Question 1

Can FTC or FES-EO students pay me for tutoring?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but only after tuition: part-time tutoring by a credentialed tutor is an authorized FTC and FES-EO use, and the SFO must first commit funds to the student's private-school tuition and fees. Families pay you from what is left that year or from rollover funds, so a student whose tuition uses the whole award may have nothing left. PEP and FES-UA pay for tutoring with no tuition-first rule. AAA Scholarship Foundation’s purchasing handbook also allows FTC/FES-EO purchases only after tuition and fees are committed.

Question 2

What's the difference between FTC and FES-EO for a provider?

Accepted Answer

For spending, little: SUFS applies the same rules to both in one Private School Purchasing Guide, and both require full-time enrollment at an eligible private school with tuition committed first. EDR forecasts FTC private-school scholarships falling from 7,637 in 2025-26 to 1,013 in 2026-27, so most private-school scholarship students are FES-EO. At AAA Scholarship Foundation, students eligible for both are awarded FTC first until FTC funding is exhausted. Hope referrals enter through these same two programs.

Question 3

Can FTC or FES-EO students use me as a full-time tutor instead of private school?

Accepted Answer

No. FTC and FES-EO students must attend an eligible private school full time, so full-time private tutoring is open only to FES-UA and PEP students. A funded FTC or FES-EO student who is not re-enrolled in an eligible school within 30 days has the account closed. PEP is closed to new 2026-27 students at SUFS and AAA Scholarship Foundation.

Question 4

Can FTC, FES-EO or PEP students pay for speech, OT or ABA therapy?

Accepted Answer

No. Specialized Services (ABA, speech, OT, PT, listening and spoken language, counseling, vision therapy) are FES-UA only. AAA Scholarship Foundation’s purchasing handbook says the same: therapies are not an FTC, FES-EO or PEP use. A private school can still include ESE or therapy services in its fees as "other fees as unique to the needs of the student."

Question 5

Which therapies can FES-UA pay for?

Accepted Answer

ABA, speech-language, occupational and physical therapy, listening and spoken language services, psychotherapy or counseling, and vision therapy from credentialed providers, plus music, art and equine therapy. Online delivery is eligible, and so is delivery from outside Florida if you are credentialed; FCSUA also accepts out-of-state psychologists credentialed through PSYPACT. Massage, chiropractic and acupuncture are not covered. A Florida hospital may also provide specialized services.

Question 6

Can PEP students pay me and is PEP open for 2026-27?

Accepted Answer

PEP is closed to new 2026-27 students at SUFS and AAA Scholarship Foundation, except foster-care and military applicants, who remain subject to capacity, and SSK does not offer PEP. Funded PEP students can pay for part-time and full-time tutoring, HEIPs, part-time and hybrid private schools, electives, PE and testing, with no tuition-first rule. PEP cannot pay for specialized therapies, and at AAA Scholarship Foundation PEP purchases are reimbursement only. The statutory PEP enrollment cap repeals July 1, 2027.

Question 7

Can I still serve New Worlds scholarship account (NWSA) students?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but only from leftover balances: NWSA "will not receive any further funding from the State of Florida," and accounts close after one fiscal year of inactivity. NWSA purchases must be direct pay through EMA, because NWSA families cannot be reimbursed. Eligible services are part-time tutoring and summer or after-school programs focused on reading, literacy or math, and NWSA tutors need a reading- or math-relevant credential.

Question 8

Does the transportation stipend pay providers?

Accepted Answer

No. There is no provider category for the transportation stipend in SUFS's Service Categories Chart or provider handbooks. The stipend is a one-time $750 check per eligible household, paid to the guardian, with no itemized reporting.

Question 9

Does the Hope Scholarship pay providers?

Accepted Answer

Not as a separate program. Since July 1, 2024, Hope is a referral: after a reported incident, the district tells parents they may apply for FES or FTC to attend an eligible private school. SUFS lists Hope recipients as FTC/FES-EO-eligible, so they pay schools and providers under FTC/FES-EO rules.

Question 10

Can I list recorded or self-paced online courses in Find Providers?

Accepted Answer

No. Find Providers is for live services; recorded or self-paced courses may qualify as curriculum on MyScholarShop or by family reimbursement. SUFS's guide says a "stand-alone online class does not permit live, interactive instruction," and live online instruction goes through an approved online provider or the tutoring credential rules.

Question 11

Can my summer camp or after-school program be paid with scholarships?

Accepted Answer

For FES-UA, a summer or after-school program must be "specialized" for students with special or unique needs; for NWSA, it must improve reading, literacy or math. FES-UA overnight or day educational camps need pre-authorization, published fees and proof of attendance. For FTC, FES-EO and PEP, only the instructional portion with credentialed instructors counts, and overnight camps are excluded. Sports camps can be submitted under Sports Lessons with no credentials.

Question 12

Can a pre-apprenticeship program accept scholarships?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if it is an FDOE-registered pre-apprenticeship program under s. 446.021(5), for students 16 and older. SUFS's chart, guide and Appendix B list FES-UA, FTC, FES-EO and PEP; one handbook passage mentions only FES-UA, and the drafts follow the chart. Appendix B lists pre-apprenticeship as reimbursement only while the guide gives a Business-account setup, so confirm the payment method with SUFS. Registered apprenticeships (as opposed to pre-apprenticeships) have no SUFS category.

Question 13

Can my VPK or preschool be paid with FES-UA?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Providers approved under s. 1002.55 (VPK) or s. 1002.88 (school readiness) can be paid under the VPK/School Readiness category, which is FES-UA only, with a published tuition and fee schedule. VPK and school-readiness services "may not be billed under an Eligible Private School," but since 2025-26 a private school's own pre-K can be paid from FES-UA through EMA enrollment.

Question 14

Can a college be paid for dual enrollment with scholarship funds?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Florida College System and state university institutions, district technical and adult centers, FRAG-eligible independent colleges and licensed accredited independent institutions can be paid under Eligible Post-Secondary Institution, with a tuition and fee schedule. FES-UA, FTC, FES-EO and PEP can pay, with FTC and FES-EO paying only from leftover funds.

Florida K-12 scholarship provider FAQ: which programs can pay you