What Counts as an Approved Vendor for PEP and FES-UA

TLDR

• An approved provider is not automatic. Creating an EMA account does not guarantee approval for a specific service category.
• Providers use two account types in EMA: business accounts and personal accounts, and some services require both, linked together.1
• Credential requirements are category-specific. A tutor, a therapist, and a Home Education Instructional Program each have different documentation requirements.12
• You can pay a provider two ways: Direct Pay through EMA, or out-of-pocket followed by Reimbursement, and the requirements differ.
• The fastest way to confirm any provider is currently approved is to search for them directly in the EMA Marketplace.

You found a tutor, therapist, or activity provider that looks right for your student. Before you pay them a dollar of scholarship funds, here is how to actually confirm they qualify, straight from Step Up's own Provider Handbook.

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Why "Approved Vendor" Is Not One Single Checkbox

Step Up does not use a single universal approval standard. What counts as approved depends entirely on the service category. A tutor, a therapist, and a Home Education Instructional Program each have different requirements, so a business can be fully legitimate and still not qualify for a specific category if it has not set up the right kind of account.

According to Step Up's 2026-27 Non-School Provider Handbook, when a provider account is created, it is reviewed for the credential information required for that specific service category, and creating an account does not guarantee approval for the service offerings submitted.1 Step Up also reserves the right to suspend or revoke a provider's status at any time in cases of misuse, misrepresentation, or fraudulent activity, so approval is not a permanent, one-time status either.1

The Two Account Types, and Why the Difference Matters

Providers in EMA fall into two account types:

• Business accounts, for organizations that bill for services, or that employ or contract with individual providers whose services are payable to the business
• Personal accounts, for individuals with a qualifying credential or license, who must then request to join and be linked to an approved business account

Tutoring services (both full-time and part-time) and Choice Navigator services specifically require a personal account linked to an approved business account.1 A personal account on its own cannot receive payment, so if a tutor tells you they are approved but only has a personal account with no linked business, that is worth asking about before you commit.

Some providers need both account types. If a provider owns or manages a tutoring business and also personally tutors students, a business account and a linked personal account are both required.1

Credential Requirements by Common Service Type

A few of the categories families ask about most often, based on official Step Up documentation:12

Specialized Therapies (FES-UA Only)

ABA, speech-language, occupational, physical therapy, spoken language, psychotherapy or counseling, and vision therapy must be provided by someone licensed by the Florida Department of Health, approved by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, or approved as a Specialized Instructional Services Provider by the Office of Early Learning, in the specific specialty being billed. A therapist licensed in one specialty cannot bill for services outside it; occupational therapy rendered by a psychologist, for example, is not an eligible expense, and services like massage therapy, acupuncture, or chiropractic therapy are not eligible under this category at all.

Full-Time and Part-Time Tutoring

Full-time private tutoring (FES-UA and PEP) requires the provider to accept direct payment through an approved service offering in EMA. A full-time tutor may not serve more than five students at once, unless instruction happens in a qualifying facility type, in which case up to 25 students is allowed. Part-time tutoring, available to FES-UA, FES-EO, FTC, PEP, and NWSA families, has no minimum hour requirement and no maximum student count, making it a lower barrier to entry for both families and providers.

Home Education Instructional Programs

Eligible for FES-UA and PEP students, these must be a business organization, not an individual, with a completed Home Education Participation Agreement on file and published descriptions of courses or activities offered.

Music and Art Therapy

FES-UA students can use this category when the provider is certified by the Certification Board for Music Therapists or credentialed by the Art Therapy Credentials Board.

For the complete category-by-category documentation checklist, Step Up's Purchasing Guide is the definitive source.2

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Direct Pay vs. Reimbursement: What Changes for Verification

Families can either pay a provider directly through EMA, or pay out of pocket and submit a reimbursement request afterward. This distinction matters for verification, since it changes what you need to check and when.

Direct Pay means the provider's credentials are already reviewed and approved as part of their EMA service offering, so if you can find and book them in the Marketplace, their approval has already been confirmed.

Reimbursement means Step Up will ask you to provide the provider's credentials with every single request you submit, not just the first one.1 Setting up a direct-pay relationship where possible generally means faster processing, since the credentials only need to be verified once.

Before You Pay: How to Verify a Provider

1. Search for the business by name in the EMA Marketplace. If they accept direct payment, they will show up as a service offering you can browse and pay through directly.
2. Ask the provider directly which account type they hold, business, personal, or both, and whether it is linked and approved for the specific service you are booking.
3. If you plan to pay out of pocket and request reimbursement instead, ask for their license number and full invoice details up front.
4. Do not assume a business is approved just because a similar business in the same category is. Approval is specific to that provider's own submitted service offering, not a category-wide status.
5. Providers are required to keep their credentials, address, phone, and email current in EMA and, where applicable, the FLDOE portal, so a provider whose listed information looks stale is worth a direct follow-up before you commit.1

The Step Up handbooks are long. This guide isn't.

• Which providers qualify for direct payment
• The exact account setup a provider needs
• Common approval mix-ups families run into
• A checklist to run before your first payment

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Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a provider approved in EMA?

An active EMA account, business or personal or both, the credentials required for the specific service category being offered, and a reviewed and accepted service offering. Creating an account alone does not guarantee approval.1

Do I need to check anything different for therapy services versus tutoring?

Yes. FES-UA specialized therapies require a Florida Department of Health license or Agency for Persons with Disabilities approval in that exact specialty. Tutoring instead requires a personal account linked to an approved business account, since a personal account alone cannot receive payment.1

How do I confirm a specific business is actually approved before I pay them?

Search for the business by name in the EMA Marketplace. If they show up with a service offering you can browse and pay through, they are approved for direct payment.

If I plan to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed instead, do I still need to confirm approval?

Yes. Step Up will ask you to provide provider credentials with your reimbursement request every time you submit one, so having the provider's license number and invoice details ready in advance avoids delays.1

References

1. Step Up For Students, 2026-2027 Non-School Provider Handbook, account types, credentialing, and payment options. Available at stepupforstudents.org/document-library
2. Step Up For Students, Purchasing Guide, 2026-2027, category-specific documentation requirements. Available at stepupforstudents.org/document-library

Florida Education Vendors is an independent directory and is not affiliated with Step Up For Students or any scholarship funding organization. This guide is for informational purposes only. Scholarship rules and approved provider requirements change regularly. Always verify current information at stepupforstudents.org before making any purchasing decision.