TLDR
- First-time applicants age three, four, or five on September 1 of the application year must now upload a valid birth certificate or non-expired passport.1
- First-time applicants who are already six on September 1 no longer need to submit this documentation, a change from prior years.1
- This applies across all Family Handbooks: FTC, FES-EO, FES-UA, and PEP.1
- This is separate from FES-UA's existing age-three eligibility rule requiring an IEP or qualifying diagnosis. Both may be required together.2
- Renewing students are not affected by this requirement.
If you are applying for a Florida scholarship for the first time and your child is between three and five years old, there is a new document requirement for the 2026-27 school year that was not in place before. Here is exactly what changed and what to have ready.
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Why This Changed for 2026-27
This update comes directly from Step Up's 2026-27 Program Handbooks and Purchasing Guides Summary of Changes, which applies across all Family Handbooks: FTC, FES-EO, FES-UA, and PEP.1 It tightens age verification specifically at the younger end of eligibility, where scholarship programs intersect with kindergarten entry rules and FES-UA's age-three eligibility window.
A student entering kindergarten under FTC, FES-EO, and PEP must be five years old on or before September 1 of the school year of their application, and FES-UA allows eligibility starting at age three under its own separate rule, so this is the age range where documentation gaps were apparently showing up most.
Who This Actually Applies To
This requirement is narrow, so it is worth checking whether it applies to your family at all before you start gathering documents.
- It applies to: first-time, not renewing, applicants whose child is age three, four, or five on September 1 of the year they are applying.
- It does not apply to: renewing students, or first-time applicants who are already six years old on September 1. The Summary of Changes specifically notes that six-year-old first-time applicants are no longer required to submit this documentation, which was not the case before this update.1
A practical example: if you are applying for the first time and your child turns five on August 20 of the application year, you fall inside this requirement. If your child turns six on August 20 instead, you do not.
What Documents Satisfy This Requirement
Either of the following works:
- A valid birth certificate
- A non-expired passport
You only need one of the two, not both. If you already have either document on hand from enrolling your child in another program, daycare, or VPK, you likely already have what you need.
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How This Connects to FES-UA Eligibility
If you are applying for FES-UA specifically, this documentation requirement sits alongside a separate, existing eligibility rule. A student can qualify for FES-UA at age three if their third birthday falls on or before December 31 of the year their parent applies for the scholarship, and they are the subject of an IEP dated within the last three years, or have a qualifying diagnosis from a licensed medical professional.2
Age verification and disability documentation are two separate requirements. Both are needed for a three, four, or five year old FES-UA applicant, one does not substitute for the other.
Other New Documentation Changes for 2026-27 Worth Knowing
A few other documentation-related updates from the same Summary of Changes are worth flagging while you are gathering paperwork for a first-time application, since families in the middle of an application often run into more than one of these at once:1
- Foster status documentation must now be dated within the last two calendar years, rather than an older or undated document.
- Proof of residency for active-duty military families living outside Florida now requires Leave and Earnings statements dated within two months of when the application was submitted.
- FES-UA diagnosis documentation can now be validated by a Florida-licensed Physician Assistant legally authorized to sign on behalf of a Florida-licensed Physician, in addition to the professionals already accepted.
None of these override the ages three-to-five birth certificate or passport requirement above. They are separate documentation checks that may also apply depending on your family's specific situation.
What to Do If You Are Not Sure This Applies to You
If you are unsure whether your child's age puts them inside or outside this window, check the birthdate against September 1 of the school year you are applying for, not the date you happen to be filling out the application. A few weeks on either side of that date is the difference between needing this document and not needing it at all.
If you are still unsure after checking the date, it costs nothing to upload a birth certificate or passport anyway. Submitting documentation you did not strictly need will not hurt your application, while missing a document you did need can delay it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs to submit a birth certificate or passport under this new rule?
First-time scholarship applicants whose child is age three, four, or five on September 1 of the application year. Renewing students and first-time applicants who are already six on September 1 do not need to submit this documentation.1
What documents satisfy this requirement?
Either a valid birth certificate or a non-expired passport. Only one of the two is needed.1
Is this the same as the FES-UA age three eligibility rule?
No, they are separate. FES-UA has its own rule that a student can qualify at age three if their third birthday falls on or before December 31 of the application year, plus a qualifying IEP or diagnosis. Age verification documentation is required in addition to that, not instead of it.2
What date determines whether my child falls into this age range?
September 1 of the school year you are applying for, not the date you submit the application. Check your child's birthdate against that specific date.
References
- Step Up For Students, 2026-2027 Program Handbooks and Purchasing Guides Summary of Changes, eligibility requirements and documentation updates. Available at stepupforstudents.org/document-library
- Step Up For Students, FES-UA Family Handbook, 2026-2027, age eligibility and diagnosis documentation. Available at stepupforstudents.org/document-library
Florida Education Vendors is an independent directory and is not affiliated with Step Up For Students or any scholarship funding organization. This guide is for informational purposes only. Scholarship rules and application requirements change regularly. Always verify current information at stepupforstudents.org before submitting your application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs to submit a birth certificate or passport under this new rule?
First-time scholarship applicants whose child is age three, four, or five on September 1 of the application year. Renewing students and first-time applicants who are already six on September 1 do not need to submit this documentation.
What documents satisfy this requirement?
Either a valid birth certificate or a non-expired passport. Only one of the two is needed.
Is this the same as the FES-UA age three eligibility rule?
No, they are separate. FES-UA has its own rule that a student can qualify at age three if their third birthday falls on or before December 31 of the application year, plus a qualifying IEP or diagnosis. Age verification documentation is required in addition to that, not instead of it.
What date determines whether my child falls into this age range?
September 1 of the school year you are applying for, not the date you submit the application. Check your child's birthdate against that specific date.