FL PEP and FES-UA Student Invoicing Overview & Using EMA to Pay a Prenda Invoice

This article explains:

• How payments flow through EMA
• Microschool fee 
• State Funding + Invoicing schedule
• How to view and download a Prenda invoice
• Paying a Prenda invoice in EMA
• Paying a Prenda invoice using a credit card
• Additional PEP/FES-UA and EMA resources

Step-by-step instructions for using EMA are in the middle of this article.

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How payments flow through EMA

Prenda makes it easy for you to pay your child’s Prenda invoice through EMA.

EMA is the financial management portal used by Step Up For Students to manage PEP/FES-UA funding applications, transfers, and reimbursements. Prenda is registered as an approved PEP/FES-UA vendor and classified as an home education instructional program with EMA.  Parents and guardians will use EMA to pay the invoices for their PEP/FES-UA-funded students in microschools powered by Prenda. 

Each quarter (four times per school year), Prenda invoices parents for each of their students enrolled in a Prenda microschool. Parents then pay those invoices via the EMA portal using their child’s PEP/FES-UA funds. 

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Microschool Fee

Each PEP/FES-UA funded student is charged an annual microschool fee. This annual fee is inclusive of all microschool services for the entire school year and is broken into four quarterly invoices.  

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Student Funding + Invoicing Schedule

PEP/FES-UA funds are distributed quarterly by Step Up for Students to families as explained on page 7 of Step Up’s FTC Parent Handbook

Funds are typically added to student PEP/FES-UA EMA accounts between the listed dates, though actual deposit dates can vary.

Students are invoiced quarterly by Prenda to match the quarterly distribution of PEP/FES-UA funds to families.

The first invoice is issued within the first two weeks of a microschool’s start date, and the remaining invoices are issued within the first three weeks of each subsequent quarter.

Here is an example of a quarterly invoice: 

In this sample invoice, the quarterly microschool fee for student Daisy Dependent is $1,549.75. This example may not reflect your individual situation or your invoice amount because guide fees vary.

Prenda invoices are due within 15 days after the quarterly funding window has closed. Any student whose invoice has not been paid in full within 5 business days after the last day of the quarter will be subject to Prenda’s Non-Payment Policy. The guide has the discretion to remove the student from their microschool at any time for non-payment.  

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How to view and download a Prenda student invoice

Prenda student invoices are accessible through the Prenda parent portal. 

Step 1: Go to http://www.prendaworld.com, enter your email address and password, and click Continue

Step 2: Go to the “Invoices” tab on the sidebar menu. Here, you can view and download all the invoices that have been issued to your child(ren), under their name.

Step 3: Click on ‘view invoice’ to view each child’s posted invoices. This will allow you to view and download the invoices as a PDF.

Once the invoice has been reviewed, click the download button (it usually looks like a big arrow) to save the invoice. Save the invoice in a folder where it can be easily referenced. It will be necessary to upload the invoice into EMA later so the invoice can be paid.  

If you have any questions or concerns about your invoice amounts, please notify your child’s guide and/or Prenda, so that any concerns may be addressed before the payment due date.

Prenda invoices are due within 15 days after the quarterly funding window has closed. Should there be any funding issues or delays, Prenda strongly recommends that parents speak with their child(ren)’s guides for possible solutions and support. If you are a parent guiding a single-family microschool with these concerns, you may email Prenda directly at invoicing@prenda.co for support.

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How to pay a student invoice using EMA

This section covers the “pay a provider” function of EMA, which is how you use PEP/FES-UA dollars to pay a student invoice from Prenda. 

When you receive a new invoice from Prenda, please review your invoice and submit payment through EMA as soon as possible. This will prevent payment delays to Prenda and to your child’s guide.

To start: Prenda will notify parents of a new student invoice via email. This email will contain a link to Prenda World, where you can log in to view and download a PDF copy of the invoice. 

View and download your invoice from Prenda World as a PDF by following the instructions in the “How to view and download a Prenda student invoice” section above. 

To pay your Prenda invoice:

Step 1: Log into your Education Market Assistant (EMA) portal and select “Marketplace”

Step 2: From the EMA marketplace, select the Find Providers button on your dashboard. 

Step 3: Select a student in the upper right hand corner.

 

Step 4: Search for “Prenda” and then scroll until you find your student’s Prenda microschool. Microschools are named in the following pattern:

Prenda Microschool: MICROSCHOOL NAME CITY

 

 

Step 5: Select your student’s microschool location. There will only be one option available.

Step 6: Double check that the quarterly amount for the “Tuition” service offering matches the amount shown on your Prenda invoice. Select the “Quantity” box on the far right hand side of the service offering and change to 1.

Step 7: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click “Add to Cart”

Step 8: Select “Go to Cart” 

Step 9: Review your selection and then click “Reserve Funds”

 

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How to pay an invoice using a credit card

Prenda strongly encourages parents to pay invoices via EMA. Prenda notifies parents of a new invoice via email. 

If you would prefer to pay the Prenda invoice by credit card, make sure that Prenda and your child’s guide are both aware of this preference. This will ensure that you receive an emailed copy of your child’s invoice, with a credit card payment link. Please note that emailed invoices come from the automatic email address: messaging-service@post.xero.com. Many email spam/junk filters automatically reject this type of email, and your settings may need an adjustment to receive this email. If you did not receive the emailed invoice, please contact Prenda Invoices at invoicing@prenda.co for additional troubleshooting support.

Once the emailed invoice has been received, you will open the email to access the credit card link. You may also download the PDF attachment to have a copy of the invoice for your records. Regardless of payment method, your child’s invoices will also be stored in the Prenda World parent portal. 

You may access the credit card portal by clicking the green “Review and Pay” button, or by following the link under “View and pay your bill online:” (see screenshot below).

The “Review and Pay” button will lead you to Prenda’s credit card processor, where you can view the full details of your child’s invoice and enter your credit card information.

Click on the blue “Pay” button once you have entered your information to process your payment.

 

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Other PEP/FES-UA and EMA Resources

For more information about the PEP/FES-UA program and regulations, you can review the PEP/FES-UA Parent Handbook on the Step Up website.  

For funding issues and other concerns, contact Step Up for Students at 1-877-735-7837

Prenda cannot assist with technical difficulties experienced in EMA. Please contact Step Up’s support for navigation and technical assistance. Get support with EMA here.

For Prenda-related PEP/FES-UA and invoicing questions, please contact invoicing@prenda.co.