Homeschooling Program, Curriculum and Beyond
With the significant increase of families choosing to homeschool, the right Curriculum, Program, or Platform Right for your Family is vital for success. Kids on the Yard educators contribute to this guide for our families and those who seeking homeschooling.
Choosing a Curriculum, Program or Platform that’s Right for your Family
Homeschooling has become a forward-moving movement across the world where families choose more than ever to educate their children at home rather than sending them to their local public or private school. Parents choose homeschooling programs and curriculums over traditional education for different reasons. The reasonings for homeschooling vary from desiring different educational styles, faith-based philosophies, dissatisfaction with the current options available to them locally, and so many others.
The greatest goal and hope that parents have is to enroll their children in a homeschooling program that is the BEST fit for their family and to find a homeschooling curriculum suited for their personalized learning solutions. However, the goal to find the BEST FIT curriculum for their children takes time and sometimes a few rounds to get it just right. To find a homeschooling curriculum that is best for your family, families need to start with the big picture goal and work backward to narrow down the program that will best fit the child’s, parent’s, and family’s well-being.
What to choose?
Your Child(ren)’s Wellbeing and Finding the Best Fit Approach
Children’s needs will vary depending on the age range of your household, development levels, grade level, learning preferences, activity levels, interests, and personality type. You may, for example, need a homeschooling program that focuses the math curriculum more because your child is struggling with the subject, or you may require a curriculum for a four-year-old because play-based learning is designed for preschoolers. Different children need different homeschooling approaches to meet their unique needs.
Your child’s learning preferences, interests, and personality must be considered when choosing a homeschool curriculum and program. Your child may learn best by being enriched through project-based learning that allows them to create and make things. Understanding their learning preferences is a first step to discovering a best-fit curriculum or program. You may also try an interest-led form of learning by choosing resources that support your child’s interests. However, it is vital to ensure that a parent decides a homeschooling curriculum that will meet their academic needs to ensure progress is made in ELA, Math, Sciences, and so much more. Last, Not One Size Fits All, when selecting the best-fit curriculum for your family and open conversation with your child before enrolling them in a homeschool curriculum or program will create an inclusive selection process as well.
Parent’s Wellbeing
Any parent turning to homeschool as an option needs to ask themselves and answer the following questions: Why are you seeking homeschooling and your schooling solution? What is the big picture goal for going this route? What homeschooling program and curriculum will meet the purposes of your decision? How will this support your decision in one year, five years, and even ten years from now for your child(ren)’s overall academic wellbeing. Is your reason special and unique to only your family and your situation, such as health issues, extreme lifestyle changes, complex or tight schedules at work, social support, and emotional support for your child due to bullying and many others? Regardless of your first response to these questions, they will evolve and transform as your family grows into their homeschooling lifestyle. Wise words that Kids on the Yard express to our parents are: “No matter the reason, or the choice, the PARENT’S needs and well-being must be included when making the change to homeschooling.” Creating long-term sustainable learning solutions for homeschooling can not thrive in the situation where the parent is overwhelmed by the new structure, schedule, added responsibilities of “teacher,” organizer, paperwork, etc.
The Family’s Wellbeing
For homeschooling to be successful, you will need to consider your family’s overall wellbeing. Consider how life will change when you enroll your child in the homeschooling program. Your home situations significantly affect the choice of homeschooling curriculum. For example, does your home have a learning space for all your children to learn in? Do you have the proper supplies necessary for daily work and a storage area? These are just a couple of questions about the home environment but most importantly, when does the school day begin, and when does family time begin? An essential part of a thriving homeschool environment is to create a specific space between when work and school is finished and when family life starts.
Financial Wellbeing
Your homeschooling situation also goes hand-in-hand with your budget. No matter the budget, there are many ways to get a quality homeschooling program for your family. Talk with your spouse or family about the need for a homeschooling curriculum and determine the route that best suits your budget and your child(ren)’s educational solutions. Many FREE state programs offer excellent learning opportunities but ensure that you do not exceed your budget to sustain the program comfortably. Once you have discussed your preferred route, parents also utilize additional resources to enrich their homeschooling experience.
State Certified Educators:
Educators can serve three roles depending on your budget, time, and learning support solutions.
Role # 1: Educators will implement a grade-level curriculum for each child, lesson plan, and teach daily. Overall, become the family’s at-home educator for the year and serve as a full-time teacher.
Role #2: Facilitate the chosen homeschooling program and teach daily lessons to refocus skills learned via the program or those that still need to be mastered. Typically 3 to 5 hours a day depending on the number of children.
Role #3: Traditional tutoring and or homework help daily serving as after-school support.
Household Pulse Survey Showed Significant Increase in Homeschooling Rates in Fall 2020
So, how significantly have homeschooling rates increased during the pandemic?
It’s clear that in an unprecedented environment, families are seeking solutions that will reliably meet their health and safety needs, their childcare needs, and the learning and social-emotional needs of their children.
Research after research shows the significant growth of homeschooling students in all states.
Final Thought
Do your research before selecting the direction for your family’s homeschooling learning solutions. Here at Kids on the Yard; we offer parents for a 20 – 30 minute session to discuss ideas, ask questions, narrow learning solutions, and see if supplemental support is suitable for their homeschooling family.
Share with us your idea, thoughts, and tips on our Facebook comments.
Disclaimer:
- The information on this page was collected and compiled based on the U.S. Department of Education website, the State educational website, and other resources.
- Any information about the laws in your state is provided to help you understand your legal requirements to homeschool in your state. It should by no means be interpreted as legal advice. This information was not compiled by a lawyer. It is your responsibility to interpret and understand the laws that you will be homeschooling under. If you have questions, you should seek the advice of a lawyer that operates in your state.
- Moving Beyond the Page does not endorse any of the homeschool groups included in these pages. They are provided only for your benefit. You should research any group to ensure that they align with your family’s goals and philosophies.
- Some of the homeschooling support programs offered by “Kids on the Yard “may include an option for an “HSLDA Membership” with a 3rd party legal advocacy organization we partner with. They may provide protection and legal support, legal forms, tips, and others as described in their plan.
- You do not have to buy “HSLDA Membership” to use any of the “Kids on the Yard” services.
