Teacher Preparation Program – Para to Teacher Tuition Support Program
The Para to Teacher Tuition Support Program is a Grow Your Own initiative that provides financial assistance to paraprofessionals currently employed in Florida’s public schools who want to become certified teachers. The program supports candidates pursuing degrees in special education, deaf education, or visual disabilities at eligible Florida colleges and universities, and it is administered with the email contact paratoteach@uwf.edu.
Eligibility differs by level. Undergraduate applicants must hold an Associate of Arts degree with a minimum 2.5 GPA and pass the General Knowledge Test before enrolling in a special education teacher preparation program. Graduate applicants need a bachelor’s degree in a non-education field with a minimum 3.0 GPA and admission to a graduate special education teacher preparation program. Applicants must first enroll independently at an eligible state-approved institution and complete that institution’s admission and registration procedures, then apply for tuition support, and the program notes that a complete application does not guarantee admission.
The program covers tuition, textbooks, and FTCE examination support through annual funding from the Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services. Participants must work with students with disabilities in Florida public or charter schools and commit to teaching students with disabilities in a Florida public school upon completion of their program. Funding derives from federal assistance under IDEA, Part B, administered through the state.
Separate online application portals are provided for undergraduate and graduate participants, with supporting forms available through Google Drive. Additional resources include General Knowledge Test preparation materials through Pearson, a free paraprofessional support course on the BEESS Portal, and links to state and national special education resources.
Serving paraprofessionals across Florida’s public and charter school systems, the program connects classroom support staff with the credentials and funding needed to enter special education teaching, addressing demand for qualified educators of students with disabilities throughout the state.