Does PEP cover it? Item by item.

Each answer below comes from Step Up’s PEP Purchasing Guide. The guide sorts things into three groups: listed as eligible, prohibited, and not listed. For the last group it says: “Items or services not listed as eligible in this Purchasing Guide require pre-authorization approval before purchasing the item or service.”

Before you pay out of pocket: the guide says parents “should verify with their SFO that a purchase is eligible for reimbursement before paying out-of-pocket for the item or service.” Step Up’s Customer Engagement Center is at (877) 735-7837.

The purchasing guide doesn’t mention swim lessons by name. Under Physical Education (P.E.) it lists, among other things:

• “Sports lessons, including individual training or group training”
• “Swim equipment, including goggles, kickboards, masks, fins, snorkels”

Whether a particular swim program fits under sports lessons is Step Up’s decision, not ours. Because swim lessons aren’t listed by name, the safe step is to ask Step Up or request pre-authorization before you pay.

The guide does name one swimming item as prohibited: “In-ground or above-ground swimming pools or Jacuzzis.”

The word “camp” doesn’t appear in the purchasing guide, so a summer camp falls under the guide’s rule for anything not listed: it needs pre-authorization before you buy. Pre-authorization requests for 2026–27 are accepted until May 28, 2027.

Some things a camp might include are listed on their own:

• Elective lessons in subjects such as art, music, drama, foreign language, culinary, and programming.
• Club fees, “including Scouts, 4-H, and FFA clubs.”
• Sports lessons and team fees under P.E.
• Summer programs from a public school. The guide says a student may take part in programming “(including after-school, extracurricular, supplemental, or summer school programs)” from a public school, charter school, or FLVS if the family contracts for it on a private-pay basis.

And some are on the prohibited list, including costs of accommodations (lodging or meals), food and beverage, and, among private school fees, before or after-school care.

The P.E. section lists sports lessons, fees, and single-person equipment. From the guide:

• Sports lessons, including individual or group training
• Team fees, “including registration, equipment rental, and competition fees”
• Sports supplies, such as balls, racquets, basketball hoops, soccer goals, and nets
• Specialized or sport-specific footwear
• Dance lessons and dance supplies
• Gym and fitness memberships or class passes, for the student only
• Stand-alone athletic event fees, such as race registrations and Special Olympics registrations

Prohibited: sporting event tickets, footwear that isn’t specialized or sport specific, and P.E. activities outside Florida that aren’t pre-authorized. Some P.E. equipment, such as exercise equipment, bicycles, and table sports, can be bought once every two years.

Paying a sports or lessons program? Step Up’s reimbursement guide asks for an invoice on the company’s letterhead with the student’s full name, what was bought, and the dates of service. The reimbursement guide covers invoices and proof of payment in detail.

Uniforms appear in two places in the guide:

• P.E.: “Sports uniforms, including all required accessories.”
• Fees at an eligible private school: “Uniform fee (basic uniform pieces purchased from a school-required vendor including sports uniforms).” This applies to PEP students at an eligible private school who don’t attend full-time.

Among private school fees, the guide lists “Shoes and accessories fees” as prohibited. Performance costumes are also on the prohibited list.

Appendix A of the guide lists digital devices and digital periphery devices as prohibited. The periphery list includes:

• “Printers, including 3D printers”
• Headsets
• Speakers
• Computer monitor, keyboard, mouse, scanner
• Virtual and augmented reality headsets or goggles

The guide doesn’t use the word “headphones.” If you’re unsure whether a pair counts as a headset, ask Step Up before you buy. Printer ink, on the other hand, is listed under School Supplies.

Laptops, Chromebooks, desktop computers, e-readers, and cell phones are also listed as prohibited digital devices; see the PEP purchase guide for other common items.

The prohibited list includes “Costs of transportation(including gas, mileage, or public transportation).” It also excludes lodging, meals, and parking on field trips and theme park visits; the guide covers basic admission only.

For anything not listed, the guide describes the pre-authorization process:

• Submit the request in EMA once your student’s account has been funded for the current school year.
• Be specific to your student, with as much detail as you can about the item or service and its approximate cost.
• Approvals are case-by-case and are valid for purchases in the school year they were approved.
• Step Up “will not consider or approve pre-authorization requests for items that are prohibited.”
• An approval “is not confirmation of the provider’s eligibility or the funding available for the reimbursement.”

The guide also says pre-authorization is needed for some items bought again sooner than the two-year frequency rule allows. For recent changes to how that rule is worded, see what’s new for PEP in 2026–27.

One more thing to know: the guide’s heading still reads “2025-26 PEP Purchasing Guide,” while its pre-authorization and theme park sections give 2026–27 dates. If something here doesn’t match what you see in EMA, Step Up’s current pages are right.