AAA Scholarship Foundation: a 2026-27 guide for Florida families

PEP through AAA means paying first

PEP through AAA works by reimbursement, so you pay for tutoring yourself and then ask AAA to pay you back. AAA runs PEP as a reimbursement program. Parents pay for an educational good or service themselves, then submit a reimbursement request in AAA's Scholarship Management Platform.

Keep every receipt. AAA says reimbursement requests need the provider's paid receipt listing the services, the date, and the student's name, and I include all of that on every receipt I send.

Pre-authorization is optional for PEP. If you want AAA to confirm an expense before you pay, pre-authorization is optional for PEP; families email AAA's form to PEP@aaascholarships.org.

Private school scholarships and tutoring

If your child has an FTC or FES-EO scholarship through AAA, tuition and fees come first. After that, FTC and FES-EO funds left after private school tuition and fees may pay for part-time tutoring.

AAA does not publish step-by-step instructions for using leftover funds on tutoring. Call AAA family support before you plan around them.

Award amounts in Palm Beach County

AAA award amounts are set by the state, so they match Step Up’s for the same scholarship, grade, and county. Here are the 2026-27 figures for Palm Beach County.

• Unique Abilities (FES-UA): AAA's 2026-27 FES-UA chart for Palm Beach County lists $11,054 for grades PK-3, $10,452 for grades 4-8, and $10,255 for grades 9-12 at the base need levels, with $22,439 at level 254 and $35,893 at level 255.
• PEP and FTC: $8,890 (K-3), $8,288 (grades 4-8), and $8,091 (grades 9-12)

Your real balance is the one in your Scholarship Management Platform account. The tutoring budget planner works for AAA awards too, because the amounts are the same.

Key AAA dates for 2026-27

The most important AAA dates this fall are for new applications. AAA accepts new FES-UA and private school applications through November 15, 2026.

• New FES-UA awards: accept by December 15, 2026.
• New FTC and FES-EO awards: accept within four weeks of the award date.
• PEP: new and renewal PEP applications for 2026-27 closed on April 30, 2026.
• PEP funding: PEP accounts are funded in four quarterly amounts, on September 1, November 1, February 1, and April 1.

Step Up or AAA: what is different

The scholarships and award amounts are the same, but the systems for paying are different. Step Up pays approved providers through its EMA marketplace, while AAA uses payment requests in its Scholarship Management Platform.

You can only use one organization at a time for a student. PEP funds do not transfer between scholarship organizations, so think it through before you switch. The Step Up and AAA comparison covers the details.

Working with me as an AAA family

I work with families who have AAA scholarships, at the same rate I charge every family. For FES-UA, I send invoices you can submit for direct payment; for PEP, I send paid receipts you can submit for reimbursement.

I am a Florida-certified teacher, and AAA says a valid Florida educator's certificate is one of the credentials that qualifies a part-time tutor. I teach in person in Palm Beach County and online anywhere in Florida, because credentialed tutors may deliver services virtually.

There are no discounts, gifts, or incentives tied to scholarship spending. If you are not sure how to pay, we can walk through it on a free fit call.