Cheer and tumbling for FES-UA families
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, usually shortened to FES-UA, is the Step Up For Students program for Florida students with a qualifying diagnosis, and it is the most flexible of the scholarships in what families can spend funds on. The Stingray Allstars Fort Lauderdale is an approved Step Up For Students direct service provider, and our gym in Deerfield Beach serves FES-UA families from across Broward County. This page explains what training here actually looks like, what we can and cannot promise, and the questions worth asking us before you enroll.
Last updated September 4, 2026
What FES-UA families are usually looking for
Parents who reach out about FES-UA rarely lead with cheerleading. They lead with a goal: gross motor development, core and upper-body strength, balance, spatial awareness, following multi-step directions, or simply an activity where their child is part of a group and is genuinely wanted there.
Gym-based tumbling happens to be good at most of that. A tumbling class is repetitive, physical, highly structured, and immediately legible: a child can see the mat, see the skill, and see themselves get better at it. The structure that makes a cheer gym intimidating from the outside is often exactly what makes it work for a student who does better with predictable routines.
What we honestly offer, and what we do not
We want to be straight with FES-UA families, because this is an area where it is easy for a business to overpromise. The Stingray Allstars Fort Lauderdale is a competitive all-star cheer gym. Our coaches are cheer and tumbling coaches. We are not a therapy provider, we do not employ occupational or physical therapists, and nothing we do is a substitute for clinical services.
What we do offer is small-group and one-on-one instruction in a real gym, coaches who will work with you on how your athlete learns, and a program ladder that lets a student progress at whatever pace is right for them rather than being pushed onto a team. Private lessons in particular are often the best starting point, because they let a coach and your athlete get to know each other one-on-one before a group setting.
If your athlete has needs that require specific accommodations, tell us before you enroll rather than after. A ten-minute conversation about what works and what does not lets a coach prepare, and it lets us tell you honestly whether we are the right environment. We would rather say so up front than take a family's scholarship funds for a program that is not a fit.
- •Private lessons: one-on-one coach time, the most adaptable format we run.
- •Weekly classes: $17 per 55-minute class, purchasable as Class Passes rather than a monthly commitment.
- •Open Stunt and Tumble: $20 for 90 minutes of lower-pressure open training time.
- •Competitive teams: available, but a full twelve-month commitment at the Elite level. Novice is the foundational placement.
How FES-UA funding works with a provider like us
FES-UA funds are held in an education savings account and administered by Step Up For Students. Eligibility, award amounts, and which expenses are approved are all determined by Step Up For Students and the state, not by the gym, and they are published in the purchasing guide for the scholarship.
Physical education is one of the service categories Step Up For Students recognizes for approved direct service providers. That said, read your current-year purchasing guide before enrolling and confirm anything you are unsure about directly with Step Up For Students. We will give you accurate pricing and itemized receipts for whatever your athlete enrolls in; we will not tell you an expense is approved when that call belongs to someone else.
Visiting first is a good idea
For FES-UA families more than anyone, we suggest coming to see the gym before committing anything. Watch a class from the viewing area. See how loud it is, how busy the floor gets, how the coaches talk to athletes. Bring your student and let them stand at the edge of the mat.
Our facility is at 1907 SW 43rd Terrace, Bay F, Deerfield Beach, and we are open weekday afternoons and evenings and Saturday mornings. Call (954) 988-0488 and we will find a time when the floor matches what you want your student to see.
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
Is Stingray Allstars an approved FES-UA provider?
The Stingray Allstars Fort Lauderdale is an approved Step Up For Students direct service provider. Whether a specific expense at our gym is an approved use of your FES-UA funds is determined by Step Up For Students in the current-year purchasing guide for that scholarship, so confirm with them before you enroll.
Do you offer adaptive or special-needs cheer classes?
We do not run a separate adaptive program. We offer private lessons, small-group classes, and open training time, and our coaches will work with you on how your athlete learns best. We are a cheer and tumbling gym, not a therapy provider, and we will tell you honestly if we are not the right environment for your athlete.
Can my child take classes without ever joining a competitive team?
Yes. Weekly classes and open training are standalone programs. Many athletes train with us for years without competing, and there is no pressure to move onto a team.
What is the best way to start?
Call (954) 988-0488 and ask about a private lesson or a visit to watch a class. One-on-one coach time is the most adaptable format we run and the easiest way to find out whether the gym is a fit before committing scholarship funds to a longer program.
Come see the gym before you commit.