Picture this. You're sitting at your kitchen table in Texas looking at your child's tuition bill, $12,000 for the year. Or maybe you're a homeschooling parent, calculating curriculum costs, therapy sessions, tutoring. It all adds up. Now imagine someone handing you a check for $10,474 per child every year from the state of Texas. Sounds too good to be true. Well, it's not, and applications opened just this week on February 4th. Today we're diving deep into the Texas Education Freedom Accounts Program. Tfa, the largest first year school choice program in American history. We're talking about a billion dollars allocated by the Texas legislature to put education dollars directly into parents' hands. But here's the catch. The applications close March 17th. That gives you just 41 days to get your paperwork together and apply. And with limited funding, not everyone who applies is guaranteed to get in. So let's cut through the noise, look at the facts, and figure out exactly what this means for your family. Let's get started. A fast growing number of parents are starting their homeschooling journey while others have been homeschooling for years. All of these parents are asking one big question, how can I afford to homeschool? We are here to answer that important question once and for all. Hi, I'm Crystal Obby. And I'm Anthony Obby. We've been homeschooling our five kids for 13 years and we funded it. Through our online consulting business that we've been running for over 17 years now, we're combining Crystal's financial coaching expertise with my digital marketing background where I help entrepreneurs launch and sell online. We're here to help fellow homeschooling parents self-fund their homeschool journey and create lifestyle businesses. For financial freedom without a nine to five job, are you ready to start living life on your own terms and make your homeschooling experience a lot more fun? Well then sit back, crank up the volume, and enjoy this episode of Homeschool Money. Welcome to the Homeschool Money podcast. I'm your host, Anthony Obie, And I'm your host, crystal Obie. Let me start with the basics, because there's a lot of confusion about what this program actually is. In May, 2025, governor Greg Abbott signed senate bill to into Law creating what Texas is calling Education Freedom Accounts. Other states call these education savings accounts or ESAs. Some people call them vouchers, but that's not quite accurate and I'll explain why in a moment. Here's how it works. Instead of that money going directly to your local public school district, eligible families can receive state funding to use for approved educational expenses outside the traditional public school system. This includes private school tuition, homeschool curriculum, tutoring, therapy services, educational materials. Basically the things families actually need to educate their kids. The program is administered by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, and they partner with a company called Odyssey to manage the technology platform. Think of it like a prepaid debit card for education expenses, except you can only spend it through an approved marketplace of vendors. Now, why isn't this technically a voucher? Under a traditional voucher program, the state would write a check directly to a private school for your child's tuition was tifa. You never actually touch the money. Everything is managed through Odyssey's digital platform. You select approved vendors, schools, tutors, curriculum providers, and the funds get transferred directly to them. You're directing where the money goes, but you're not cashing checks or making direct payments yourself. The big question everyone's asking, how much money are we talking about? It depends on three things. Whether your child has an individualized education program or IEP, whether you're planning to use a participating private school and your family's income level for prioritization purposes, here are the numbers for the 2026 to 2027 school year, $10,474 per student if you're enrolling in a participating accredited private school, that's 85% of what Texas public schools receive per student. On average up to $30,000 per student with a qualifying disability who has an IEP on file with the Texas Education Agency. This is huge for families with children with special needs who need specific services and support. $2,000 per student if you're homeschooling or using other non-public educational settings that aren't approved private schools. As far as we know right now, homeschool freedom, stay exactly the same. If you're a current homeschooler and you don't wanna participate in tifa, nothing changes for you. There are no new testing requirements. No curriculum mandates, no government oversight of your homeschool. This is entirely optional. That's a crucial point because I've heard families worried that this program might be a Trojan horse for government regulation of home schools. Advocates have fought hard to ensure. Participating in Tifa doesn't compromise homeschool autonomy. Alright, so who can actually apply for this money? Hey, real quick, if you're liking the show, hit follow so you don't miss a single episode and drop a five star rating and a review to let us know that you're loving the content and tell us what topics you'd like us to cover. This will help more people find the show, and please share this episode with a friend, your co-op, or anyone who needs it. They'll be glad you did. Now, back to