Become a Step Up Full-Time Tutoring Provider in Florida
At a Glance
Full-time tutoring is full-time private instruction, and it can count as a child's required schooling under Florida law. Families can pay for it with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) and Personalized Education Program (PEP) scholarship funds, but only through providers Step Up has approved in EMA, its online system. Approval also lists you in the provider directory families search inside EMA.
This page covers what approval involves for a full-time tutor: the two scholarships that can pay for this work, the teaching certificate requirement, the student caps and teaching days that define the category, how payment reaches you, and the mistakes that slow applications down. Step Up reviews every application and makes every approval decision.
What Families Can Pay You For
FES-UA and PEP cover full-time private instruction in this category. A family can pay you through Direct Pay in EMA, or pay you themselves and request reimbursement from their scholarship account.
This category is not an option under FTC or FES-EO. Those programs require full-time private school enrollment, so full-time tutoring does not fit them.
Part-Time or Full-Time? The Line That Decides Your Category
Part-time tutoring is a separate category, with an annual cap per student of 720 hours for grades K-3 and 900 hours for grades 4-12. Full-time tutoring is the category for instruction families rely on as the child's schooling.
Full-time tutoring carries its own structure: at most 5 students at the same time, up to 25 students only in a qualifying facility, and 180 actual teaching days per year, or the hourly equivalent of 720 hours for grades K-3 and 900 hours for grades 4-12. If that structure does not match your work, the part-time category is likely the right one to look at first.
What It Takes
This category has one credential route:
- A valid, current Florida teaching certificate for the subject or grade level you will teach.
The Full-Time Private Tutoring Provider Participation Agreement is mandatory in this category. At a headline level, the application also asks for a copy of the teaching certificate, and a valid Certificate of Occupancy if applicable for a 25-student facility. Your Personal account must be linked to an approved Business account.
Mistakes That Slow Full-Time Tutoring Applications Down
- A missing Participation Agreement. The Full-Time Private Tutoring Provider Participation Agreement is mandatory in this category.
- Exceeding the student cap, tutoring more than 5 students at the same time, or more than 25 even in a qualifying facility.
- Applying for FTC or FES-EO students. Full-time tutoring is not allowable under those programs.
Questions Providers Ask
Which scholarships can pay for full-time tutoring?
Unique Abilities (FES-UA) and PEP only. Full-time tutoring is not allowable under FTC or FES-EO, because those programs require full-time private school enrollment.
Can full-time tutoring count as a child's schooling?
Yes. Full-time tutoring in this category is full-time private instruction, and it can count as the child's required schooling under Florida law.
What certificate do I need?
A valid, current Florida teaching certificate for the subject or grade level you will teach. That is the credential route for this category.
How many students can I teach at once?
At most 5 students at the same time. Up to 25 students is allowed only in a qualifying facility, such as a commercial building with a certificate of occupancy, a library, a museum, a church, or a college or university facility.
How many teaching days does the category require?
180 actual teaching days per year, or the hourly equivalent: 720 hours for grades K-3 and 900 hours for grades 4-12.
How do families pay me?
Step Up can pay you directly through EMA, or the family pays you and requests reimbursement from their scholarship account.
See Your Full-Time Tutoring Pathway
The free assessment asks five straightforward questions and shows you a personalized preview of your provider pathway: your credential route, the scholarship programs that fit, and your first steps. The assessment is free. Start with a free personalized assessment. Full personalized plan for one provider pathway: $147 one-time. Additional pathways are $97 each.
Step Up Provider Guide is operated by Pair of Deuces LLC and is not affiliated with Step Up For Students. Step Up reviews every provider application and makes all approval decisions.
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