START HOMESCHOOLING

So you’re considering home education for your family! We’re happy to help. We’ve created this online guide just for you. It contains step-by-step instructions and resources to help you as you begin your exciting and rewarding homeschool adventure.

You can start by watching this helpful 3-part video, "You Can Homeschool," posted with permission from Home School Legal Defense Association
or jump right into our Start Homeschooling guide below.

You Can Homeschool Part #1

Would you like to hear some personal stories from real-life families who have chosen homeschooling as their educational choice?

Christy Shipe, who was homeschooled and is now homeschooling her own children, introduces video clips of parents telling why they made the choice to home educate.

What were their reasons for choosing home education?
What benefits have they seen?

Watch and see!

You Can Homeschool Part #2

In Part #2 of the video, you'll learn a bit about the early years of homeschooling.

What was it like for those pioneering families who began homeschooling when it was not legally recognized or culturally accepted?

What about socialization?
Are homeschooled students accepted by colleges, employers, and the military services?

Find answers here.

You Can Homeschool Part #3

Part #3 of the video discusses the importance of working together to defend and retain the homeschooling freedoms that we enjoy today.

A brief background of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), which produced this video, is presented.

The closing portion returns to real-life homeschooling parents sharing why they chose home education. Their comments -- along with those of some of their homeschooled children -- will encourage and inspire you to begin the homeschooling adventure with your family!

Catch the Vision

Though you might be tempted to skip to the more “practical” steps, we encourage you to remember that you need a good foundation before you start building. Take some time to study some of the reasons to homeschool we’ve listed below. Use them to create your own foundational statement as to why you want to homeschool. Yes, homeschooling is an amazing adventure, but there will be challenging days, too. On those days, you can pull out your foundational statement to restore confidence and vision.

WHY SHOULD YOU HOMESCHOOL?

Historical Reasons

Academic Reasons

Home-educated students typically score 15-30 percentage points above public-schooled students on standardized academic achievement tests
- regardless of parents’ formal education level
- regardless of their families’ household income
This academic achievement is not related to
- whether licensed teachers were involved
- the degree of state control and/or regulation
Home-educated students typically score above average on SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions

Social Reasons

Worldview Reasons

Spiritual and Character Reasons

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING

These two websites provide more information and offer the best research available on home education. Click on these links.

Home School Legal Defense AssociationHSLDA

National Home Education Research InstituteNHERI

THINK ABOUT YOUR GOALS

Think about what you most want to accomplish as a parent. Here are a few examples:

Passing on Faith
Building Character
Fostering Love of Learning
Strengthening Family Bonds
Equipping for Future Service

You can make your own list!

We hope you agree with us that homeschooling is the best educational option to help you make those intentions realities.

Continue to the Next Step in Getting Started Homeschooling

know the law & rules