Question 1

How do I become a Step Up provider?

Accepted Answer

Create a Business account in EMA (only one person per business creates it), and have each credentialed person who delivers services create a Personal account linked to that business. Complete Direct Pay setup (company information matching your IRS records, ACH banking and an electronic W-9), then add locations and service offerings with the documents each category requires. Approved service providers must be attached to the business before you submit any service offering. SUFS reviews each submission "for appropriate credential information for the submitted service category," and creating an account "does not guarantee approval."

Question 2

Do I need to register my business on sunbiz to be an EMA provider?

Accepted Answer

No. SUFS says a Sunbiz registration is not required to create an EMA Business account. What must match is your tax identity: the company name must appear exactly as on your IRS EIN Verification Letter, and individuals or sole proprietors may use personal details.

Question 3

My EMA application is pending how long does approval take?

Accepted Answer

SUFS publishes no timeline for credential or service approval (not published as of Oct 19, 2026). Each service you submit goes to a processor for review, and its status changes from Submitted to Approved. The only published timer is IRS and bank validation of your Direct Pay details, which "may take up to 24 hours." For status questions, SUFS lists 877-735-7837 and provider@sufs.org.

Question 4

My EMA provider application was rejected what do I do?

Accepted Answer

Check the email tied to your EMA account, then contact SUFS at 877-735-7837 or provider@sufs.org for the reason. Because SUFS reviews each submission for credentials that fit the service category, check that your documents match; for example, degree-based tutors need a separate upload showing the degree matches the subject taught. A provider appeal process is not published as of Oct 19, 2026.

Question 5

Do I have to renew my EMA provider approval every year?

Accepted Answer

An annual re-approval for non-school providers is not published as of Oct 19, 2026, but you must keep your credentials, licenses, physical and mailing address, phone and email current in EMA. Personal-account services record the credential's expiration date and license number. Full-time private tutors must file a W-9 "annually," and SUFS warns that requirements "can change," so check the current handbook each year.

Question 6

I got approved in EMA does that mean any scholarship family can pay me?

Accepted Answer

Not automatically. SUFS says "provider approval and a student's ability to use scholarship funds for a specific service are separate considerations," because each program allows different services. The family also needs enough available funds to reserve your service, and scholarships are funded quarterly. For example, a speech therapist approved in EMA can be paid only by FES-UA students, because Specialized Services are FES-UA only.

Question 7

How do I become an AAA Scholarship Foundation scholarship foundation provider?

Accepted Answer

AAA Scholarship Foundation publishes no provider registration, approval program or provider directory (not published as of Oct 19, 2026); it checks each expense against the credential rules in its purchasing handbook. For FES-UA, the parent can request a direct vendor payment in AAA Scholarship Foundation’s SMP or on a hard-copy Direct Payment form that carries your bank details, paid by ACH. For PEP and FTC, "parents must pay … themselves and then submit a reimbursement request."

Question 8

How do I become a Sunshine State Kids provider on Odyssey?

Accepted Answer

Sunshine State Kids runs FES-EO and FES-UA on the Odyssey platform and says "We do not currently offer the PEP program." In its plan filed with the State Board, SSK describes an Odyssey vendor portal through which approved providers ("private schools, therapists, specialized service providers, and public-school districts") are paid by ACH from family accounts. Odyssey's public vendor page shows registration links only for Iowa and Georgia, and a Florida provider sign-up path is not published as of Oct 19, 2026. SSK lists info@sskf.org as its contact.

Question 9

How do I sell curriculum or products to Step Up families on MyScholarShop?

Accepted Answer

Product and curriculum vendors don't use Find Providers; they sell on MyScholarShop, starting with a supplier interest form and then catalog onboarding through SAP Ariba. SUFS says it "does not charge fees for vendors or transactions in the marketplace." Multi-level-marketing companies are onboarded only at the corporate level, and individual reps are not eligible. Families can also buy eligible items outside MyScholarShop and request reimbursement.

