Step Up For Students Florida: A Complete Guide to Finding Approved Providers

Finding approved Step Up providers sounds like it should be simple. Florida homeschool families and parents using PEP and FES-UA scholarships quickly discover there is more to it than a single search. This guide covers everything a Florida scholarship family needs to know about finding approved vendors and providers -- what kinds of providers are eligible, how the payment system works, where to search, and what to watch out for. All information is sourced from official Step Up For Students documentation.

Step Up Vendor List: Where to Start

Before diving into the full guide, here is the quick answer for families who are ready to search right now.

The official Step Up vendor list lives in the EMA portal at stepupforstudents.org. This is the authoritative, real-time database of every registered and approved provider across all service categories.

For families who want to browse by location, category, or scholarship type before verifying in the official portal, Florida Education Vendors is a free independent directory built specifically for Florida PEP and FES-UA families. It is always growing and is not a comprehensive list of every approved provider, but it is designed to make it easier to browse by location and category. It is searchable by metro area (Orlando, Tampa Bay, Miami, Jacksonville, and more), by category (Tutoring, Curriculum, Therapy, Sports, Enrichment, and others), and by scholarship type.

Understanding Direct Pay vs Reimbursement

Before searching for providers, it helps to understand how scholarship funds actually move -- because not all providers and categories work the same way. There are two payment methods available to Florida scholarship families.¹

Direct Pay (DP) means the provider is paid directly through the EMA portal or MyScholarShop. Families do not spend any money out of pocket. The provider submits an invoice through the system and payment is issued to them directly. This is the standard method for ongoing services like tutoring and therapy, and for purchases made through MyScholarShop.

Reimbursement (R) means the family pays the provider or retailer out of pocket first, then submits a claim through the EMA portal with receipts and documentation. Reimbursement is typically used for one-off purchases like curriculum, books, and educational materials. Most reimbursement requests are reviewed within 7 to 14 business days during normal volume.²

The official PEP Purchasing Guide uses “DP” and “R” labels for each eligible spending category to indicate which payment method applies.¹ Some categories are Direct Pay only. Some are Reimbursement only. Some allow both. When in doubt, the Step Up For Students parent portal and official handbooks are the definitive source.³⁴

What is a Step Up Approved Provider?

Florida's Step Up For Students scholarships provide families with Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) that can only be used to pay for goods and services from approved providers. An approved provider is any individual, business, or organization that has completed the Step Up vendor registration process through the EMA portal and been accepted.³

For Direct Pay categories, the provider must be registered and active in EMA before any payment is made. For Reimbursement categories, there is more flexibility -- but purchases still need to meet the program's eligibility rules, and families bear the risk if a claim is denied.

Types of Approved Providers

The range of approved provider types is broad and covers most of what homeschool and scholarship families need. Here is an overview based on official Step Up documentation.⁵

Curriculum and Instructional Materials

Curriculum publishers, textbook suppliers, and educational materials companies make up a large portion of approved vendors. Purchases in this category are typically processed by Reimbursement, though some vendors are set up for Direct Pay through MyScholarShop.¹

Tutoring Services

Private tutoring is primarily a Direct Pay category. To be approved, an individual must meet at least one of these qualifications: a valid or expired Florida educator's certificate, a minimum of three years of verified experience in the relevant subject, a postsecondary degree in the subject area, or current enrollment in a postsecondary program in the relevant subject area.⁶

Therapy Services

For FES-UA families especially, therapy services are often the most important category. Speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and behavioral therapy including ABA are eligible under FES-UA when provided by licensed Florida therapists registered in EMA. Therapy is primarily a Direct Pay category.⁴

Online Learning Platforms

Online educational platforms, software subscriptions, and virtual programs are eligible under both PEP and FES-UA when the provider is registered. Many can be purchased through MyScholarShop (Direct Pay) or by Reimbursement depending on the specific platform.

