How to Use Alabama CHOOSE Act Funds for Homeschool Curriculum

How to Use Alabama CHOOSE Act Funds for Homeschool Curriculum

If you already have Alabama CHOOSE Act funds or are preparing to use them, the next question is usually very practical: how do I actually use these funds to buy homeschool curriculum and educational resources?

That is where many families get stuck.

It is one thing to know the CHOOSE Act exists. It is another thing to understand how to use the funds correctly once they are available and how to purchase the right resources for your child.

Alabama’s CHOOSE Act provides education savings accounts, or ESAs, for eligible K5–12 students, and Alabama says those funds may be used for tuition, fees, and other qualified education expenses at approved education service providers. The Alabama parent guide for 2026–2027 says home education students can receive $2,000 per participating student, capped at $4,000 per family, and that all payments and purchases using ESA funds must be made through the ClassWallet platform with no reimbursement to families.

As an educator, curriculum writer, and homeschool mom, I understand why this can feel confusing at first. Most parents are not just searching for “curriculum.” They are usually trying to find a reading program, handwriting support, early learning books, or cursive resources that will actually help at home.

If you want to use Alabama CHOOSE Act funds for Grooved Learning books, this guide walks through the process step by step.

You can also start with our state funding page here: https://esa.groovedlearning.com/ and browse our products here: https://groovedlearning.com/collections/everything

What Is the Alabama CHOOSE Act?

The CHOOSE Act, short for the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education Act, is Alabama’s ESA program. The Alabama Department of Revenue says the law created refundable income tax credits called education savings accounts to support eligible K5–12 students, and the CHOOSE Act Alabama page says ESAs can be used to pay for tuition, fees, and other qualified education expenses at approved education service providers in Alabama.

For homeschool families, the 2026–2027 parent guide says participating students in a home education program receive $2,000 per student, capped at $4,000 per family. It also notes that if a family has multiple students in home education, only two student accounts will reflect the funds, though the family may use those CHOOSE Act funds for all approved eligible students in the home education program.

That is why Alabama families often search things like:

Alabama CHOOSE Act homeschool curriculum

Alabama CHOOSE Act reading curriculum

Alabama CHOOSE Act handwriting books

how to use CHOOSE Act funds

can Alabama CHOOSE Act be used for curriculum

Before You Buy Anything

Before making a purchase, confirm these three things:

your student has been awarded CHOOSE Act funds

your ClassWallet account is active

the product category you want fits current Alabama CHOOSE Act rules

The Alabama parent guide says approved families receive access to a digital wallet in ClassWallet and that all payments and purchases using ESA funds must be made through that platform. It also says there is no reimbursement to families.

Step 1: Confirm Your Student Is Approved and Funds Are Available

Start by confirming that your student has been accepted into the Alabama CHOOSE Act program and that your funding is available.

The Alabama application information page says families need to have required documents ready when applying, and Governor Ivey’s July 2025 announcement said approved families would receive a welcome email from ClassWallet with instructions on how to access funds and use them. The 2026–2027 parent guide also explains the funding structure and eligibility rules for the upcoming year.

Step 2: Log In to ClassWallet

Alabama families use ClassWallet to manage CHOOSE Act funds. The Alabama parent guide says that if multiple students participate, each student receives a digital wallet account inside ClassWallet, and the Alabama overview explains that all payments and purchases using ESA funds must be made through that platform.

That makes ClassWallet your first practical stop once your CHOOSE Act funds are available.

Step 3: Decide What Type of Resource You Need

Before you start shopping, decide what kind of educational support you actually need.

For example, are you looking for:

a reading and spelling program

handwriting books

early learning resources

cursive books

reusable educational materials

This helps you avoid random shopping and choose the resources that best match your child’s actual needs.

At Grooved Learning, families often shop by need. If you want to preview everything first, start here: https://groovedlearning.com/collections/everything

Step 4: Understand the Main Alabama CHOOSE Act Purchase Paths

Alabama’s parent guide and CHOOSE Act materials make the process fairly clear. Families use ClassWallet to make payments and purchases, and there is no reimbursement. The Alabama overview presentation also explains that families can use the ClassWallet digital wallet to submit payments to education service providers through Direct Pay and use the ClassWallet Marketplace for educational materials, supplies, and technological aids.

That means the practical question is not only “Can curriculum qualify?” It is also “Do I need to use Marketplace or Direct Pay?”

Step 5: Start with ClassWallet Marketplace if the Product Is Available There

If you are buying books, curriculum, supplemental reading materials, or educational supplies, Marketplace is usually the easiest place to start.

The Alabama overview says families use the ClassWallet Marketplace for purchases of educational materials, supplies, and technological aids. The same overview lists approved expenses that include curriculum, supplemental reading materials, and instructional materials.

