did you know the state of Texas just launched what is being called the largest day one school choice program in United States history? We're talking about $1 billion set aside specifically for Texas families to take control of their child's education. And if you're a Texas parent and you haven't heard about this yet, you're going to wanna stay with us for the next 20 minutes because today we are breaking down exactly how to get your hands on this money, and more importantly, how to spend every single dollar without leaving any of it on the table. 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. Hey guys. Welcome to the Homeschool Money podcast. I'm your host, Anthony Obby. I'm your host, crystal Obie. All right, let's get into it. So let's start at the beginning. What exactly is this program? It's called the Texas Education Freedom Accounts Program, or TIFA for short. It's administered by the Texas Comptroller's Office and it gives eligible families a dedicated account with real money to spend on their child's education outside of the traditional public school system. Think of it like a debit card for your kids' education. The state loads money onto it, and you get to decide where it goes within the approved categories, and we'll get into what you can actually spend it on in just a minute because there are some really interesting options. Now, who qualifies? This is important. Your child needs to be a Texas resident eligible to attend a Texas public school, which basically covers most kids and a US citizen or lawfully admitted to the country. That's it at the baseline. No complicated income test. Just to apply, and here's the detail a lot of families will want to hear. This includes pre-K. If your child qualifies for the state's free pre-K program, they can participate. We're talking about kids as young as three years old, military families, foster kids, families receiving SNAP or tanf, there are several categories that open the door for pre-K funding. One thing that's really important to understand is that your child cannot be currently enrolled in a public or charter school and receive TEPA funding at the same time, but you absolutely can apply while they're still in public school. You would just need to make the switch before the funding kicks in. Okay. Let's talk about numbers because this is where it gets really interesting for families. if your child is going to attend an accredited participating private school, your account is funded at $10,474 for the school year. That is a significant chunk of private school tuition covered, But here's the number that I really want every parent to hear. If your child has a qualifying disability and you have their IEP, their individualized education program on file with the Texas Education, agency, by March 17th, your child could qualify for up to $30,000, $30,000 for one child in one school year. That is a life changing amount of money for families who are currently paying out of pocket for specialized therapies and private placements. And we're gonna talk about how to make sure you don't miss that window if you're planning to homeschool or use another non-public education setting. The account is funded at $2,000. That's still a meaningful amount, especially for curriculum and materials. One critical thing to know, you need to lock in your educational setting choice by the time applications ch close on March 17th. If you say private school, you get the higher amount. If you say homeschool, you get $2,000 and here's the key. You can switch down from private school to homeschool after the window closes, but you cannot switch up. So if you're even considering a private school, choose that option now and you can always change to homeschool later. You just can't go the other direction. 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. We hope that you heard that really well, because that is one of the most important things we're gonna say in this entire episode. Lock in private school, if there's any chance you lose nothing by doing that. Alright, let's get to the good stuff. What can you actually buy with this money? Because this is where families can really get creative and strategic. The program has five main approved categories, private school tuition and fees. Educational therapies and services, curriculum and instructional materials, tutoring and supplemental education services and technology. Though technology is capped at 10% of your total account, so let's walk through what that could look like in real life. Say you have a child with dyslexia. You could use TE FFA money for their private school tuition and also for specialized reading therapy and for structured literacy curriculum materials at home that is stacking the program in a way that actually addresses your child's specific needs For families with a child on the autism spectrum or with other disabilities, educational therapies and services could be huge. We're talking about the kinds of interventions that families often have to fight for or pay for entirely on their own. TFA creates a dedicated funding stream for that for homeschool families. The curriculum and instructional materials category is where your $2,000 goes to work. That covers books, learning programs, hands-on science, kids, and more. Oh, but tutoring is another big one. If your child needs extra support in math, writing a foreign language. TFA funds can pay for that. And for the tech piece, remember, it is capped at 10%, so on a $10,474 account, you're looking at just over a thousand dollars for technology. A laptop, a tablet, educational software that