Florida Expands Free College Tuition to Former Foster Children
Pinellas County [Florida] schoolteachers Jay Pridham and his wife Erika were newlyweds back in 2015 with no plans of bringing a child into their home anytime soon. But that changed after Jay found out one of his students, Jenny, was being placed into a group home.
The conversation that would alter all three of their lives started with Jenny notifying Jay she needed to turn in her science project early. She was moving.
According to Florida DCF:
Senate Bill 7034, which takes effect July 1, 2022, removes administrative burdens associated with the program and expands the number of students eligible for having their tuition and fees waived at all eligible colleges and universities throughout the State of Florida. This new legislation no longer requires guardians to enroll in the Relative Caregiver Program prior to seeking assistance. Certain requirements do have to be met to guarantee all fee and tuition waivers, and those are listed below.
Students are eligible if they were the subject of a dependency hearing and…
More on the Pridham’s and the new bill Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law