FTC and FES-EO families: after-school cheer and tumbling
The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) are the Step Up For Students programs most families associate with private school tuition, and tuition is where the bulk of those awards go. But both are administered as education savings accounts, and families in these programs regularly ask what else the account can be used for once school is handled. The Stingray Allstars Fort Lauderdale is an approved Step Up For Students direct service provider, so if after-school athletic instruction is an approved use of your funds, our Deerfield Beach gym is a provider you can use.
Last updated September 4, 2026
Start with the purchasing guide, not with us
This page needs a blunt caveat up front. FTC and FES-EO are structured differently from the scholarships built for homeschool and unique-abilities families, and what an account may be spent on beyond tuition is narrower and is set by Step Up For Students, not by any provider.
So the first step for an FTC or FES-EO family is the current-year purchasing guide for your specific scholarship, or a direct question to Step Up For Students. If after-school athletic instruction is an approved use of your account, we can serve you. If it is not, we would rather you find that out from the guide than from a gym's marketing page. We will never tell a family an expense is covered when that decision is not ours.
What a private school family typically wants from a cheer gym
Private school cheer and gym-based all-star cheer are different sports that share a name. School cheer is seasonal, sideline-oriented, and built around the school's own calendar. All-star cheer is year-round, competition-oriented, and built around a routine that is scored against other gyms.
Most private school families come to us for one of two reasons. Either their athlete makes the school squad and wants real tumbling coaching to keep up with the skills the squad expects, or their athlete wants to compete seriously and the school program does not go that far. Both are well served here, and they point at different programs.
If the goal is skills for a school squad, weekly tumbling classes and private lessons are the efficient answer: $17 per 55-minute class, or one-on-one time targeted at the specific skill a coach is asking for. If the goal is competitive cheer, that is our team program, and it starts with an evaluation.
- •Tumbling classes: build the standing and running skills school squads score on.
- •Private lessons: fastest route to a specific skill, such as a back handspring or a tuck.
- •Clinics: $45 for a focused two-hour session, useful during school breaks.
- •Competitive teams: Novice, Prep, and Elite placements after a coach evaluation.
Fitting a gym schedule around a private school day
Our gym runs weekday afternoons and evenings and Saturday mornings, which is built for exactly this. Families coming from private schools across Broward and south Palm Beach generally land in the later afternoon and evening slots.
The honest scheduling advice: if your athlete is on a school squad and also training here, be realistic about the total hours before you sign up for a competitive team on top of it. A full Elite season is a twelve-month commitment with practices, choreography, and travel. Plenty of athletes do both, but the ones who struggle are the ones who did not add up the calendar first. Ask us and we will tell you what a given team's week actually looks like.
What we can document for you
Whether your funds are paid to a provider directly or you pay out of pocket and submit for reimbursement, the paperwork is the same on our end: ask us for an itemized receipt or invoice.
It will show your student's name, the program, the dates, the session length, and the amount. Reimbursement requests are more often held up by incomplete documentation than by an eligibility problem, so take the receipt every time, even for a single clinic.
Where we are
The Stingray Allstars Fort Lauderdale trains at 1907 SW 43rd Terrace, Bay F, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442. We use the Fort Lauderdale market name, but the floor is in Deerfield Beach, right at the Broward and Palm Beach line.
That puts us within a straightforward drive of private schools throughout Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Parkland, Pompano Beach, Boca Raton, Lighthouse Point, and Fort Lauderdale itself. Call (954) 988-0488 and we will tell you which class times work best from your side of the county.
Who decides what your funds cover
The Stingray Allstars Fort Lauderdale is an approved Step Up For Students direct service provider. Eligibility, award amounts, funding timelines, and which expenses may be paid from your account are all determined by Step Up For Students and the state of Florida, not by the gym, and the rules differ by scholarship program and are updated between school years. Read the current-year purchasing guide for your scholarship, and contact Step Up For Students directly with anything ambiguous. We will give you accurate pricing and itemized receipts; we will never tell you an expense is covered when that decision is not ours to make.
Step Up For Students official siteFrequently asked questions
Can FTC or FES-EO funds be used for cheer classes?
That is determined by Step Up For Students in the current-year purchasing guide for your specific scholarship, and the rules for FTC and FES-EO accounts are narrower than for the homeschool and unique-abilities programs. Check the guide or ask Step Up For Students directly before enrolling. The Stingray Allstars Fort Lauderdale is an approved direct service provider, so if the expense is approved for your account, we are a provider you can use.
My daughter is on her school's cheer squad. What should she train here?
Tumbling classes and private lessons. School squads score on standing and running tumbling skills, and those are exactly what a gym floor with spring flooring and coaches is for. Classes are $17 per 55-minute session; private lessons target one specific skill.
What is the difference between school cheer and all-star cheer?
School cheer is seasonal and sideline-oriented, built around the school's calendar. All-star cheer is year-round and competition-oriented, built around a scored routine performed against other gyms. Athletes can do both, but a full Elite all-star season is a twelve-month commitment worth adding up before you sign on.
Do you offer evening classes?
Yes. The gym runs weekday afternoons and evenings and Saturday mornings, which fits around a full private school day. Call (954) 988-0488 for current availability.
See what fits your athlete's schedule.