Service providers include:

To qualify as a full-time private tutoring program authorized under s.1002.43, Florida Statutes:

• The tutor must hold a current, valid Florida teaching certificate for the subject or grade level.
• The tutor must complete and submit the Step Up For Students full-time tutor participation agreement and a s.1002.43, Florida Statutes to ReadingProvider@sufs.org.
• Full-time tutoring is considered 720 hours for grades K-3 and 900 hours for grades 4-12. Per Step Up For Students policy, full-time tutors may have no more than 5 students at one time.

To qualify as an empowerment scholarship part-time tutor, you must have one of the following: 

• A current, valid Florida educator’s certificate pursuant to s. 1012.56, Florida Statutes 
• An adjunct teaching certificate given by a Florida school district pursuant to s.1012.57  
• A baccalaureate or graduate degree in Reading, Elementary Education or English Education 

If you do not have one of the above, you may also qualify if you have demonstrated a mastery of subject area knowledge pursuant to s.1012.56(5), Florida Statutes. 

Mastery could be achieved through one or more of the following:

• An official Florida Teacher Certification Exam (FTCE) score report indicating a passing score on a Florida subject area exam, not more than 10 years old; or
• A passing score that is not more than 10 years old, above the intermediate level, on both the oral and written exams for a foreign language subject area (excluding French, German, or Spanish) administered by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) or
• A form provided by a Florida school district and signed by the school district indicating there is no standardized exam in the subject area, but the person has attained the essential subject matter competencies and subject area specialization requirements; or
• A valid certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS); or
• A valid certificate issued by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE); or
• A valid Statement of Status of Eligibility (SOE) issued by Educator Certification that indicates the educator is eligible for a Professional Certificate; or
• For a subject requiring a master’s or higher degree ( i.e. Educational Leadership, Guidance Counseling, Reading, or School Psychologist) a score report indicating a passing score on a Florida subject area exam (not more than 10 years old AND a valid Statement of Status of Eligibility (SOE) issued by Educator Certification that indicates the educator is eligible for a Temporary or Professional Certificate, or
• A valid Statement of Status Eligibility (SOE) issued by an Educator Certification that indicates the educator is eligible for a Temporary Certificate but does not list a passing score on the subject area exam under the Professional Certificate requirements.

An approved provider is one licensed by the state of Florida Department of Health to perform the service; approved as a provider by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities; or approved as a Specialized Instructional Services (SIS) Provider by the Office of Early Learning. An approved provider must provide services in the specialized area in which they are approved. These services include, but are not limited to:

• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services
• Services provided by a Florida licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)
• Services provided by a Florida licensed occupational therapist
• Services provided by Florida licensed physical therapist
• Services provided by listening and spoken language specialists
• Other specialized services (requires a pre-authorization)

To qualify as an eligible private school as defined in s. 1002.395(2)(g) as “a private school, as defined in s. 1002.01, which is located in this state, which offers an education to students in any grade from kindergarten to grade 12, and which meets the requirements of:

• Sections 1002.42 and 1002.421; and
• A scholarship program under s. 1002.395 (Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program), as applicable, if the private school participates in a scholarship program under s. 1002.395.

Tuition and fees required for enrollment at an eligible private school are covered by the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA).

If a parent decides to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed for tuition, there is no need for a parent to provide a student’s eligibility letter to an eligible, participating private school.

Recipients of FES-UA can be considered private-pay students at a private school; therefore, the eligible private school DOES NOT need to know the total amount of a student’s scholarship award before the tuition and fees are agreed upon with the parent.

The agreed upon amount of tuition and fees for each student should be a contractual agreement between the parent and the eligible private school. Some schools do ask parents for proof of scholarship. It is recommended that parents communicate with the school about what is required before enrolling their child.