steps: Getting Started


STEP 1: Visit Step Up for Students Go directly to www.stepupforstudents.org to:

  • Learn about the different scholarship programs available

  • Check current application deadlines (these change annually!)

  • Determine which scholarship your family might qualify for

  • Review eligibility requirements specific to each program

You can also call Step Up for Students at 1-877-735-7837 with questions about their programs and application processes.


STEP 2: Understanding the Marketplace Once you're enrolled in a Step Up scholarship program, you'll gain access to their online marketplace through a system called EMA (Education Market Assistant). This is where you can:

  • Browse approved educational providers (like Languages In Action!)

  • Search by category: foreign languages, enrichment, tutoring, and more

  • Select the services that fit YOUR family's needs

  • Manage your scholarship account


STEP 3: Find Languages In Action in the Marketplace When you're ready to use your scholarship funds for language learning:

  • Log into your EMA account

  • Search for "Languages In Action" in the marketplace

  • You'll see our course offerings and can select what works for your child


OR Contact Us Directly Before you even start the Step Up application, you can reach out to us! We're happy to:

  • Answer questions about how our programs work with Step Up funding

  • Explain what language courses we offer

  • Help you understand which option might be best for your child

  • Walk you through the process once you're enrolled

 Call Lia at Languages In Action: 239-202-0330 Email: LIA@LanguagesInAction.us


What Languages In Action Offers


Once you have Step Up scholarship funding, here's what you can do with us:


Flexible Scheduling Options:

  • Single trial sessions (come try us out!)

  • Monthly enrollment

  • Three-month commitments (ideal for seeing real progress. Language learning builds on itself!)

  • Private 1h classes

Programs Available:

  • Twice-weekly classes (approximately 30 hours per quarter)

  • Once-weekly classes

  • One-on-one tutoring

  • Group enrichment courses

Languages We Teach:

  • Spanish and English (available now!)

  • French, Italian, and Portuguese (coming soon!)


Who Can Join: We work with students from age six through high school. Whether your child is brand new to languages or already has some experience, WE MEET STUDENTS WHERE THEY ARE: no judgment, no pressure, just encouragement and effective, human-centered teaching.

Summer Programs: Yes! We offer summer language programs when kids' brains have space to really play with new sounds and structures. Let us know if you'd like summer options added to the marketplace for your family.


Why Languages? Why Now?


You might be wondering: with all the options in the Step Up marketplace, why should I choose language learning for my child?


Let me tell you what I've seen in my years of teaching, and learning foreign languages:

Learning a second language isn't just about vocabulary and grammar (though those are wonderful tools). It's about opening your child's mind to OTHER WAYS OF THINKING, other cultures, other perspectives, without disregarding theirs, but building upon them. It's about giving them the confidence to communicate successfully when differences can be a challenge. It's about developing brain connections and human connections.

And here's something I believe deeply: AT LANGUAGES IN ACTION, WE PROVIDE MORE THAN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION. We provide a space where creativity develops, where students learn to be brave (come up to the board! share your experiences! make mistakes! laugh at ourselves together!), where CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING happens naturally.


Language learning is the perfect excuse. What really happens is CONFIDENCE AND COMMUNITY BUILDING.

And… there’s no better day than today to get started


Let's Talk!


I know navigating scholarship programs can feel overwhelming, even when they're designed to help you. That's why I'm here to help with the Languages In Action side of things, while Step Up for Students handles the scholarship administration.

For Questions About Step Up Scholarships:


They can help you with:

  • Which scholarship program fits your situation

  • Current application deadlines

  • Eligibility requirements

  • How to navigate the EMA marketplace

  • Funding timelines and amounts


For Questions About Language Learning with Us:


I can help you with:

  • What language programs we offer

  • Which schedule works best for your family

  • How our classes work

  • What to expect from language learning

  • How to find us in the Step Up marketplace once you're enrolled

(Side note: We chose .us instead of .com, not because .com was super expensive, though it was! It's because WE ARE A COMMUNITY. "Us" means we're in this together, learning together, growing together.)


A Final Thought from Lia


At Languages In Action, we believe in success after practice. We believe mistakes are part of learning. We believe in correction with love, only when necessary. We believe your brain is ENTHUSIASTIC about learning, and our job is to help it be happy.

Most importantly, we believe that education, including language learning, should be accessible to families who want it for their children.


Step Up for Students creates the opportunity. Languages In Action provides the warm, effective, human-centered language instruction. Together, we can help your child discover the joy of communicating across cultures.


Whether you're already enrolled in a Step Up scholarship program or you're just learning about it for the first time, I encourage you to explore the possibilities. Visit Step Up for Students to learn about their programs, and reach out to me directly to talk about language learning.


I look forward to learning about you, your family, and your children.

See you soon (¡Nos vemos pronto!),

Lia Languages In Action 239-202-0330 LIA@LanguagesInAction.us LanguagesInAction.us



Languages In Action is an approved provider in the Step Up for Students marketplace. For official information about Step Up scholarship programs, eligibility, and application deadlines, please visit www.stepupforstudents.org or call 1-877-735-7837.


 
 
 

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