Getting Started Home Schooling Your Child

If you have considered all of the reasons mentioned above and more, and have decided that homeschooling really is right for you and your kids, you will likely want to know what to do now. This section is going to help you know what you should do in order to get things running. Here are some quick points for getting started with homeschooling:

Locate your state's homeschool group. You can do this online easily by typing in your state and the keyword "homeschooling" at your favorite search engine. Then go to your state listing. You can usually find many different sites that will offer this information for you.

Locate your local support group for parents of home schooled kids. These groups will help you to get good tips from other parents and is a great place to find like minded people to share your troubles, etc.

Know the laws in your state about homeschooling. If you have questions, arrange for an evaluation with your local school board so that you can verify that your child is approved for homeschooling. They will also check for a proposal from you about homeschooling your child.

Get any magazines, books and/or other supplies that you will need in order for you to have steady resources on hand to offer tips etc.

When it comes to the homeschooling of your children, there are quite a few factors that play into not just what you will do about it, but also how you will make sure that you are approved to do it. Like everything else, this is a process. Many people have questions that they need to answer about homeschooling. As the parent/teacher of your child, you must do the following to get started with homeschooling:

Develop your homeschooling curriculum that is both approved by the school board or state, as well as meeting your ability to teach.

Schedule a meeting with the school board or state education officials so that they can offer you any help with tutors etc. that are approved. You will also be presenting your proposal at this meeting.

Get information about and register for evaluations with your school board or state to ensure that your child is meeting with the approved standards in your area.
Get yourself certified to teach your child.

Create a homeschooling proposal for what you are planning to teach your child and how you plan to go about it.

The court recognized that certain factors should be considered by the superintendent or school committee when it comes to deciding whether or not to approve any homeschool proposal that they receive. One of these factors is a form of periodic evaluation of the children that is designed to ensure educational progress and the attainment of minimum standards that are required by the state.

The court says clearly that school officials and parents should and must agree on a method of evaluation that may include one of the following approaches: standardized testing, periodic progress report, or dated work samples. Home visits may not be necessary as a condition of this approval. These are the things you need to consider when getting started home schooling your child or children.