Florida PEP · Eligible Providers
Florida PEP eligible providers and workflows
Florida PEP (Personalized Education Program) eligible providers include more than schools — tutors, curriculum vendors, therapy providers, and online course platforms can all qualify. The key is knowing which payment workflow applies and whether pre-authorization is required before you pay.
What a Florida PEP eligible provider is
A Florida PEP eligible provider is any vendor, school, or service provider that can receive payment from a PEP student’s scholarship funds through the SFO (scholarship-funding organization). PEP is managed through SFOs like Step Up For Students — and each SFO has its own purchasing guide, pre-authorization rules, and provider acceptance process.
Eligible providers include:
- Curriculum and instructional materials vendors (including MyScholarShop listings)
- Private schools with tuition fees
- Tutoring providers
- Therapy providers (for qualifying students)
- Online instruction providers
- Educational technology providers (with SFO rules)
The payment workflows: not every provider uses the same process
| Provider type | Typical payment workflow | Pre-auth? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MyScholarShop curriculum vendors | Purchase directly through portal | Built into portal checkout | Easiest path for listed vendors |
| Private school tuition | SFO direct billing or invoice | May require enrollment confirmation | School must be eligible under PEP rules |
| Tutoring providers | Invoice or reimbursement | Check SFO guide — may require pre-auth | Provider credentials and service type matter |
| Therapy providers | Invoice or reimbursement | Often requires pre-authorization | Verify against SFO eligibility list |
| Online courses | Portal or invoice | Varies by SFO and provider | Provider must meet PEP program rules |
Pre-authorization: the rule families most commonly miss
Certain PEP purchases require pre-authorization through the SFO before you make the purchase. Skipping pre-authorization — when it is required — can mean the purchase is not reimbursed or approved. This is one of the most common and costly mistakes PEP families make.
Pre-authorization rules vary by:
- Purchase type — therapies and some educational services are more likely to require pre-auth
- SFO — different organizations may have slightly different rules
- Amount — larger purchases may have different thresholds
Best practice: Before any significant PEP purchase, open your SFO’s current purchasing guide and check whether that purchase type requires pre-authorization.
MyScholarShop: the easiest path for curriculum vendors
For curriculum, the MyScholarShop portal is the most straightforward workflow. Vendors listed in MyScholarShop for the PEP scholarship type are already set up for portal purchases. The pre-authorization step is built in. See our Florida MyScholarShop curriculum vendors guide for how to use the catalog.
Tutoring providers: what to verify before you book
For PEP tutoring, the verification steps are:
- Is the tutor or tutoring company accepted by your SFO for PEP students?
- What does the SFO’s current guide say about tutor credential or service requirements?
- Is pre-authorization required before the first session?
- What documentation does the SFO expect — session logs, invoices, or something else?
See our Florida Step Up tutoring providers guide for the EMA Marketplace verification process.
Therapy providers: higher scrutiny, more documentation
Therapy services for qualifying PEP students typically face more scrutiny, including pre-authorization requirements and credential checks. For FES-UA students who also need therapy, the process is even more specific — see our Florida FES-UA therapy providers guide for how to verify therapy providers in EMA.
What the 2025–26 PEP enrollment cap means for providers
FLDOE says up to 100,000 students may participate in PEP for 2025–26. As the program scales, provider availability in MyScholarShop and SFO networks may expand. But provider availability is not guaranteed to grow at the same pace as enrollment. Families searching for specific service types — especially therapies and specialized tutoring — should plan early and verify current availability.