TL;DR: Alongside its school list, ALDOR publishes a list of approved education service providers (ESPs) that families can pay from a CHOOSE Act account. On the version dated October 23, 2026, 128 listings carry a Jefferson or Shelby County city, led by 86 tutoring or microschool listings and 22 educational therapy listings. For a home-education family working with $2,000 per child, this list is where the money goes.
What is the CHOOSE Act provider list?
It is ALDOR's roster of businesses and individuals approved to be paid from a CHOOSE Act education savings account other than participating schools. Providers are grouped into seven categories, and a family can pay any of them through ClassWallet's Pay Vendor function or, for goods, through the ClassWallet Marketplace. There is no reimbursement of receipts, so if a tutor or therapist is not on the list, the account cannot pay them.
The counts below are listings, not unique providers: a few local businesses appear in two categories, such as a provider offering both tutoring and therapy.
How many approved providers are in Jefferson and Shelby counties?
We counted listings whose city is in the two counties. Statewide the list has 1,403 listings, and national retailers and online companies make up much of the curriculum, technology and online-course categories.
| Category | Listings statewide | Listings with a Jefferson or Shelby city |
|---|---|---|
| K-12 private tutoring / microschool | 476 | 86 |
| Textbooks, curriculum or educational items | 422 | 6 |
| Online education classes / courses | 276 | 10 |
| K-12 educational therapies | 105 | 22 |
| K-12 private school (online) | 82 | 4 |
| Student exams, certifications or assessments | 24 | 0 |
| Computers or technological aids | 18 | 0 |
A few local names stand out. The McWane Science Center and the University of Montevallo Community School of Music are on the online-course list, and four WonderED programs with Birmingham or Pleasant Grove addresses are listed as online private schools.
Who can become an approved tutor or therapist?
A private tutor must be accredited, hold a bachelor's degree, or hold state certification, and must pass a background check. An educational therapist must hold a valid license for the therapy and pass a background check. Both register with ClassWallet before they can be paid. ALDOR keeps the ESP application open all year and says it notifies applicants of its decision within 14 days, so a tutor your family already likes can apply mid-year.
The therapies the account can pay for students with disabilities are named in the parent guide: applied behavior analysis, dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy, and occupational, physical, speech and vision therapy.
How does a home-education family use the list?
A homeschooled student in Alabama can receive $2,000 a year, capped at $4,000 per family, and the provider list is how that money becomes a math tutor, a reading specialist or a semester of online chemistry. The provider sends an invoice through ClassWallet with the provider's name and address, the student and parent, the invoice date, the dates and type of service, and the total. The parent approves it, and the payment settles to the provider in 2 to 10 business days.
Two rules trip families up. If any single line on an invoice is ineligible, the whole invoice is rejected. And a parent cannot be paid as the provider for their own child. Our tutoring rules page and therapy rules page lay out the details.
What can't a provider bill to the account?
Anything outside the approved categories or outside the academic year. A tutor's transportation charge cannot be paid, and neither can services delivered after June 30 of the funded year. Child care is excluded even when the provider is also an approved tutor, so a microschool that offers both instruction and extended care would need to bill the care separately, outside ClassWallet. Handwritten invoices are not accepted. For goods, technology has its own limits: one computer under $1,200 every two academic years and $500 a year in other devices, with gaming items, televisions and 3D printers excluded entirely.
When an invoice is rejected, the money goes straight back into the student's account and the family gets an email, so a rejected invoice costs time rather than money. Fix the line item and resubmit.
Approved provider vs endorsed provider
An approved ESP is not a recommended one. ClassWallet's parent guide is explicit that parents choose the provider and are responsible for evaluating whether it is working. Approval tells you the person passed a background check and holds the credential the program requires; it does not tell you their results, their rates or whether they have openings. Ask for references, agree on what will be invoiced before sessions start, and keep the June 30 deadline in mind, because unspent money returns to the state.
Frequently asked questions
What is the CHOOSE Act provider list?
It is ALDOR's roster of tutors, therapists, online programs and vendors that can be paid from a CHOOSE Act account through ClassWallet, separate from the participating-school list.
How many approved providers are in Jefferson and Shelby counties?
On the October 23, 2026 list, 128 listings carry a Jefferson or Shelby County city, including 86 tutoring or microschool listings and 22 therapy listings.
Who can become an approved tutor or therapist?
Tutors who are accredited, hold a bachelor's degree or hold state certification, and licensed therapists, in both cases after a background check and ClassWallet registration.
How does a home-education family use the list?
The provider invoices through ClassWallet, the parent approves, and the $2,000-per-child account (up to $4,000 per family) pays the provider directly.
What can't a provider bill to the account?
Transportation, child care, services outside the July 1 to June 30 year, handwritten invoices, and technology beyond the program's dollar limits.
Related questions
- How does the $2,000 home-education ESA work?
- What are Alabama's homeschool options?
- How does a tutor get approved?
- Which therapies does the ESA cover?
Sources
- ALDOR, CHOOSE Act Alabama ESPs (list dated 10/23/26)
- ClassWallet, CHOOSE Act Education Service Provider Guide 2026-2027
- ClassWallet, CHOOSE Act Alabama Parent Guide 2026-2027
See which programs fit your child →
