2025-2026 ProStart Opportunities
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Educational Foundation (FRLAEF) offers events, activities, monetary support as well as teacher and student support for your ProStart program. The FRLAEF believes participation in these activities can lead to a richer learning environment for you and your students. Events and opportunities are listed throughout the August NewsBites below.
ProStart School Classification
At the beginning of each school year the FRLAEF asks schools to commit to their level of participation in the ProStart program. There are three levels of participation: PREMIER, FU
LL and CURRICULUM ONLY.
PREMIER LEVEL
The FRLAEF will determine which schools qualify as Premier schools based on the benchmarks the school met during the 2024-2025 school year. In order to be classified as a Premier school this year, the program must complete the required work during the previous school year. Schools that achieve Premier status receive a stipend of $1,000.
Schools may work to qualify for Premier status until the 2025 paperwork deadline, which typically means having students earn the ProStart Certificate of Achievement (COA). If you have students you believe can earn the COA, please let us know and we can walk you through the process.
FULL OR CURRICULUM ONLY
Schools that have not earned the Premier level may choose between the Full and Curriculum Only classification. Schools that achieve Full status receive a stipend of $500.
PARTICIPATION COMMITMENT
The FRLAEF will send an email to all ProStart schools containing classification details including which level of classification a school may achieve based on their participation from last year. Please read through the details of the classification carefully to determine if you will be able to meet the requirements before committing. In order to be classified at any level, you must have and be using both the Level One and Level Two Foundations textbooks.
If the FRLAEF does not receive your commitment form by September 19, 2025, the FRLAEF will assume your school is a Curriculum Only program. This is an ANNUAL agreement.
Mini Grants
The FRLAEF is offering $125,000 in Mini Grant funding to Premiere and Full Florida ProStart schools this year. To assist in your planning, last year the average was about $1000 per school.
There are two prerequisites for grant funding: 1) you must currently teach the ProStart curriculum, and 2) you must be a Premier or Full ProStart school.
The FRLAEF Board of Directors prefers to fund items that will make your classroom self-sustaining or equipment that will be used frequently throughout the year. The board WILL NOT APPROVE electronics to include printers, computers, iPads, and digital cameras. They also do not typically approve field trips, curriculum (to include ServSafe and SafeStaff) and transportation. Please include a good explanation of how the item will be used in the classroom as this is your justification for the purchase. If you are new to Mini Grants, please let us know what questions you have!
The application deadline is Friday, September 19, 2025.
APPLY FOR A MINI GRANT NOW!
GRANT AWARD NOTIFICATION: The FRLAEF Board will meet in October to determine awards.
FRLAEF Regional Workshops–Registration Now Open!
The FRLAEF is offering six Regional Workshops this fall. ProStart teachers may bring up to five students to each event. There is no fee to attend a Regional Workshop which includes lunch and chef coats for participating ProStart students. Travel to and from Regional Workshops is at your own expense.
If Regional Workshops reach maximum capacity prior to the deadline, all subsequent schools will be placed on the waiting list. Most events begin at 8:30 am and conclude no later than 2:00 pm.
EVENT DATES |
|
| Keiser University | UCF Rosen |
| 9/18, Melbourne | 9/24 |
| 10/3, Tallahassee | 10/29 |
| 10/16, Sarasota | 11/19 |
Please do not register for more than one event. We only have space for first-time attendees at each event, so register for the event you are most interested in attending. If you are interested in another event, let us know and we will send you the link for the Waiting List.
GO TO REGIONAL WORKSHOP PAGE
The page contains details and registration links for all events.
News from UCF Rosen College
Campus Refurbishment and Campus Tour Update
Our neighborhood is changing, and so are we. With brand new hotels and restaurants popping up all around us (plus a new theme park in our backyard!), UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management is right in the middle of the action. So, not to be outdone, we’re getting a refresh of our own with new spaces and learning environments fit for the heart of hospitality.
While campus renovations are underway, we’re offering live virtual sessions where students can explore what life at Rosen College is really like. You’ll hear from current students, find out what’s happening in the hospitality industry around us, and see why we were just ranked #1 in the world for hospitality and hotel management by CEOWorld Magazine.
This session is for students interested in pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Entertainment Management, Event Management, Hospitality Management, Lodging and Restaurant Management, or Theme Park & Attraction Management. Join us online and see what’s new, what’s coming, and why now is the perfect time to be part of Rosen College — because their story starts here.
*In-person campus tours are not available during the renovations to campus.
