You chose homeschooling because your child deserves better. Your PEP scholarship covers 1-on-1 lessons with certified teachers for the subjects you want expert help with — $0 out-of-pocket.
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Expert 1-on-1 lessons that slot into your homeschool week, funded by Step Up.
Families provide 100s of positive reviews and referrals every month
*According to analysis with tutors, our software increases learning by 2.7x
Each academic tutor is carefully handpicked and trained by our education team.
Expert 1-on-1 lessons that slot into your homeschool week, funded by Step Up.
Las familias brindan cientos de reseñas positivas y referencias cada mes.
Según análisis con tutores, nuestro software aumenta el aprendizaje en 2,7x
Cada tutor académico es cuidadosamente seleccionado y capacitado por nuestro equipo educativo.
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Lessons tailored to each homeschool student, designed to strengthen skills and build momentum.
Every teacher is certified, vetted, and approved to meet Step Up program requirements.
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A written report from your teacher after every lesson — ready for your homeschool records.
What is the PEP scholarship?
The Personalized Education Program (PEP) is Florida's education savings account for families directing their own child's education. Administered by Step Up for Students, it provides roughly $8,000 per year for K-12 Florida residents who are not enrolled full-time in a public or private school. Funds live in a parent-controlled ESA and pay for tutoring, curriculum, instructional materials, technology, part-time enrollment, and approved lessons — through the same EMA marketplace used across Step Up programs. One eligibility detail that catches families out: charter schools, magnet programs, and Florida Virtual School count as public school enrollment, so students in those programs are not PEP-eligible. Our Step Up homeschooling guide covers the application in detail.
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Madhu's daughter, Amrita, is a year 8 maths student with Tutero.
Kylie's daughter, Frankie, is year 7 English student with Tutero.
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His daughter, Aanya, is a year 4 maths student with Tutero.
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Her daughter, Olivia, is a year 10 maths student with Tutero.
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What can PEP funds pay for, and how does direct pay work?
PEP funds flex across the categories homeschool families actually use: 1-on-1 tutoring, curriculum, instructional materials, technology, co-op classes, music and art lessons through approved providers, and standardized testing fees. For tutoring there are two payment paths. With an approved direct-pay provider like Tutero, the invoice goes through your EMA account, you approve it, and Step Up pays the provider — no money leaves your pocket and there is no paperwork to keep. The reimbursement path means paying first and claiming back, with itemized receipts and exact name-matching; if you ever prepay a provider, Step Up allows reimbursement requests up to four months ahead of services, but only with written confirmation that the payment is non-refundable. Direct pay avoids all of that, which is why most PEP families prefer it for ongoing lessons.
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Absolutely fantastic service! Tutero has transformed my understanding of maths. My tutor Jesse is incredibly knowledgeable and patient. I couldn't have asked for a better experieance.
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Very impressed with everything. Took the time initially to understand my daughter’s neeads and my motivations for tutoring. Tutoring has been excellent and very affordable. Highly recommend.
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Emily has been such a great tutor for our daughter in year 6 for maths. She has gained confidence and a better understanding of math concepts with her organized and practical lessons!
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My son absolutely loves his weekly lessons with his Tutero tutor Tristan. To quote my son, he says that he is a 'really good teacher' and 'makes learning fun.’
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I cannot recommend Tutero enough. They have done an incredible job matching the tutor to my children’s unique learning styles. The progress they've made is remarkable.
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I've used Tutero for 4 months so far for my Year 9 son. It's seriously been nothing short of a miracle! My son does his tutoring without complaint and his grades have improved significantly.
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Connect your child with a tutor who’s expertly matched to their unique needs from a pool of 500+ top educators.
Curriculum-aligned lessons designed to boost your child’s confidence and achievement in school.
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Identify and bridge learning gaps with precision through personalized assessments and targeted tutoring.
Build confidence and mastery in math across all levels with expert-led support tailored for success.
Empower your homeschooling journey with flexible, standards-aligned teaching.
Enhance literacy skills and fill knowledge gaps with dedicated English tutoring and tailored lessons.
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Engage with science through customized tutoring from our carefully selected pool of top teachers.
Boost test scores with targeted gap analysis and strategic preparation, tailored to exam success.
Strengthen foundational skills in core subjects with diagnostic-based support tailored to young learners.
How does tutoring fit into a homeschool schedule?
Homeschool families use Tutero two ways. Some bring in a certified teacher for the subjects they'd rather not teach themselves — algebra, chemistry, essay writing — while keeping everything else parent-led. Others use weekly 1-on-1 lessons as the academic spine for a subject across the year, with the teacher setting the sequence and the family building around it. Lessons are live and online, scheduled around your week rather than a school bell, and the same teacher stays with your child so momentum builds lesson to lesson. Every lesson is aligned to Florida's B.E.S.T. standards, which keeps assessment season predictable, and parents get a written report after each lesson — useful records for your own planning. One administrative note Step Up makes explicit: tutors are not responsible for compiling student portfolios; that stays in the family's hands, and Tutero's lesson reports make the compiling easy.
Why do PEP families pick Tutero over other providers?
Three reasons come up again and again. First, every Tutero lesson is taught by a certified teacher, not a casually available tutor — homeschool parents notice the difference in structure and progression. Second, EMA direct pay means $0 out-of-pocket and zero reimbursement paperwork. Third, families get an education specialist who understands the PEP program and helps plan scholarship spending across the year, so tutoring, curriculum, and materials all fit inside the award.
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Tutero invoices directly through your EMA account as a direct-pay provider. You approve the invoice, Step Up pays Tutero from your PEP balance, and nothing comes out of your pocket. Invoices go through EMA on the day lessons are processed — never dated ahead — and every transaction is visible in your EMA account history.
Yes. PEP funds can be split across tutoring, curriculum, materials, technology, and approved lessons in the same year. Many families anchor the budget with weekly tutoring in one or two subjects, then allocate the remainder to curriculum and materials. Tutero's education specialists can help you estimate lesson costs so the whole year fits inside your award.
Portfolios stay in the family's hands — Step Up's own guidance is explicit that tutors are not responsible for compiling student portfolios. What Tutero provides is the raw material that makes your portfolio easy: a written report after every lesson, session logs, and progress summaries aligned to Florida's B.E.S.T. standards.
Full-time FLVS enrollment counts as public school enrollment, which makes a student ineligible for PEP — the same applies to charter and magnet programs. Part-time arrangements vary, so verify your specific enrollment status against the current PEP handbook on stepupforstudents.org before applying. If your child has a documented diagnosis, the UA scholarship may be the stronger path regardless.
Three differences: every lesson is taught by a certified teacher rather than a casually available tutor; your child keeps the same teacher all year rather than rotating; and billing runs through EMA direct pay with $0 out-of-pocket. Add the written lesson reports for your homeschool records, and PEP families get both the teaching quality and the administrative simplicity the program was designed for.
Yes. Homeschool plans evolve, and lessons can shift with them — moving from reading support to math, or adding essay writing ahead of assessment season. Your education specialist adjusts the plan and the EMA invoicing follows. If your remaining PEP balance is tight, they'll help you rework the schedule so the funds cover what matters most.
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