Question 10

How does an online school or online course company get approved for scholarships?

Accepted Answer

FDOE approval comes first: SUFS's Virtual Instruction Program & Online Course Providers category is for FDOE-approved VIP or online course providers, and your EMA business name must match the FDOE list. FDOE's list shows 11 approved VIP providers and 10 approved online course providers. Private virtual schools "may not receive scholarship funding." Other live online classes are judged under the part-time tutoring credential rules, which cover live instruction "whether in-person or via remote access online."

Question 11

What is a home education instructional program (HEIP) and how does one get approved?

Accepted Answer

An HEIP is a business offering courses or activities that enrich a home-education or PEP student's learning; it is not the same as a family's homeschool status. It must be a business organization, not an individual (except regional program directors or designated liaisons of national home-education communities), and private, virtual, public and charter schools and full-time tutoring programs are excluded. You upload a tuition and fee schedule, course descriptions and an HEIP Participation Agreement signed by the owner, all as PDFs. FES-UA and PEP can pay HEIPs; FTC and FES-EO cannot.

Question 12

Can my HEIP be online only?

Accepted Answer

Yes, under the newer documents. SUFS's Summary of Changes (Sept 17, 2026) removed the "published tuition and fee schedule" and "physical location" requirements for PEP and FES-UA, the FCSUA 2026-27 guidelines dropped the physical-location rule, and SUFS's Service Categories Chart marks HEIPs as virtual-eligible. The older Non-School Provider Handbook text still says an HEIP "may not be online," which the drafts treat as stale. You still upload a fee schedule to EMA.

Question 13

Can my homeschool co-op accept Step Up scholarships?

Accepted Answer

SUFS has no co-op category, and a SUFS co-op rule is not published as of Oct 19, 2026. A co-op may qualify as an HEIP if it is organized as a business organization; individuals cannot be paid, except "regional program directors or designated liaisons of national home educational communities." Parents also cannot be paid from scholarship funds for services to their own scholarship student, which matters for parent-run co-ops.

Question 14

Can a micro-school accept scholarships?

Accepted Answer

A SUFS "micro-school" category is not published as of Oct 19, 2026; a micro-school uses an existing route: FDOE-approved private school, PEP Hybrid school, full-time private tutoring (up to 25 students in a qualifying facility), or HEIP. Since July 1, 2026, FES-UA students, like PEP students, may meet the school-contact rule with 2 days a week on site plus a student learning plan. Also since July 1, 2026, a private school of 150 or fewer students (and certain others) is a permitted use in commercial or mixed-use zoning. Each route has its own approval steps: FDOE for schools, SUFS for full-time tutoring and HEIPs.

Question 15

Can a school district or charter school be paid as a scholarship provider?

Accepted Answer

Yes, voluntarily, under Contracted Public School Services: the district or charter provides classes or services on a private-pay basis and onboards with a W-9, EIN, bank details and a service description. If the district reports the student for FTE funding, the student loses scholarship eligibility. FTC and FES-EO students can use this only from funds left after private-school tuition. Scholarship students may take FLVS Flex individual courses, not FLVS Full Time.

Question 16

How do families find me in EMA and what do they see?

Accepted Answer

Families search inside their logged-in EMA account under Marketplace → Find Providers by "provider name, email, website, or location," and filter by service category and service type. Clicking your name shows your services and locations, your rate per activity, and your business description of up to 1,500 characters. SUFS documents describe no public, logged-out version of Find Providers. SUFS's marketing toolkit offers an "EMA Marketplace Provider" badge image.

Question 17

Can families book appointments with me in EMA and can I see families there?

Accepted Answer

No to both. "EMA is not used for scheduling, coordinate directly with families." Providers "cannot view other providers or families through the Marketplace"; you get a family's contact information only when the family reserves funds with you and ticks "Yes" to share it.

Florida K-12 scholarship provider FAQ: getting approved