Can a Palm Beach County family pay for curriculum, classroom supplies & online courses with scholarship funds?
It depends on the program: Unique Abilities and PEP and Private School Scholarship can pay for it. The cards below give each program's rule.
Curriculum, digital materials, at-home classroom furnishings, school supplies and tuition at an approved online provider.
This is the heart of PEP spending. A self-paced online course counts as curriculum, live teaching has to come from an approved online provider, and full-time virtual school is excluded.
Supplemental curriculum from leftover funds; an approved private online school can be the enrolling school.
Which rules apply to curriculum, classroom supplies & online courses?
- Curriculum that is not publicly available needs pre-authorization.
- A multi-user subscription is prorated to the student's share when a single-user option exists.
- Televisions, projectors, drafting tables and picnic tables are limited to one purchase every two years, and the limit carries across programs.
What is not allowed for curriculum, classroom supplies & online courses?
- Full-time online school enrollment through PEP
- Household items and improvements that are not on the classroom furnishings list
How does curriculum, classroom supplies & online courses work for a Palm Beach County family?
Most new PEP households buy curriculum first. A family eyeing a complete online program, for instance American Faith Academy (AmFaith), should ask Step Up whether that enrollment is allowed under the program they hold.
How does a family buy curriculum, classroom supplies & online courses?
Look in MyScholarShop first, because its listings are pre-approved. Next try Find Providers in EMA, which lets the account pay tutors, therapists and instructors directly. If neither fits, pay by card, hold the itemized receipt and file for reimbursement. A purchase the guides do not list as eligible needs pre-authorization before you spend.
What can the funds pay for, and what can they not?
For this category, the table sets allowed purchases next to excluded ones.
| Can pay for | Cannot pay for |
|---|---|
| Unique Abilities: Curriculum, digital materials, at-home classroom furnishings, school supplies and tuition at an approved online provider. | Full-time online school enrollment through PEP |
| PEP: This is the heart of PEP spending. A self-paced online course counts as curriculum, live teaching has to come from an approved online provider, and full-time virtual school is excluded. | Household items and improvements that are not on the classroom furnishings list |
| Private School Scholarship: Supplemental curriculum from leftover funds; an approved private online school can be the enrolling school. |
Related questions
Build my child's spending plan →
Sources: Step Up For Students purchasing guides for FES-UA, PEP and FTC/FES-EO (2025-26 editions) and its "Program Handbooks and Purchasing Guides: Summary of Changes" page (last modified October 22, 2026). These are summaries, not legal advice; your scholarship funding organization's current guide controls.