Georgia's Two Scholarships, Explained
Georgia has two programs that can pay for speech therapy. The Special Needs Scholarship: about $7,358 a year for students with an IEP or 504 plan. The Promise Scholarship: a $6,500 account that names licensed speech therapists on its approved list. Different doors, different keys. Here is which one is yours.
Verified August 2026The Two Programs, Simply
The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) started in 2007. If your child has an IEP or 504 plan and leaves public school, the state money follows them to a participating private school. It averages about $7,358 a year and covers tuition plus services at the school, including speech, OT, and PT. The key rule: your child must have attended a Georgia public school the year before.
The Georgia Promise Scholarship is newer: $6,500 a year in an account you control, and its approved list names licensed speech-language therapists directly. It even adds up to $500 a year for rides to therapy. Its gate is different: it serves students zoned to the state's lowest-performing districts, with an income cap for some.
Is This for You?
Two doors, two keys. GSNS runs on your child's IEP or 504 status. Promise runs on your school zone. Some families hold both keys and should compare before choosing.
GSNS Is Likely Yours If
Your child has an IEP or 504 plan, went to a Georgia public school last year, and a participating private school fits your plans. Speech therapy at the school rides along with tuition.
Promise Is Likely Yours If
You are zoned to one of the qualifying districts and want to control the spending yourself. The account pays licensed speech therapists directly, and the $500 travel money admits what parents know: getting there costs too.
If Your Child's Disabilities Are Significant
Georgia's Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver below is the bigger prize: full Medicaid no matter what parents earn, covering the speech therapy your child medically needs with no yearly cap. It is paperwork-heavy, and the new 2026 application portal helps. Scholarships stack next to it, not instead of it.
How to Apply
Check which gates you pass.
GSNS: current IEP or 504 plan, plus Georgia public school last year. Promise: zoned to a qualifying district, income cap for some. Check both before falling for either.
For GSNS, pick from participating schools.
The money follows your child to a participating private school, so the school list is the program. Ask each school what therapy it actually provides and who does the speech therapy.
For Promise, apply and plan the year.
Apply through the state's Promise portal. Once funded, map the year: therapist sessions, school costs, and the travel money.
Keep the paperwork current either way.
IEPs, 504 plans, and evaluations drive both programs, and the same folder feeds a Katie Beckett application later. One organized binder serves every Georgia door.
Hold both keys? Compare the real numbers. Your child's GSNS award varies with the services on their IEP; Promise is a flat $6,500 plus travel. Ask GSNS for your calculated amount before deciding. Families are sometimes surprised which is bigger.
Other Doors in Georgia
Scholarship money is one path. Families often use these too, at the same time. Each one was checked in August 2026, with the honest catch included.
TEFRA/Katie Beckett (Deeming Waiver)
full Medicaid coverageMedicaid for children under 18 with disabilities who need an institutional level of care but live at home. Parental income is ignored; covers therapy via EPSDT.
Approval hinges on documented level of care, not diagnosis; paperwork-heavy application.
sourceQuestions Families Actually Ask
Can my child get both GSNS and Promise?
Treat it as either-or: each assumes it is funding your child's education. Compare your actual numbers and check each program's current rules before planning around both.
My child has a 504 plan but no IEP. Does GSNS count it?
Yes. GSNS takes an IEP or a 504 plan, which opens the door wider. Plenty of kids with speech needs have a 504 rather than a full IEP.
We were not in public school last year. Any options?
GSNS's prior-year rule is a hard gate. Promise has different gates (school zone and income), so check it. And Georgia's Katie Beckett waiver has no school rule at all.
Does Promise really pay for rides?
Yes, up to $500 a year for transportation to therapy.
Which Georgia door covers the most therapy?
For a child with significant disabilities: the Katie Beckett Deeming Waiver. Full Medicaid covers the speech therapy your child medically needs, with no yearly cap, at any parental income. Scholarships are education money; Katie Beckett is health coverage. Many families need both.
Keep Reading
The Katie Beckett Waiver, Explained
A rule that gets kids with big medical needs full Medicaid, no matter what their parents earn. How it works in every state.
Read the guideEarly Intervention: Free Checks Before Age 3
Every state checks young children's speech for free. No doctor's note needed. One phone call starts it, and we have your state's number.
Read the guideGrants That Pay for Speech Therapy
Real grants with real amounts: about $1,000 from Small Steps in Speech, up to $5,000 from UHCCF, plus state funds. Deadlines included.
Read the guideGeorgia SLPs Walk These Doors Weekly
A practice that serves scholarship families can tell you which programs they bill, what paperwork you need, and whether Katie Beckett is worth your next Saturday. Find one near you.
Find an SLP near you