The PEP scholarship for homeschool families

Who qualifies for PEP

Your child may qualify for PEP if they are in kindergarten through grade 12 and are not enrolled full time in a public or private school. Income doesn’t matter, since families at any income level can apply.

PEP is widely used here. Palm Beach County had 3,928 funded PEP students in 2025-26, the second most of any Florida county.

If your child has a qualifying diagnosis, the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) is another option. It is for Florida residents ages 3 to 22 (or through grade 12) with one of 23 qualifying diagnoses, and new 2026-27 applications are accepted through November 15, 2026.

I’m a Florida-certified teacher and an approved Step Up For Students provider, and this is an independent guide. Step Up, not this guide, decides who qualifies. Keep in mind that enrolling full time in a Florida public school ends additional scholarship funding.

The Student Learning Plan

The Student Learning Plan is a yearly plan you write that describes what your child will learn. Step Up requires one each year, and renewing families send it along with the prior year’s test results.

Here is the timing for this school year. For 2026-27, PEP families submitted the Student Learning Plan by May 31, 2026. Renewing PEP students also submitted the prior year’s norm-referenced test results by that date.

As a teacher, I suggest keeping the plan simple and specific. Whatever format Step Up asks for, these four pieces make a plan easier to follow during the year:

• Subjects. Reading, writing, math, and anything else your child will study.
• Materials. The curriculum, books, or programs you plan to use for each subject.
• Goals. One or two goals per subject that you can check, such as reading a chapter book with support or adding and subtracting within 100.
• Progress checks. How you will see growth, such as work samples, short skill checks, or notes from a tutor.

Check progress a few times a year so the plan stays true to what your child is doing. If a goal turns out to be too easy or too hard, change how you teach it rather than waiting for next year’s plan.

My homeschool learning support includes progress notes you can use when you write next year’s plan. You stay in charge of the program, and I take on the skills you want help with.

Yearly testing

PEP students take a norm-referenced test each year. A norm-referenced test compares your child’s results with a large group of students in the same grade, so it shows where your child stands and how much they grew.

Some students with special needs may be exempt, so ask Step Up if that might apply to your child.

The test fee can come from the scholarship. Fees for standardized tests, including national or state norm-referenced tests and Advanced Placement exams, are eligible expenses. Tests that are not listed need pre-authorization.

One test day is a snapshot, not the whole picture. Steady reading and math practice through the year usually does more than test prep in the last few weeks. If you’d like a clear starting point, I begin tutoring with educational skill checks and observation, then review progress every four weeks.

What PEP can pay for

PEP can pay for approved education costs such as curriculum, testing fees, part-time tutoring, and Choice Navigator services. It can’t pay for everything, so check the PEP purchasing guide before you buy.

Curriculum

Curriculum has its own rules in the purchasing guide. The purchasing guides define curriculum as a complete course of study. Curriculum that is not publicly available needs a pre-authorization request before purchase.

If you are not sure an item counts, check the purchasing guide or call Step Up before you buy. It is much easier than asking for money back later.

Part-time tutoring

Part-time tutoring lets a teacher take on one subject, such as reading or writing, while you lead the rest of your homeschool week. You stay in charge of the curriculum, and the tutor works toward the goals in your plan.

You pay an approved provider through direct pay in your Education Market Assistant (EMA) account. The EMA guide shows how to find a tutor and reserve funds.

Choice Navigators

A Choice Navigator is an adviser who helps you plan, not someone who runs your child’s program. A Choice Navigator meets the same credential rules as a part-time tutor and helps families with school options, curriculum, and career planning. A Choice Navigator may not oversee or control a student’s curriculum or academic program.

PEP families spent $923,436.40 in 2024-25 on Choice Navigator services. A tutor and a Choice Navigator are different roles, so ask any provider which service they offer before you reserve funds.

How much PEP is worth

PEP awards were between $7,700 and $8,500 on average in 2025-26. In Palm Beach County for 2026-27, PEP amounts are $8,890 (K-3), $8,288 (grades 4-8), and $8,091 (grades 9-12).

Funds arrive in quarterly payments, so plan your spending across the year. For 2026-27, funds reach Step Up August 1 or September 1, November 1, February 1, and April 1, and accounts are funded up to two weeks later.

To see how a tutoring schedule fits your award, try the tutoring budget planner. It shows the yearly cost and what is left for curriculum and testing.

Getting ready for 2027-28

PEP applications for 2026-27 closed April 30, 2026, so new families are now planning for 2027-28. The 2027-28 window is expected in early 2027; not yet announced.

To hear when it opens, join Step Up's 2027-28 scholarship updates list. You can also sign up for my reminder email in the how-to-apply guide, which walks through the application step by step.

While you wait, a few steps make the application easier:

• Read the rules. Look through the official family handbooks so you know what PEP expects before you apply.
• Gather documents. Use Step Up's application checklist to collect what you need now.
• Sketch a learning plan. Write down your subjects, materials, and two or three goals for next year.
• Notice where your child needs help. If reading or writing is a struggle, it helps to know before the school year starts.

If you missed the 2026-27 window

You can still homeschool this year without PEP funding and apply once the next window opens. Keep simple records now, such as work samples and reading logs, so you have a starting point for your first learning plan.

If you want tutoring before then, my rate is the same whether you pay privately now or through PEP later.

How I support PEP families

I’m an approved Step Up For Students provider, and PEP families can pay for my tutoring through direct pay in EMA. My homeschool learning support focuses on reading, writing, and study habits, with progress notes you can use for your Student Learning Plan.

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

Most families start with a free 15-minute fit call. We talk about your child and your homeschool week, and I suggest a schedule that fits.