the show. The eligibility requirements are pretty straightforward. Your child must be number one, a Texas resident. At least one parent must live in Texas. Number two, A US citizen, US National, or lawfully admitted into the United States. Number three, eligible to enroll in a Texas public school or charter school Military families get special consideration even if you're not physically stationed in Texas. When you apply, you can meet residency requirements by uploading orders that require you to be in Texas during the 20 26 27 school year. Now, here's something really important. Your child can be currently enrolled in public school when you apply. The program doesn't exclude current public school students. However, your child cannot receive TFA funding while simultaneously enrolled in public or charter school. You have to choose one or the other. There's also a special pre-K provision. Children between ages three and five may be eligible for the full $10,474 if they qualify for free pre-kindergarten Under existing Texas law, this includes children who can't speak or comprehend English. Children from low income households, homeless children, children in foster care, children of active duty military or children of injured or killed first responders or military members and children of public school teachers at districts that offer pre-K, but, and this is critical. Just because nearly every Texas child is eligible to apply, doesn't mean everyone will receive funding. Let me explain how the selection process works, because this is where things get interesting. The Texas legislature approved 1 billion for tifa. That sounds like a lot of money and it is, but officials estimate it will serve somewhere between 90,000 and a hundred thousand students in the first year. For context, Texas has over 5.5 million students across public, private, and home schools. So what happens if more than a hundred thousand families apply? That's where the lottery comes in, but it's not a completely random lottery. Applications are prioritized into four tiers. Tier one children with a qualifying disability who are members of households with total annual income at or below 500% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that's about $165,000 per year. Tier two children from households with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, about 66,000 for a family of four. Tier three children from households with income between 200 and 500% of the federal poverty level, between 66,000 and 166,000. Were a family of four tier four children from households with income at or above 500% of the federal poverty level. That's over $165,000 for a family of four. Within this tier, children who were enrolled in a Texas public school or charter school for at least 90% of the prior school year get priority. Also, this category is capped at no more than 20% of the total program funding. If applications exceed available funding, the lottery will happen within each tier. Tier one gets processed first, then tier two, and so on. Here's a really family friendly feature. If one child in your family is selected in the lottery, all their eligible siblings who you apply for at the same time will automatically be accepted even if they're in different priority tier. This is specifically designed to keep families together and avoid the nightmare scenario where one kid gets funding but their brother or sister does it. And once you're in the program and remain in good standing, you don't have to reapply each year. Your child stays in the program through high school graduation. Now I want to address something I'm hearing from both supporters and critics of this program. Supporters, including Governor Abbott and acting comptroller Kelly Hancock, framed this as putting parents in the driver's seat of their children's education. They argue that when parents have the power to choose everyone wins, including public schools, which they claim will improve through competition. Critics including groups like every Texan, the Texas State Teachers Association and others have serious concerns. They are that this will drain essential funding from already under-resourced public schools. They point out that the majority of initial applicants will likely be families already paying for private school or already homeschooling, meaning the state will now be subsidizing education. It wasn't previously funding without actually improving outcomes for kids who struggle in public schools. There's also concern about accountability. Private schools participating in TFA must administer nationally. Norm referenced assessments to students in grades three through 12, but they don't have to give the star test that public schools use. Critics say this creates an uneven playing field. Homeschool students have no testing requirements at all. Some homeschool advocates, including voices like Robert Borden's and columnist Mary Ruth, worry that accepting government money could eventually lead to government control over curriculum and instruction. Desperate parents might accept the money now, but regret it later. We're not here to tell you what to think about those debates, but you should know they exist, especially if you value total autonomy in your homeschool. What I can tell you is what the program actually requires right now based on the official rules. Hey, friend, quick break. If you're ready to fund your homeschool without relying on a nine to five job, you have to check this out. We're