How to pay for tutoring with an AAA scholarship

Which AAA scholarships pay for tutoring

All of AAA Scholarship Foundation’s Florida scholarships can pay for part-time tutoring, but they pay in different ways. The Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) and the Personalized Education Program (PEP) are the two families use most.

AAA runs the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA), the Personalized Education Program (PEP), and the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) and FES-EO private school scholarships. With the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO), tuition comes first, and then FTC and FES-EO funds left after private school tuition and fees may pay for part-time tutoring.

If you are not sure which scholarship your child has, log in to your AAA account and look at the scholarship name on your child’s dashboard. The payment steps below depend on it.

How payment works: the Scholarship Management Platform

Every AAA payment starts in the Scholarship Management Platform, often called the SMP. AAA families apply and manage their account in the Scholarship Management Platform (SMP).

There is no shopping-style marketplace yet. AAA does not have a marketplace for direct purchases yet; purchases go through approved methods or reimbursement, which means you do not pick your tutor from a list.

Instead, you submit a request for each payment and attach the tutor’s invoice or receipt. AAA reviews the request, checks that the expense and the tutor qualify, and then pays.

FES-UA direct payment, step by step

With FES-UA through AAA, you can have AAA pay your tutor directly, so you do not pay out of pocket. FES-UA families can ask AAA to pay a provider directly by submitting a Direct Vendor Payment Request with the provider's invoice.

Your tutor’s bank details are part of how AAA sends the payment. Ask your tutor how they share those with AAA before your first request, so it is not held up.

PEP reimbursement, step by step

With PEP through AAA, you pay the tutor first 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.

Because you pay first, plan your budget so you are comfortable covering a month of sessions before reimbursement arrives. If you want AAA to confirm an expense ahead of time, pre-authorization is optional for PEP; families email AAA's form to PEP@aaascholarships.org.

What your tutor’s invoice or receipt should show

Most payment delays come from missing details on an invoice or receipt. AAA says reimbursement requests need the provider's paid receipt listing the services, the date, and the student's name.

A complete invoice or receipt usually includes:

• the tutor’s name and business name
• your child’s name (first and last, as AAA has it on file)
• each session date and length
• the service, such as “part-time reading tutoring”
• the amount, and for a receipt, that it was paid

This is the one place where your child’s full name belongs. It goes on the paperwork AAA needs, not in forms on this website.

Tutor credentials and online sessions

AAA checks that your tutor qualifies when it reviews each request. For FTC, PEP, and FES-EO funds, For part-time tutoring paid with FTC, PEP, or FES-EO funds through AAA, the tutor must hold a valid Florida educator's certificate, an adjunct teaching certificate, a bachelor's or graduate degree in the subject, a certification from an approved research-based training program, or demonstrated mastery of the subject area.

For FES-UA, the state’s purchasing guidelines list a longer set of credentials, and a Florida educator’s certificate qualifies under every AAA scholarship. That is why a Florida-certified teacher is a simple choice when you are new to AAA.

Online tutoring is allowed for credentialed tutors. AAA’s handbook says credentialed tutors may deliver services virtually, so families anywhere in Florida can use an AAA scholarship for live online sessions.

Planning around payment timing

FES-UA direct payments are usually quick once a request is approved. PEP reimbursements take longer, because you pay first and wait for AAA to review your receipt.

A few habits keep payments moving:

• Submit requests regularly, such as once a month, rather than saving them up.
• Check that the name on the receipt matches the name on your child’s AAA account.
• Keep copies of every invoice and receipt in one folder.

AAA’s pages sometimes lag behind its handbooks. If something you read on an AAA page does not match what happens in your account, call AAA family support at 888-707-2465 or info@aaascholarships.org.

How I work with AAA families

I work with families who have AAA scholarships, and I charge 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 with a master’s in literacy, and I teach in person in Palm Beach County and online anywhere in Florida. My lessons are structured and Orton-Gillingham-informed, and you get a progress note each month.

If you are unsure how your AAA scholarship can pay for sessions, we can walk through it together on a free 15-minute fit call.