Switching Florida Scholarships: PEP, FES-UA, Private School to Home, and What Happens to the Money

Florida families rarely stay in one scholarship program for thirteen years. Diagnoses arrive, schools close, a family that thought it wanted a classroom discovers it wants a kitchen table. Moving between programs is allowed. Doing it without losing time, priority or money takes a few rules learned in advance.

Rule one: one application at a time

Florida law allows only one active scholarship application per student at any time. You cannot file for PEP and FES-UA simultaneously and take whichever comes first. If your child is denied, or you decline an award, you can then apply to a different program. In a first-come, first-served system, an application you filed to hedge your bets costs you a place in line for the one you actually want. Decide, then apply.

Rule two: programs that cannot overlap

• PEP and FES-EO cannot be held at the same time. One is for home education, the other for private school enrollment.
• PEP and a district home education program cannot coexist. Starting PEP means sending your district a written notice terminating your home education program; leaving PEP for traditional home education means filing a fresh notice of intent within thirty days.
• Hope is forfeited if the student returns to public school, registers a traditional home education program, or receives FTC or FES.
• Full-time public school enrollment ends every program. The scholarships exist for students who are not in public school.

The common moves, in order

Private school to home. A family on FES-EO or FTC who brings the children home in June faces a timing problem: PEP's application window closes in April and does not reopen in the fall. The realistic path is to file a district notice of intent or enroll in an umbrella school for the coming year, then apply for PEP when the window opens in February. Budget for a self-funded year.

PEP to FES-UA. When a child receives a qualifying diagnosis or an IEP, FES-UA is usually the larger award and it works for home education. Because of the one-application rule, you apply for FES-UA when your PEP application is not pending, and you will need the diagnosis or IEP documentation ready. The FES-UA window for new applications runs longer into the year than PEP's.

Home education to PEP. Apply in the spring window, wait for the award, formally accept it, and only then send the district your termination notice. Terminating early leaves your child registered nowhere.

What happens to the balance

This is the question families most often assume the answer to, and they should not. Unspent funds roll over within a program from year to year, but an account belongs to a specific program and a specific award. Before you change programs, ask your scholarship funding organization in writing what happens to the current balance and any pending reimbursements, and get the answer before you file anything with the district. Treat "the money will just move" as unconfirmed until Step Up or AAA says so for your case.

Action items

• Write down the sequence: which application first, which notice second, and which deadline governs each.
• Ask your funding organization about the balance and pending claims before you switch, and keep the reply.
• Spend down or file every pending reimbursement in the outgoing program before the change.
• Do not send a district termination notice until the new award is accepted.
• Calendar the next application window the day you decide to move.

Current windows for every program are kept up to date on our scholarships page, and the program-by-program rules are in the complete Step Up guide.

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with Step Up For Students or the Florida Department of Education. Program rules and amounts change every cycle — confirm details on the official program pages before making financial decisions.