
So, you've decided that you want to make the leap into homeschooling. Now, you may be asking yourself, "What do I need to do to begin?" Let's take a look step-by-step.
Step 1:
Decide who you will be homeschooling under.
The county where you live
An umbrella school
The PEP scholarship (which technically counts as an umbrella school, but I'm keeping it separate for the purposes of this post)
Before I go into how you enroll in one of these options, let's talk about what to do with children enrolled in a public/private/charter school already. The first thing you will need to do is disenroll them from that school. You can do this at any time throughout the school year. You do NOT have to wait for the end of a quarter/semester/year. If you want to bring your child home now, that is your right as your child's primary educator. This can be done simultaneously with enrolling into homeschooling.
How to enroll:
County: Once a child is six years old, you must turn in a Notice of Intent to homeschool. Most counties will have their own Notice of Intent on their website. Simply search for "'your county' home education" and the site is usually at the top of your search engine. Click there to find that county's forms. If for some reason your county does not have its own Notice of Intent, you may download the one below to email, drop off, fax, or snail mail to the address or number on their site. Should you decide to go this route, the date that is recorded on your Notice of Intent is now your anniversary. To remain in compliance with the state's requirements, you will either turn in a portfolio evaluation, test scores, or a certified professional evaluation (i.e.-psychologist/therapist) by this anniversary date each year your children are homeschooling. See this post for what is expected for a portfolio evaluation.
Umbrella Schools: These are "schools" that you homeschool under. Some have a fee. Some are free. Some ask for attendance records only. Some ask for entire lesson plans. Umbrella schools are not a physical school that your child attends. They are simply an umbrella for you to homeschool under legally without answering to the county. The one word of caution I have for umbrella schools comes with high school age children. There have been many instances with colleges and universities not accepting homeschool transcripts that are completed by the parent for children enrolled under umbrella schools. It is technically listed as a private school, therefore, the college/university expects to see a transcript from the private umbrella school. Be sure if you go this route, you find an umbrella school that will offer high school transcript services to save you and your children some major headaches.
PEP: The Personalized Education Program scholarship has become available to thousands of students in Florida. Side note: The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities is a different program that can only be used by children enrolled under the county. See this post for a brief explanation of scholarships available. The PEP allots a specific amount of money each school year for the education of children. It may be used for curriculum, instructional materials, part-time private or public instruction, etc. You do NOT register under the county with the PEP. You apply under the PEP and are either accepted or wait-listed. Applications open in February of each year and typically fill up by the end of summer. If this is the route you choose, you are required to submit Student Learning Plans and FLDOE approved standardized test scores each year.
Step 2:
Choosing curriculum
You are now officially in charge of choosing your children's curriculum. You do not have to follow the state standards. You are simply required to teach your children at the level of their abilities. There are so many ways to homeschool and aside from just having your children sit on the couch all day twiddling their thumbs, there is no right or wrong way to do it. Unschooling, workbooks, online, Chalotte Mason, Montessori, worksheets, lap books, exploration, experiences, videos, read-alouds, professional tutoring, it all counts!
The thing to remember about all children in whichever grade is to teach them in a way that they will learn best. There is no one right way because you are different from other parents and your child is different from other children (even ones in the same family). It is important to know that homeschooling is an opportunity to grow a child's love of learning instead of force feeding information. I do understand that not all families are able to homeschool (we discern every year for our children, discovering if it is still the right decision), but while you have the opportunity, help your child see the importance and wonder in learning new things by making it unique instead of standardized.
You know your children best and it will transfer into what you are teaching. You can see when your child is more of a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner. You will see when something doesn't work. You will see when something excites them. Simply by being available to talk to your kids in meaningful conversations, answering their questions, discovering new ideas together, etc. your kids will naturally gain more knowledge than a child in the school system who has to sit at a desk and be quiet. Most parents worry about their ability to teach their child well, and the fact that you are concerned that you don't want them to fall behind tells me that they won't.
One of the sites that I have found helpful over the years is Cathy Duffy Reviews. There are a number of detailed reviews on a variety of curriculums.
Step 3:
Enjoy the choice you have made and reach out to others. There are over 155,000 children being homeschooled in the state of Florida! Find other parents. Find homeschool groups. Ask questions when you have them. You have an amazing opportunity to nourish a wonderful relationship with your children. May God bless your journey!
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