How to use EMA to find and pay a tutor

What EMA is

EMA is Step Up’s online account where your scholarship funds live and where you pay for approved costs. You use it to check your balance, find approved providers in Marketplace, reserve funds, and request reimbursements.

According to Step Up, to find a tutor you open Marketplace, select Find Providers, and choose an approved provider who bills the scholarship directly. If you pay for an eligible expense yourself, you can request a reimbursement in EMA instead.

For families with the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) or the Personalized Education Program (PEP), EMA is also where you pay a tutor directly. I’m an approved Step Up For Students provider, and this is an independent guide based on Step Up’s published materials.

Screens and button names can change from year to year. If something looks different, trust EMA and the official family handbooks over any outside guide, including this one.

How to log in safely

Log in only through Step Up’s official login page, starting from stepupforstudents.org. Save that page as a bookmark so you never need to search for it or tap a link in a message.

Here is the official Step Up login page. If you can’t get in, call Step Up family support at 1-877-735-7837.

A few habits keep your account safe. Use a password you don’t use anywhere else, and log out when you use a shared computer. If you think someone else has your login, call Step Up right away.

How to find and book a tutor in Marketplace

You find tutors by opening Marketplace in EMA and choosing Find Providers. Once you pick an approved provider, you reserve funds so the provider can bill your account after each session.

Looking for me? Search Marketplace for my listing, Janessa Prince LLC. Before you reserve funds with any tutor, read the questions to ask any tutor.

How reserving funds works

Reserving funds sets money aside in your account for one provider, so it is ready when that provider bills. In general, reserved money is not paid out until the provider bills for sessions.

Reserve a few weeks at a time, and adjust as your schedule settles. If you stop sessions, ask the provider to close out the reservation, or ask Step Up how to release any unused amount.

Direct pay versus reimbursement

Direct pay means Step Up pays an approved provider straight from your account, so you don’t pay out of pocket. Reimbursement means you pay first, then ask Step Up in EMA to pay you back for an eligible expense.

1. 1

   Your scholarship account in EMA

   Your Unique Abilities (FES-UA) or PEP funds live in your Education Market Assistant (EMA) account.

2. 2

   Janessa teaches the sessions

   You choose Janessa in EMA and reserve funds for the sessions you plan.

3. 3

   Step Up pays Janessa directly

   After each session, Janessa sends the payment request. You can track it in EMA.

Direct pay is simpler, and your own money stays out of it. Don’t pay a tutor yourself and expect a refund unless your handbook says that expense can be reimbursed.

Before you buy anything on your own, check the official family handbooks and the official purchasing guides. They list what each scholarship can pay for and how reimbursement works.

Tracking your balance and quarterly funding

Your balance grows through the year because Step Up funds accounts in quarterly payments. Check EMA before you plan a new schedule, so you only reserve money that has arrived.

Here are the dates for this school year. For 2026-27, state funds reach Step Up on August 1, 2026 (renewal students) or September 1, 2026 (new and late-renewal students) for quarter 1, then November 1, 2026, February 1, 2027, and April 1, 2027. Student accounts are funded up to two weeks after Step Up receives each payment.

To plan the year, enter your award and a schedule in the tutoring budget planner. The key dates page lists every confirmed date for this school year.

If your child’s school plans change, check the rules first. A student with a Private School, FES-UA, or PEP scholarship who enrolls full time in a Florida public school is no longer eligible for additional scholarship funding. Funds already in the account stay available in EMA.

Keep simple records

A simple record of sessions and payments makes EMA much easier to manage. Write down each session, then compare your notes with the payments in your account about once a month.

• Session log. The date, length, and subject of each session.
• Reservations. How much you reserved, for which provider, and when you plan to add more.
• Receipts. A copy of every receipt for anything you buy yourself, in case you need it for a reimbursement.
• Questions. Anything that looks off, with dates, so you have details ready if you call Step Up.

If your tutor doesn’t already send a list of session dates, ask for one each month. It takes a minute to check and catches mistakes early.

Common problems and when to call Step Up

Many EMA problems come down to timing, the wrong listing, or a missing receipt, and you can often sort them out yourself. If a quick check doesn’t solve it, call Step Up family support at 1-877-735-7837.

Only Step Up can see or change your account, your funding, or your eligibility. I can answer questions about my own sessions and billing, and I’m glad to help you find my listing.

How I bill through EMA

I’m an approved Step Up For Students provider, and I bill FES-UA and PEP accounts directly through EMA. You reserve funds for a few weeks of sessions, I bill after each session, and you can see every payment in your account.

My reading and writing tutoring is one-on-one, in person in parts of Palm Beach County or online. My rate is the same for scholarship and private-pay families.

To get started, book a free 15-minute fit call. We talk about your child, I suggest a schedule, and then you reserve funds in EMA for the first few weeks.