giving you instant access to. Our free class is called Get 30,000 a year to Fund Your Homeschool Without a nine to five job. In just 90 minutes, you'll learn how to create consistent income. Afford a world-class education for your kids and get the lifestyle freedom you deserve, that's gonna give you more time to invest into the people that matter the most, your children. This is the system that changed everything for us, and it's changed everything for hundreds of other families too. Go to homeschool money.com to register and watch the free class on demand and get our newsletter full of tips and support. Don't wait. Your freedom starts right now. Alright. Let's get practical. How do you actually apply for this applications opened this week, February 4th at 9:00 AM Central time. They close March 17th at 11:59 PM Central Time. This is not first come, first served. Whether you apply on day one or day 40 doesn't affect your chances, so don't panic. If you're not ready right now. Take your time, gather your documents, and submit a complete, accurate application. The application is online only managed through Odyssey. You can do it on your phone, tablet, or computer. Most people complete it in 10 to 20 minutes if they have all their documents ready. Before you start, gather these documents for all applicants. Your social security number or individual taxpayer identification number, your child's social security number, your Texas driver's license number, or state ID number. Your most recent IRS form 10 40 tax return, either 2024 or 2025. Proof of Texas residency if your license can't be verified. Utility bill, lease agreement, mortgage statement or voter registration certificate. If your child has an IEP, this is where it gets more complex and where you could potentially qualify for significantly more funding If your child has an individualized education program on file with the Texas Education Agency from the 20 23 24, or the 20 24 25, or the 20 25, 26 school year, they may be eligible for up to $30,000 in funding instead of the base $10,474. You'll need your child's Texas unique student identification number, also called the UID or S number. You can get this from your child's previous school records or by contacting their school district. You'll also need the numerical instructional code from the IEP usually found in the section about lease restrictive environment or instructional arrangement. If your child has only attended private school but has an IEP, your local public school district should have loaded your child's IEP information into the state's apex system. Which generates a UID. Now what if your child has a disability but doesn't have a current IEP on file? With TEA, you have options for prioritization purposes only, not for the additional funding. You can submit a current or expired out of state IEP, verified by the state or school district, a full individual and initial evaluation that documents a qualifying disability, a TFA disability certification form. This disability certification form is brand new, created specifically for tfa. It must be completed by qualified professionals, licensed psychologists, physicians, therapists, and people who diagnose. Depending on the specific disability, the form and instructions are available on the TFA website. Important note, the disability certification form can help you get priority in the lottery, but it won't get you the additional funding up to $30,000. Only a validated IEP on file with TEA. By March 17th can do that. If you're applying for pre-K, you'll need additional documentation proving your child qualifies under one of the special pre-K eligibility categories. This might include foster care documentation, military service statements, or other proof depending on your situation. The application itself when you sit down to complete the application, here's what you'll do first. You'll enter your contact information and upload your identity residency and income documents. Make sure the information matches exactly what's on your identification. Second, you'll provide information about each child you're applying for. You can include multiple children in one household application. In fact, you should, because of that sibling benefit I mentioned earlier, you'll be asked questions about gender, race, ethnicity, and the public school campus your child is zoned for. These are required for reporting purposes, but don't affect eligibility or funding. Third, and this is crucial, you'll select an educational setting for each child. Private school or homeschool slash other. If you select private school, your child will be eligible for the $10,474 or up to $30,000 with a qualifying IEP. The school must be accredited and registered to participate in Tifa. If you select homeschool slash other. Your child will be eligible for $2,000. Here's the catch. This selection locks at the end of the application period on March 17th. After that deadline, you can change from private school down to homeschool. Slash other and receive the lower amount, but you cannot make a change that results in additional funding. So choose carefully. You don't have to select a specific private school. When you apply, you just need to indicate that you plan to use a participating private school. You'll confirm the actual school enrollment later in the summer. At the end, you'll agree to a long list of attestations. Read these carefully. You're affirming that all your information is accurate, that you