could be covered. The D two detailed list of eligible expenses will be in the participant handbook that comes after approval. So definitely review that carefully once you have your account. But the categories give you a really strong framework to start planning now. Now let's talk about the application. The window is February 4th through March 17th, 2026. Applications are submitted through a platform called Odyssey. The good news is this thing is designed to be parent friendly. It takes about 10 to 20 minutes and you can do it on your phone. And here is something that trips a lot of people up. This is not a first come first serve program. I wanna say that again. Applying on day one versus the last day makes absolutely zero difference to your chances. What matters is your priorities here, and we're going to break that down right now. Okay, so there are four priority tiers. Tier one is children with a qualifying disability whose household income is at or below 500% of the federal poverty level. So if you have a family of four that's roughly $165,000 a year, most Texas families with a child who has a disability fall into that tier, and that gets you the top spot in the lottery. Tier two is households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, about 66,000 for a family of four. Tier three is 200% to 500%, and tier four is everyone above that. So even if you're a higher income family, you are still eligible. You're just in a different part of the lottery. Now let's talk about the moves that separate families who maximize this program from those who miss out. Pro tip number one, if you have more than one child, put all of them on one application. This is critical if you, if even one sibling gets selected in the lottery, all of the other eligible siblings who applied at the same time are accepted with them. One Lucky lottery win can cover your entire household. Pro tip number two, if your child has a disability, get that IEP on file with the Texas Education Agency before March 17th. That is the hard deadline. An IEP on file is what unlocks the additional funding up to $30,000. If your child is currently in private school and has an IEP, call your local public school district right now and ask them to upload it into the state Apex system. Do not wait. If your child does not have an IEP but does have a disability, you can still get priority tier status. The comptroller created a special disability certification form for tifa. A qualified professional, like a doctor, psychologist or licensed therapist can sign it. It won't get you the extra funding, but it will get you into that top priority tier for the lottery. Get it@educationfreedom.texas.gov. Approach it. Number four, select private school in your application. Even if you haven't enrolled yet, you have until this summer to actually confirm a school enrollment. But if you don't lock in private school by March 17th, you cannot add it later. You can always switch to homeschool for the lower amount. You cannot switch up. Pro Tip number five, gather your documents before you start. You will need a social security number for you and your child. A Texas driver's license or state id. And your 2024 or 2025 IRS form 10 40. Having these ready means your 10 to 20 minute application actually takes 10 minutes. Pro tip number six, once you're accepted, you do not need to reapply every year. As long as your child stays in good standing with the program, your account continues. That means all the work you do now pays off for years to come. Okay, let's quickly talk about the money timeline. So there are no surprises if you're selected. Notifications go out in early April. You'll then have until this summer to confirm your school enrollment. The first round of funding at least 25% of your total account hits the Odyssey platform by July 1st. Additional funding comes in two more rounds, October 1st and April 1st, 2027. So it's distributed across the school year, not all at once. Funding lives inside the Odyssey platform, which is also where you'll make approved purchases. Think of it like a dedicated debit account you manage online. If you need support, you can call Odyssey at (737) 379-2362. Again, that's Odyssey at 7 3 7 3 7 9 2 3 6 2. You can visit support dot with odyssey.com or email help dot tx@withodyssey.com and don't worry about it if you don't remember any of that. We have all of this information in the show notes, so please check the show notes for this information as well. Alright, let's bring it home. Texas just made $1 billion available for families to choose. How their children learn. The application is simple. It's on your phone and it takes less than 20 minutes. Here's your action plan before we go. Number one, go to education freedom.texas.gov right now and bookmark it. That's your home base for everything. Number two, gather your social security number, your child's social security number, your Texas ID, and your most recent tax return. Number three, if your child has a disability, contact your school district this week about the IEP. Do not let March 17th sneak up on you. Number four, apply before March 17th and include every eligible child in one application. So the sibling rule works for you. This episode is made to be shared. If you know a Texas parent who needs to hear this information, send it to them right now. You could literally change their family's financial picture for education for years to come, let alone the life and the future of their children. Thanks so much for listening. We'll see you in the next episode. 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.