Application Information:
Freshman applicants are encouraged to apply to UCF through the Early Action Process. Visit https://www.ucf.edu/admissions/undergraduate/freshman/ for details about the admissions criteria. The Early Action Application Deadline is October 15th. The Materials Deadline is November 15th. Early Action Decision Notification Date is December 5th.
Virtual Prospective Student Information Sessions are offered on select Wednesdays at 4 p.m. Visit https://www.ucf.edu/admissions/undergraduate/info-sessions/#live-info-session-prospective to register for an upcoming session.
Extreme ProStart Kitchen Makeover
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Educational Foundation (FRLAEF) is pleased to announce it will be providing one kitchen remodel grant to a Florida ProStart high school. In order to be eligible for the grant, you must be a Premier ProStart program and teaching the ProStart curriculum during the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.
The FRLAEF is investing $50,000 into one Premier Florida ProStart school to provide much needed funds to renovate a kitchen facility. These funds are for use in a ProStart class only. Use of this funding to enhance programs outside of the ProStart curriculum is prohibited.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 26, 2025
GRANT AWARD NOTIFICATION: October 2025
ProStart Culinary Team Competitions
The 24th Annual ProStart Culinary Team Competitions will take place Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21, 2026 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando.
On Friday, February 20, most of the Culinary Teams and Management Teams will compete along with all Edible Centerpiece teams. On Saturday, February 21 the remaining Culinary and Management teams will compete along with all of the Waiter’s Relay Teams. The competition will be followed by an awards dinner at the Rosen Plaza Hotel.
STIPEND FOR COMPETING SCHOOLS The FRLAEF will provide stipends to offset the cost of participating in the event. The stipend will be $425 per competition with a school receiving a total of $1700 for competing in all four events.
RULES Since Florida’s Culinary and Management Competitions mirror the national rules, we cannot release Florida’s competition rules until the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation releases the national rules. The Waiters Relay and the Edible Centerpiece competitions are unique events to Florida and will be released when the Culinary and Management rules are available.
HOTEL The Rosen Plaza Hotel will be the host site for the 2026 ProStart Culinary Team Competitions. The room rate at the Rosen Plaza is $159 per night. To reserve hotel rooms contact the Rosen Plaza at 800-627-8258 and reference the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. The deadline to make hotel reservations is Tuesday, January 20, 2026. Do not wait to book your rooms! You may always adjust your reservation as the event gets closer.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY!
The application deadline is Friday, October 3, 2025. Applicants will be notified their status mid-October.
2025 COMPETITION PHOTOS
2025 COMPETITION VIDEO
Additional Videos: Martin County Overall and a Waiter’s Relay Conversation with Ridgeview HS and an Edible Centerpiece Conversation with George Jenkins HS Student
Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show takes place November 11-13 in Orlando.
PROSTART INSTRUCTORS
ProStart teachers may use the following complimentary code to register for the Show. Complimentary code: ANDREAVIP
Go Here and click on “Start Non-Member Registration”
PROSTART STUDENTS
Up to 10 ProStart students may attend the Show. However, there is a $30 fee per student and the following rules apply.
- Students may register at the rate of $30 per person.
- Each group of 5 students must be accompanied by a faculty member or chaperone (21+), and the group must remain with their chaperone at all times. Any students found unaccompanied on the show floor will be escorted back to the lobby and will have their badge voided with no refund. No more than 10 students will be permitted per school.
- If maximum student allotment is reached, student registration will be closed.
- Discount codes are not valid on Student Admission registrations and students will be required to show their ID to get their name badges.
To register your students, click the link above and enter the code STU2025
EDUCATION AT THE SHOW Forty-plus hours of education is included with your Show badge! Take advantage of the free education classes once you are at the Show. The schedule has not been set, but check for updates on THIS PAGE to plan your time at the Show to full advantage.
Universal Orlando Handheld Food Competition
FRLA and UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality are excited to announce the 4th Annual Universal Orlando Handheld Food Competition. This event will
take place in three stages with the winning item placed on the menu in one of Universal Orlando’s properties. The first stage of the event will consist of teams submitting their menus and recipes. The top ten entries will then be selected to compete in-person at UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality. The third and final stage of the competition will be the top three teams competing at UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality where the winning item will be selected.
STAGE ONE: All entry paperwork due by October 17, 5:00 pm
STAGE TWO: Top 10 selected teams to Orlando on December 2, 2025.
STAGE THREE: Top 3 selected teams cook and present handheld in Orlando on February 3, 2026.
