Can a Palm Beach County family pay for tutoring & reading intervention 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.
Part-time tutoring and approved full-time private tutoring programs can be paid from the account, online or in person.
A core use of the account, paid through Find Providers or reimbursed with receipts.
Once tuition and required fees are covered, any remaining balance can pay a credentialed tutor.
Which rules apply to tutoring & reading intervention?
- A part-time tutor needs at least one qualifying credential: a Florida or out-of-state teaching certificate, an adjunct certificate, a degree in the subject, NBPTS or ABCTE certification, a passing FTCE subject score no more than ten years old, or certification in an approved research-based program such as Orton-Gillingham, Wilson or Barton.
- Someone working as a full-time private tutor needs a valid Florida teaching certificate covering the subject or grade, owes 720 instructional hours a year in K-3 or 900 in grades 4-12, and normally teaches five students or fewer together (a facility such as a church or library can raise that ceiling to 25).
- Cash paid to a private individual is not reimbursed; the tutor should be paid through EMA or with documented receipts.
What is not allowed for tutoring & reading intervention?
- A tutor with none of the listed credentials
- Cash payments
- Services another agency or insurance already paid for
How does tutoring & reading intervention work for a Palm Beach County family?
In the state file, 53 Palm Beach County private schools name at least one disability category they serve, and 34 of them name specific learning disability. Where a school lacks a reading specialist, a common move is to stay enrolled and bring in a credentialed tutor paid from the account.
How does a family buy tutoring & reading intervention?
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: Part-time tutoring and approved full-time private tutoring programs can be paid from the account, online or in person. | A tutor with none of the listed credentials |
| PEP: A core use of the account, paid through Find Providers or reimbursed with receipts. | Cash payments |
| Private School Scholarship: Once tuition and required fees are covered, any remaining balance can pay a credentialed tutor. | Services another agency or insurance already paid for |
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.