understand program requirements, that you'll only use funds for qualified educational expenses, that you won't sell items per purchased with tifa money, and that you consent to audits and information sharing as necessary for program administration. Then you submit. Okay, so you've submitted your application. Now what? Let me walk you through the timeline. Hey, I hope you're enjoying the show. We'll get right back to the discussion, but I do want to talk high level with you real quick. You see, transforming your finances so you can self-fund your homeschooling journey without a nine to five job takes a roadmap, right? And you may be wondering, where do I even start? Start at step one. Our Homeschool Money Makeover program breaks it down into five practical steps that help any family achieve a financially abundant. Homeschooling lifestyle. Step one, install the abundance Operating system. Most people believe that they need two, nine to five jobs to make it in America the truth. With all the technology and the tools available today, there's never been an easier time to generate six figures. A year in income working just 15 to 20 hours a week than today. When you have a strong why for homeschooling and you know the real costs, you unlock the courage that you need to become a money magnet without a nine to five job. Step two, get crystal clear about what you're gonna do with your first $1,000 that you make outside of your day job. Write down specific homeschool needs that a thousand dollars can cover. Yes, this is a small amount, but if you can learn how to set a target of make your first thousand dollars outside of your nine to five job, that's going to set a fire in your belly and the determination that you need. To make the next a hundred thousand dollars. Step three, find all the money falling through the cracks in your budget with Crystal's. Three financial coaching certifications. Listen, she's gonna help you be able to streamline your budget and free up money without sacrificing your favorite things. You can't build a strong financial future with money falling through your pockets, right? So let's plug up the leaks. Step four. Discover new ways to make money and claim free money available for homeschooling families. We discuss grants scholarships, proven fundraising opportunities that Savvy Homeschoolers are using, and we show you how to use them too. Step five, launch or Scale your Moneymaking Success System to completely replace your nine to five job income. Whether it's a side hustle, a freelance work, or a new business, identify your single most viable opportunity and turn that into $3,000 in income. $5,000, $10,000 a month in income or whatever you need to feel financially abundant. Implementing these five streamlined steps will make you feel more financially empowered than ever before. You'll gain the momentum that you need by step number five when you're making more money. You're going to feel unstoppable financially. Through our marketing consulting business, we've helped literally hundreds of entrepreneurs build online selling machines. That's what we do in our business life and launches, and we share our million dollar automated selling system with you. Inside the Homeschool Money Makeover program. Inside the course, you're gonna get all the video lessons, worksheets, templates, and guides that you need to walk through all five of the steps to transform your finances. And right now, during our special introductory offer period, you'll get bonus gifts plus our lowest enrollment price ever. Making it easy to enroll and make your first thousand dollars back. Fast. Go to homeschool money.com to watch our free class, and then you're gonna get an inside look at the full Homeschool Money Makeover program. Don't wait. Go to homeschool money.com to start the free class and enroll into the full program today. March 17th, 1150 9:00 PM Central Standard Time Applications closed. This is also the deadline for any IEPs to be on file with TEA if you want to qualify for additional funding. Late March if applications exceed available funding. Odyssey will conduct the lottery within each priority tier. Early April. Notifications begin going out to selected families. If you're accepted, you'll receive instructions on next steps. If you're not selected, you'll be placed on a wait list. June 1st initial deadline for parents to select their child's specific private school. June 15th initial deadline for schools to confirm enrollment. July 1st. First round of funding becomes available in Odyssey Accounts at least 25% of your total award. July 15th, final deadline for parents to select schools. July 31st. Final deadline for schools to confirm enrollment. mid-August. Final deadline for first round funding to be available. October 1st, at least 50% of total funding. So 75% cumulative must be available April 1st, 2027. Remaining funding becomes available, important. Any funds remaining at the end of the school year will roll over as long as your child stays in the program. So if you don't spend all $2,000 or $10,474 this year, it doesn't disappear. It carries forward. So what are approved educational expenses? According to the program rules, TFA funds can be used for private school tuition and fees, curriculum and institution, curriculum and instructional materials, textbooks, and work. Educational therapies and services, tutoring and supplemental education serve your total award career and technical education programs, transportations