How to Use Step Up for Students Scholarships for Homeschool Services

How to Use Step Up for Students Scholarships for Homeschool Services (PEP & Unique Abilities)

Florida is one of the most homeschool-friendly states in the country, and a big part of that is the scholarship infrastructure that backs homeschool families with real funding. Step Up for Students administers two scholarships most Florida homeschool families should know about: the Personalized Education Program (PEP) and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA). Both are education savings accounts, both can fund a wide range of homeschool services, and both have application windows that move quickly.

Here is a clear, current guide to what they are, who qualifies, and how families use them at Bloom Homeschool.

What Step Up for Students Is

Step Up for Students is the state-approved scholarship funding organization that administers Florida's largest K–12 scholarship programs. For homeschool families, the two relevant programs are PEP and Unique Abilities. Both are structured as education savings accounts (ESAs), meaning families do not receive a check. They use an online platform to purchase approved services and materials.

Bloom Homeschool is a registered Step Up for Students provider, so families can use scholarship funding directly for our services.

The Personalized Education Program (PEP)

The Personalized Education Program is designed for Florida students who are not enrolled full-time in a public or private school, the homeschool-friendly track. Families use the ESA to purchase curriculum, online programs, tutoring, instructional materials, standardized testing, evaluations, and more.

Key facts (always confirm current numbers and dates on the official Step Up for Students PEP page before applying):

• Average award funding is approximately $8,000 per student per year
• Funds are delivered as an education savings account, not a check
• Eligible expenses include tutoring, curriculum, online programs, testing, evaluations, instructional materials, and certain therapies
• Award amounts and application windows are set annually by the state
• PEP Resources for parents live on Step Up for Students' official site

The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA)

The Unique Abilities Scholarship is for students ages 3 through grade 12 (and in some cases through age 22) with a qualifying diagnosis. Qualifying conditions include autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, specific learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, hearing or visual impairments, and other listed diagnoses.

Key facts (always confirm current numbers, eligible conditions, and deadlines on the official Unique Abilities page):

• Average award funding is approximately $10,000 per student per year
• Funds are delivered through an ESA
• Eligible expenses include tutoring, curriculum, therapies, instructional materials, evaluations, and certain technology
• Diagnoses must be documented to qualify

How Bloom Families Use Their Scholarship Funding

Once a family is approved for PEP or Unique Abilities, scholarship funding can be applied to the Bloom services that match the student's needs:

• One-on-one online tutoring in reading, writing, math, test prep, and most academic subjects
• Stanford 10 standardized testing for grades 3–12
• Annual portfolio evaluations with academic advising included
• Academic advising and Choice Navigator appointments for curriculum planning, transcript work, and college planning
• Summer workshops in math and academic writing

Each service is offered as a Step Up–eligible expense and submitted directly through the family's ESA platform.

How to Apply

1. Confirm eligibility. Read the requirements on the official Step Up for Students pages linked above.
2. Apply during the open window. PEP and Unique Abilities have specific application windows each year. These are set by the state and announced on Step Up's site. Renewal and new-student deadlines are sometimes different.
3. Wait for approval. Step Up reviews applications and notifies families of award status.
4. Set up the ESA account. Once approved, families create their EMA / MyScholarShop accounts to begin purchasing approved services.
5. Connect with Bloom. Reach out to Bloom Homeschool and let us know you would like to use scholarship funding. We will walk you through requesting services through your ESA platform.

What Scholarship Funding Cannot Do

A few honest notes:

• Scholarship funding does not change deadlines for Florida homeschool compliance. Annual evaluations are still required under Florida Statute 1002.41.
• ESA funds can only be used on approved expenses on the Step Up platform.
• Not every product or service qualifies. When in doubt, check Step Up's resources or ask the provider.

Why This Matters for Florida Homeschool Families

For many families, PEP and Unique Abilities are the difference between a thin homeschool year and one with real outside support: tutoring when it matters, professional evaluations, standardized testing, and academic advising for the long road to college. The scholarship infrastructure exists. The barrier is usually awareness and application timing.

If you are exploring whether scholarship funding could support your family at Bloom, reach out here and we will help you sort eligibility, services, and the next step. You can also browse our scholarships page for a quick overview.