How to Get Started Homeschooling
This paper is not a comprehensive how-to manual. Rather, it provides a list of useful first steps to help investigate homeschooling and whether it is appropriate for you and your children.
Homeschooling is an excellent method to educate children. But it is neither for every family nor for every family circumstance. Meet with a homeschooling parent (or couple) who has been homeschooling for two to three years. It's a great idea to come prepared with a list of questions.
Attend a meeting of one of the local support groups. Get a feel for what they're doing and the diversity of approaches. CHAPS and the Catholic Homeschoolers of Centre County are two groups.
Read. There are many available books about homeschooling and several are available at the Schlow and Bellefonte libraries. Click here for list of books recommended by the Catholic Homeschoolers of Centre County and here for a list recommended by local Christians of other denominations.
Become familiar with Pennsylvania homeschool laws. Either read the Guide to PA Homeschool Law by Howard and Susan Richman or visit the Homeschool Legal Defense Association Web Pennsylvania Law site.
Study the various curriculum reviews that are available. These are an invaluable resource when you are choosing your children's course of study. Some of these are available at the Schlow and Bellefonte libraries.
Christian Home Educator's Curriculum Manual - Cathy Duffy
The New Big Book of Home Learning - Mary Pride
At Home Start in Reading - Ruth Beechick
A Strong Start in Language - Ruth Beechick
An Easy Start in Arithmetic - Ruth Beechick
You Can Teach Your Own Child Successfully - Ruth BeechickEspecially if they don't have experience teaching or designing curricula, some families have found it helpful to enroll their children in packaged curricula. Check the "Home School Information" in Teaching Home magazine for a list of programs available. Such a school will provide one or more of the following:
Curricula material
Testing services
Evaluation of the student's work with grades
Record keeping and transcript preparation
Issuing of report cards
Solid Foundation Education Association is a local organization that offers many programs and services to area homeschoolers. Science, math, history, art, music and foreign languages are among the courses offered.
Consider joining the Homeschool Legal Defense Association. This is a group of Christian lawyers who are successfully securing the Constitutional right of parents to homeschool their children.
The Mount Nittany Christian School (1612 Norma Drive, State College) offers medial screening (January and February) and school pictures (end of October) to homeschoolers.
If you have a high school student and desire a that he or she earn a diploma from the PA Homeschoolers Accreditation Agency, you can find the requirements for earning credits for graduation, and the procedure for filing with the Accreditation Agency by requesting the Guide to PA Homeschool Diploma.
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