So if you are trying to buy educational products, a practical first step is:

log into ClassWallet

open the Marketplace

search for the resource category you need

look for the approved vendor or product path

Step 6: Use Grooved Learning as Your Example Purchase

If you want to use Alabama CHOOSE Act funds for Grooved Learning books, the process looks like this:

1. Log into your Alabama CHOOSE Act ClassWallet account.

1. Confirm your funds are available.

1. Decide whether you need reading and spelling support, handwriting resources, early learning books, or cursive materials.

1. Open the ClassWallet Marketplace first and search for Grooved Learning directly if available.

1. Review the available Grooved Learning books and choose the ones that best fit your child’s needs.

1. If your purchase needs another approved payment route, follow the Alabama CHOOSE Act process for that method.

1. Complete the purchase through the correct approved ClassWallet path.

1. Save your documentation.

If you want to understand how state participation works first, start here: https://esa.groovedlearning.com/

If you want to preview our products before purchasing, start here: https://groovedlearning.com/collections/everything

Step 7: Check Whether the Expense Category Is Eligible

Alabama’s CHOOSE Act materials say approved expenses include curriculum, supplemental reading materials, instructional materials, textbooks in approved subjects, private tutoring in approved subjects, fees for certain programs, and computers and technological aids. That means families should still check that the resource they want fits a qualifying category before purchase.

So before you buy, make sure the resource fits a qualifying category.

Step 8: Use Direct Pay if That Is the Required Route

If your expense is not a simple Marketplace purchase, Direct Pay may be the correct route. Alabama’s overview says families can submit a payment to an approved education service provider, such as participating schools, tutors, or therapists, through Direct Pay in ClassWallet.

That is why families should not assume every Alabama CHOOSE Act purchase works exactly the same way.

Step 9: Save Your Documentation

Even if the purchase goes through smoothly, save your:

order confirmations

receipts

screenshots if needed

product descriptions

transaction confirmations

This is simply a good habit whenever you are using scholarship or ESA funds.

Step 10: If You Do Not See the Vendor or Product You Need

Do not assume the answer is automatically no.

The CHOOSE Act Alabama program page says funds may be used with approved education service providers in Alabama, and the Education Service Provider Guide explains that providers and vendors participate through the approved ClassWallet system. If you do not see the exact vendor or product path you expected, the next practical step is to verify whether the item fits an approved category and whether it should be purchased through Marketplace or Direct Pay.

Why This Matters for Grooved Learning Families

For families who want to use Alabama CHOOSE Act funds for Grooved Learning books, the real questions are not only “Can curriculum qualify?” They are:

how do I use ClassWallet correctly?

can I search for Grooved Learning directly in Marketplace?

should I use Marketplace or Direct Pay?

which Grooved Learning books best fit my child?

what records should I save?

Once those questions are clear, the purchasing process becomes much easier.

A Simple Checklist Before You Purchase

Before buying Grooved Learning books with Alabama CHOOSE Act funds, use this checklist:

log into your ClassWallet account

confirm your funds are available

decide what type of resource your child needs

open Marketplace and search for Grooved Learning directly if available

check whether the expense category is eligible

use the correct Alabama CHOOSE Act purchase path

save your documentation

If you want to understand how Grooved Learning works with state funding first, start here: https://esa.groovedlearning.com/

If you are ready to browse products, start here: https://groovedlearning.com/collections/everything

A Final Encouragement

If using Alabama CHOOSE Act funds has felt confusing, that is very normal.

The process becomes much easier when you break it into steps: confirm your approval, log into ClassWallet, identify your child’s real need, use the correct purchase path, and save your records.

Once that process is clear, using your CHOOSE Act funds for meaningful reading, handwriting, early learning, or cursive support becomes much easier.

If you want to learn more about how Grooved Learning works with state funding programs, visit our state funding page at https://esa.groovedlearning.com/ or browse our Shop All page at https://groovedlearning.com/collections/everything

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Alabama CHOOSE Act funds be used for homeschool curriculum?

Yes. Alabama says CHOOSE Act funds may be used for qualified education expenses, and the parent guide specifically provides a home education funding amount for eligible families.

Does Alabama CHOOSE Act use ClassWallet?

Yes. The Alabama parent guide says all payments and purchases using ESA funds must be made through the ClassWallet platform.

Can I buy curriculum in the ClassWallet Marketplace?

Yes. Alabama’s CHOOSE Act materials say families can use the ClassWallet Marketplace for educational materials, supplies, and technological aids, and approved expenses include curriculum and supplemental reading materials.

Is reimbursement allowed for Alabama CHOOSE Act purchases?

No. The 2026–2027 parent guide says there is no reimbursement to families; all purchases and payments must go through ClassWallet.

Where should I start if I want to use Alabama CHOOSE Act funds for Grooved Learning books?

Start with our state funding page at https://esa.groovedlearning.com/ and then browse our Shop All page at https://groovedlearning.com/collections/everything to identify the best-fit resources for your child.