to and from school. School uniforms if required by the school, standardized testing fees, college entrance exam fees, dual credit courses for homeschool families getting $2,000. This could cover your entire curriculum budget, plus materials, plus maybe a math tutor or writing coach. For private school families, $10,474 could cover most or all of your tuition, depending on the school. For families with children who have special needs. Getting up to $30,000. This could be life changing, covering not just tuition, but also specialized therapies, equipment and services that are often incredibly expensive. What you cannot use TFA funds for paying family members to provide educational services, purchasing anything that's not educational in nature items, you plan to resell services from providers who aren't approved in the Tifa marketplace. And remember, you're buying through Odyssey's platform from approved vendors only. You can't just go to Target, buy school supplies and submit receipts for reimbursement. It doesn't work that way. All right, let's bring this home. If you want to apply for Tifa, here's exactly what you need to do right now. Step one, go to education freedom.texas.gov and download the parent prep checklist. Print it out or save it to your phone. Step two. Gather all your required documents, IDs, tax returns, proof of residency, your child's social security number, and if applicable, IEP information. Step three. If you're planning to use a private school, use the school finder tool on the Tifa website to see which schools near you are participating. As of late December, over 1400 schools have signed up and more are being added regularly. Step four, if you have questions, you can get support multiple ways. Chat with an AI assistant@chat.withodyssey.com. Call 7 3 7. 3 7 9 2 3 6 2. Email, help dot tx@withodyssey.com. Step five, complete your application at the Odyssey platform. The link is on the TFA website. You have until March 17th at 11:59 PM Central Time. Step six. If you're accepted, mark your calendar for summer deadline. June 1st for school selection. July 1st when funds start becoming available. The Texas Homeschool Coalition has extensive facts and resources on their website@tsc.org. If you're a homeschool family, I strongly recommend checking out their materials. They've been deeply involved in shaping this program to protect homeschool freedoms. If you want to attend an in-person information session, there are events happening across Texas. The TFA website has a map showing upcoming sessions. For example, there's one in Dallas on February 7th at the shops at Redbird from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM So here's my final take on all this. Tifa represents a massive shift in how Texas funds education. Whether you see it as empowering parents or draining public schools, probably depends on your values and your family situation. For some families. Especially those already paying private school tuition or those with children with special needs. This program could be a financial lifeline. $10,000 per child per year is real money for homeschool families. $2,000 might not seem like much compared to what private school families get, but it's still $2,000 you didn't have before with no new strings attached to your homeschool freedom. The critics raise legitimate concerns about long-term impacts on public education funding, and about whether accepting government money. The critics raise legitimate concerns about long-term impacts on public education funding, and about whether accepting government money might eventually. Lead to government control. But right now, today, the program exists, the rules are set, applications are open, and you have 41 days to decide whether it's right for your family. I'm not gonna tell you what to do. That's your decision, but I hope we've given you the information you need to make it. If you found this helpful, share it with other Texas families who might benefit, and if you have follow up questions, drop them in the comments or reach out to the TFA support team. Thanks for listening. This is Crystal Obie, and I'll see you next time. If you like today's episode, make sure you tap the follow button so you never miss a thing, and if it help you share it with a friend or your homeschool group sharing is caring. Do you love free stuff? Like me? Sign up and watch our free games class called Get 30,000 a year to Find Your Homeschooling. With our nine to five job, when you sign up, you'll gain instant access to a class and you'll get our weekly newsletter. For tips and strategies to make your homeschooling journey affordable, go to homeschool money.com and register right now, ready to get your homeschool money. Head over to homeschool money.com to enroll in the full Homeschool Money Makeover course. You'll get the tools, templates, and step by step help to find your first $1,000 fast. And create 30,000 or much more every year. Each module of this program is designed to transform your finances and help you experience financial abundance, so you have the flexibility and lifestyle freedom to homeschool your children with a nine to five job and without sacrificing. And right now we have an amazing limited time offer that gives you huge savings and bonus gifts you're going to love. Go to homeschool may.com to enroll today, and don't forget to give us some love with the five star rating and review. It'll help more people find ourselves. Have a great day. Bye.