Hello, everyone!
First off, let me preface this by saying that you do not HAVE to purchase curriculum/resources from inside Step Up's direct-purchase platform (MyScholarShop). If there is a product, curriculum, or resource you want to use for your child, and it meets the Purchasing Guide requirements, you are free to purchase it yourself and submit for reimbursement--it does not need to be in the shop to qualify as long as it meets the parameters in the Purchasing Guide.
However...
We understand that many families are trying to avoid out-of-pocket expenses, and would like to purchase directly using MyScholarShop if possible.
So, that's what this post is about.
If there is a particular product and/or vendor you would like StepUp to add to MyScholarShop (like a particular curriculum vendor who isn't approved, for example, or a product from an approved vendor that is on the vendor's website but not in MSS), there is a process for requesting that!
StepUp has a link for this request form, but it's a bit buried in their site, so I wanted to provide it here for easy access.
First, go to this page on Step Up for Students (it's the page that lists all the currently approved vendors for MyScholarShop):
https://www.stepupforstudents.org/vendor-and-product-information/
You can also click different scholarship programs (FES-UA, PEP, etc.) on the left (or at the top, if you're on a mobile device) to see which vendors are approved for those specific programs.
But what we really want for THIS situation are the links below that, the ones that say "Product Request Forms" and "Vendor Request Forms."
If you are wanting a specific product added (whether its vendor is currently in MSS or not), use the Product Request Form at the above link.
If you are wanting an entire vendor added (like a company that makes multiple products or curricula you think should be in the shop), use the Vendor Request Form at the above link.
If you have direct contact with the Vendor, you can also ask them to submit a request to be added from their end of things. They can do that on Step Up's Vendor page here: https://www.stepupforstudents.org/schools-and-providers/vendors/
We've been told that if multiple parents submit requests for the same products/vendors, Step Up takes those requests seriously and tries to get those things added to the shop.
This does not guarantee that your requested vendor/item will be added to the shop--there is still a process to go through, and the Vendor has to want to be onboarded as a direct-purchase vendor and agree to go through the process of doing so, etc. But it is a proactive step you can take to try to get your desired item/vendor added to the shop.
Hope that helps!