You may use any equipment you want as there are no restrictions concerning electric or battery-operated devices. For the in-person stages, we will discuss the equipment provided in the kitchens to ensure teams have everything they need. For the first stage, make sure EVERYTHING is correct in your recipes which includes math, measurements, etc. as the judges will be looking at every detail. For the first stage, these details may determine if you advance to the second stage. Finally, a handheld item does not necessarily mean it must be eaten while walking around a theme park. It may be better to think along the lines of an item that can be eaten without utensils.
CLICK HERE for complete competition rules.
CAPE Funding for Consumables?
If anyone is spending CAPE money on groceries and would be willing to share this process, please let us know!
Hospitality Industry Internships
The Hospitality Industry Internship (HII) provides the opportunity for Florida ProStart & HTM instructors to work in a 
foodservice/lodging establishment for at least 40 hours. Once the required paperwork has been processed, the participant will receive a personal check for $600.
To qualify for an HII, the instructor must teach the ProStart curriculum during the 2025-2026 school year. If you are already employed at a restaurant or hotel, you MAY NOT use that site for your internship. The restaurant/hotel must be a new work experience for you, not somewhere you have worked before or used as an HII internship location.
The applicant must secure a position at a foodservice or lodging facility where a minimum of 40 hours of hands-on experience is guaranteed. The host location may pay the recipient but is not required to do so.
The FRLAEF will award 11 HII’s this school year on a first-come, first-served basis. So apply NOW! Work experience may begin once the applicant receives an award notification from the FRLAEF.
APPLY NOW!
FCCLA 2025-2026
Complimentary Foodsafety Materials (ServSafe and/or SafeStaff)
Each Premier and Full ProStart program is eligible for free ServSafe or SafeStaff materials. Once we receive your ProStart Classification paperwork (i.e.. Premier or Full), you can order up to $350 of complimentary ServSafe/SafeStaff materials through a link we send you.
When you complete the National Restaurant Association Data Survey, you will be sent a link from us to order up to $800 of free foodsafety materials. We will let you know when the survey is available. It has typically gone out in late September/early October and will come from the National Restaurant Association.
Become a Premier ProStart School with Free ProStart Exam Materials
Teachers often ask how they can become Premier ProStart schools when they are doing everything required to be Full ProStart schools. In order to get to Premier, you must have at least one student earn the ProStart Certificate of Achievement (COA). If you have a student already working in the foodservice industry, this could be a pathway to get to Premier status. To earn their COA, students must:
- Work at least 400 hours in the foodservice industry
- Pass both Foundations exams
- Have their manager complete the Work Experience Checklist
For a detailed list and a how-to of these steps click here.
The FRLAEF offers free ProStart exam materials each year to Premier and Full ProStart schools. Once we have received a teacher’s Full Implementation contract you are free to request complimentary scantrons or online codes.
Complimentary ServSuccess Materials
ServSuccess is a stackable foodservice industry credential. The entry level certification is Certified Restaurant Professional (CRP). Individuals must have 400 hours of industry experience along with the ServSafe certification to be eligible to sit for the CRP. No training is required but five modules are offered.
If you would like to take the courses and/or the exam, email Amy Parker to let her know and she will get you signed up for free!
The link below will provide you with additional information on CRP.
Scholarships
The FRLAEF will award at least $65,000 in scholarships during the 2025-2026 school year. Each scholarship awarded will be in the amount of $2,000 and will be a one-time, non-
renewable scholarship.
To be eligible for this scholarship the applicant must:
- Be enrolled in a ProStart program in a Florida secondary school
- Be a graduating senior who will begin post-secondary education in 2026
- Be entering a culinary or hospitality post-secondary program
- Return a copy of their OFFICIAL high school transcript to FRLAEF by application deadline
APPLICATION TIMELINE The FRLAEF Scholarship application will become available in January NewsBites. The application deadline is April 10, 2026
The FRLAEF will conduct two ProStart Teacher Training events during summer 2026. Training will be held at the Keiser University Sarasota campus and at UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality in 
Orlando. Both events will begin on Tuesday evening and conclude at Friday lunch.
PROGRAM COST
The FRLAEF will cover the cost of all Florida ProStart instructors who will be teaching the ProStart curriculum during the 2025-2026 school year. Attendees will be responsible for their travel and some meals.
SAVE THE DATE
Attendees may choose from one of the trainings below when the registration link becomes available in March NewsBites.
June 16-19, 2026 UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality
June 2026 Keiser University, Sarasota