Enrichment, Sports, and Arts

Swim lessons, martial arts, gymnastics, music lessons, art classes, coding camps, dance studios, and similar programs are eligible. These providers can be paid through Direct Pay or Reimbursement depending on how they are set up in EMA. Checking your scholarship's purchasing guide before enrolling in any enrichment program is the safest approach.⁵

Testing and Assessment Services

Annual testing is a requirement for PEP scholarship families. Students must complete a nationally norm-referenced test each year, or submit a portfolio evaluated by a certified Florida teacher, to maintain scholarship eligibility. There is no minimum score requirement.³

How to Find Approved Providers Near You

The Official EMA Marketplace

The primary and authoritative source for approved providers is the Step Up For Students EMA portal at stepupforstudents.org. It is the only source that reflects real-time approval status.

Florida Education Vendors Directory

Florida Education Vendors is a free independent directory built for Florida PEP and FES-UA families. It is always growing and is not a comprehensive list of every approved provider. Florida Education Vendors is not affiliated with Step Up For Students and does not replace the EMA portal as the source of truth for approval status.

Florida Homeschool Community Groups

Several large Florida Facebook groups and online communities are active with scholarship families sharing provider recommendations. These communities are valuable for personal reviews but recommendations should always be verified in the official EMA portal before any payment is made.

PEP vs FES-UA: Key Differences

PEP is designed for homeschool families and covers a broad range of educational expenses -- curriculum, tutoring, enrichment, testing, and more.³

FES-UA is designed for children with qualifying disabilities and covers a wider range of therapeutic and specialized services. Award amounts are generally higher than PEP to reflect the cost of specialized services.⁴ A provider registered for one program is not automatically registered for the other.

Current award amounts vary by grade level and are updated annually. Find current figures at stepupforstudents.org/document-library.⁷⁸

What Families Tell Us They Wish They Had Known Earlier

Keep a dedicated card for scholarship purchases. Reimbursement processing takes time. Keeping all scholarship-related expenses on a single dedicated card makes it far easier to download statements, match them to receipts, and submit clean reimbursement requests.⁹

Use MyScholarShop when you can. The MyScholarShop feature within the EMA portal allows families to purchase certain pre-approved curriculum and educational materials directly, without paying out of pocket first. It is one of the most underused features among newer scholarship families.⁹

Keep clean, itemized receipts for everything. For reimbursement purchases, receipts need to be itemized. A general receipt showing a total amount is often not sufficient.⁹

Read your handbook before your first big purchase. PEP and FES-UA have different rules about what is eligible, what documentation is required, and how spending categories are defined. The handbooks are available at stepupforstudents.org/document-library.³⁴

Join scholarship-specific community groups. Veteran scholarship families are genuinely helpful and often willing to share provider recommendations and warn about common pitfalls.⁹

Before You Pay: How to Verify a Provider

Provider registration can expire. A provider approved last year may not be approved today.

1. Log in to the Step Up For Students parent portal at stepupforstudents.org
2. Navigate to the EMA marketplace or vendor search
3. Search for the provider by name or business name
4. Confirm their current approval status and which scholarship programs they accept

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Direct Pay and Reimbursement?

Direct Pay means the provider is paid through the EMA portal directly -- no money out of pocket for the family. Reimbursement means the family pays first, then submits a claim with receipts. Which method is available depends on the spending category and how the provider is set up in EMA.¹

Can I use scholarship funds with a provider who is not yet registered?

For Direct Pay categories, no -- the provider must be fully approved and active in EMA before payment can be made. For Reimbursement-eligible categories, there may be more flexibility, but the purchase still needs to meet program eligibility requirements. When in doubt, contact Step Up For Students directly before paying.³

What if the provider I want is not in the system?

Ask them whether they are aware of the Step Up registration process. Many excellent providers have not registered simply because no one has told them it is possible. The vendor registration process is open and free at stepupforstudents.org.

Does FES-UA cover the same providers as PEP?

Many providers are approved for both programs, but not all. Some therapists are registered for FES-UA only. Some curriculum vendors are set up for PEP only. Filter by your specific scholarship type when searching.

How often should I check a provider's approval status?

Checking before each new service period or significant purchase is good practice. The official portal is the only source for current approval status.

Where can I find the most current list of eligible spending categories?

The official Authorized Use of Scholarship Funds document and the Purchasing Guides for each program are available at stepupforstudents.org/document-library. Eligible categories are updated each program year.⁵

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, eligible expenses, and approved vendor lists change regularly. Always verify current information at stepupforstudents.org before making any purchasing decision.