Speech Therapy Covered by the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES-UA)
Online speech therapy for Florida children with unique abilities. We're a direct Step Up For Students provider, so your scholarship covers the full cost.
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What is the Family Empowerment Scholarship?
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (FES-UA), formerly the Gardiner Scholarship, gives Florida families an education savings account they can use for speech therapy. As a direct provider, we bill your scholarship account for you.
How We Can Help
We’ve been a direct provider for this scholarship since 2018, delivering online speech therapy and evaluations to children across Florida.
We bill your scholarship (EMA) account directly, so your scholarship covers 100% of the evaluation and speech therapy.
Everything happens online, so your child gets consistent speech therapy from home with no commute.
Why Families Choose Connected Speech Pathology
Plenty of speech therapists can help with speech and language disorders. The right one is the one that helps your child improve faster.
Every one of our speech therapists holds an advanced degree and has an average of 15 years of experience. Meet the team.
We match your child with the right speech therapist for their needs and goals.
Sessions are interactive and fun, built to keep kids motivated.
Flexible scheduling that works around school and activities.
No waitlist. Most families start within one to two weeks.
No waitlist. Most families start within one to two weeks.
Speech Therapy Services for FES-UA Families
Beyond traditional speech and language therapy, we also support executive functioning, social communication, self-advocacy, ADHD-related communication challenges, and communication skills for teens and young adults navigating school, college, and life transitions.
How Online Speech Therapy Works
We meet online through our secure video platform. All your child needs is a computer or tablet and an internet connection, and the platform is free to download.
Advantages of online speech therapy:
No driving or travel time
Fewer missed appointments
Same access for families in rural areas
Skills carry into everyday life at home
Fun and engaging for kids
Does Your Child Qualify?
FES-UA covers Florida children from age 3 through grade 12, up to age 22, with a qualifying diagnosis or IEP, including autism, Down syndrome, and speech and language impairments. For the full list of qualifying diagnoses and how to apply, see our FES-UA guide.
How to Start Speech Therapy With Us
Book a free consultation. Talk with our lead speech-language pathologist for about 15 minutes, no cost and no obligation. We get to know your child, answer your questions, and show you exactly how your scholarship covers everything. Not approved yet? We’ll point you to how to apply through Step Up For Students.
Reserve funds in EMA. Once your FES-UA funds are available, log in, search “Connected Speech Pathology” in the Marketplace, and reserve funds for services. We bill the account directly, so there’s no reimbursement paperwork on your end.
Complete the speech-language evaluation. Covered by your scholarship. We assess your child’s strengths and needs and work with you to build a personalized plan.
Begin online speech therapy. Most children meet weekly on our secure platform, scheduled around your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. FES-UA funds can be used for both speech-language evaluations and ongoing speech therapy once your child is approved for the scholarship and funds are allocated through EMA.
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No. We bill EMA directly for covered services. All you need to do is allocate funds and approve orders through your EMA account.
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Most children meet weekly for 30 to 60 minutes. We set the length and schedule around your child’s needs and your family’s availability.
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Yes. We match your child with one speech-language pathologist who works with them consistently and gets to know their needs.
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Yes. Each is a licensed speech-language pathologist with an advanced degree and an average of 15 years of experience.
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Often, yes. Many young children and autistic children thrive in online speech therapy. Our speech therapists use engaging activities, individualized supports, and parent involvement to help children participate and make meaningful progress.
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Yes. We focus only on speech and coordinate with your child’s other providers so everyone’s goals line up.
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Yes. If they are eligible for FES-UA, they may be able to use their own scholarship funds for services. We also offer private-pay speech therapy for children who are not using a scholarship.