08/04/2026
For those who received emails from Step Up For Students yesterday regarding their students' Personalized Education Program scholarship status, navigating the updates can be stressful. Here is some information to help clarify what these messages actually mean for your family.
If you received an email stating that your student is being presented for the scholarship, this means you have successfully made it to the next level, and your student is on the list being sent to the Department of Education. As long as your student is not caught in crosschecks, they should receive their funding in August for renewals or September for new students.
If you received an email stating that your student qualifies for the scholarship but there is currently not a spot available, along with an offer to be open to the AAA Scholarship Foundation taking over your student's PEP scholarship, it means you still have a chance. AAA is the other scholarship organization that handles PEP scholarships in Florida. They are a smaller organization with different reimbursement rules, no marketplace, and no direct pay. They support an exceedingly small percentage of PEP students, and it is unknown how many scholarship spots they actually have available. Make sure to do thorough research before choosing this option. https://www.aaascholarships.org/welcome-to-aaa-scholarship-foundation/
If you received an email saying you did not complete the Student Learning Plan, this means that your student did not secure the scholarship this year. Many people report receiving this in error despite completing it. First, check your account in EMA and make sure you completed the correct school year plan. In February, applications defaulted to the previous year's plan, and many parents filled that out by mistake. Furthermore, if you changed your plan after the May 31 deadline, your submission date was updated, meaning you missed the deadline if it was submitted late. If you believe you received this in error, your best options are to respond to the email, connect with an online chat agent through their website or page, or call as a last resort. Keep in mind that they may not have any funds remaining to allocate to your student.
There was also an email about not qualifying for income priority. If you submitted tax and income documents and believe you should qualify for tier one income priority based on the published charts, I recommend responding to the email or connecting with an online chat agent, keeping phone calls as a last resort. While it does not hurt to reach out if you believe you qualify, keep in mind that they may not have had enough funds to cover all tier one income priority students.
Navigating SUFS can be difficult because procedures are not always handled smoothly. PEP is not funded by government money like traditional public schools. Instead, the funding comes from corporate donations for tax write-offs. Even though there are supposed to be 140,000 available spots for PEP students this year, the funding has not been raised to support that number, which is why so many people faced denials this year.
For those who missed out, remember that you can homeschool without a scholarship or any funding. Families have been homeschooling successfully for years without government assistance. Free and low-cost options are available, and true co-ops are groups of parents working together for the education of their children rather than high-priced drop-off programs or microschools. Over the next few days, I will share some of my favorite free and low-cost resources, as well as tips for creating community and co-ops for your children without the prices charged to scholarship students.
Reach out to me if you need guidance or help reconfiguring your homeschool plan for the year. SunnyEvals.com
