Homeschooling Requirements

When thinking about the homeschooling requirements required for homeschooling, many parents get very worried that they will not be able to fulfill these requirements. In fact, there is no reason to be worried. Many people in each state homeschool and many more will start homeschooling this year. All you have to do is follow the guidelines, and you should be well on your way to a great year.

Here are some of the homeschooling requirements and how to deal with each aspect:

State Laws - Each state in the United States has definite laws written down in regards to homeschooling. There are various aspects of the state homeschool laws that change from state to state. Any homeschooler in your area can help you find out what these laws are and how to easily comply with these laws.

Notify - Some states need written notification and others do not. Some need a form filled out and others do not. Just find out how they want to be notified and fill out the forms.
Age of Student - Most states want you to start notifying them about homeschooling when your child reaches the age of 6 or 7. Some states want you to homeschool them until 16, and some want you to homeschool until they are 18 or have received a GED.
Number of Hours - Your state may require you to provide your word saying that you will homeschool your child for a certain number of hours per year. In Ohio they want 900 hours. That seems like a lot of hours, but if you consider the things that children can learn during the day, on weekends, and in the summer, it's pretty easy to say that you will provide 900 hours of instruction.
Qualified Teacher - Most states want to know what kind of formal education the parent has completed.
Number of Days - Your state might also require you to homeschool a certain number of days a year. Some states just want you to take attendance. Again, this is not a difficult requirement to fulfill.
Grading and Testing at the End of the Year - Some states want you to keep grades, some want you to test your student at the end of the year and others will accept and assessment by a certified teacher. In Ohio the schools will accept standardized test scores OR an assessment. We have always chosen to have our children assessed, but each state is different. This is where another homeschooler in your area comes in handy. Usually they know what needs to be done at the end of the year and they can easily point you in the direction of what you need to pursue.
Curriculum - Many states want to know what kind of curriculum and books you will be using to teach your child for the year. Usually just listing the books and areas of study that you will be studying is enough to list on your form. In Ohio, they want a list of intended curriculum. This is just to safeguard that the parent is actually planning to teach something and not just let their child stay home and watch TV all day. As long as the school knows what you are planning on teaching i.e. math facts or Algebra concepts, they are usually more than willing to let you teach your children.

Diploma - I talk to lots of people who are thinking about starting to homeschool their children. They are often very concerned about their child earning a diploma. The funny thing is, these kids are still in Kindergarten! Credits toward graduation do not start counting until a student starts ninth grade! If you are just starting to homeschool and your child is very young, don't worry about a diploma yet.

If you are still homeschooling when your child is in sixth grade, then you can start thinking about your child's options for earning a diploma. There are accredited schools where you can enroll where your child can earn a diploma. You can just start keeping track of your own homeschool credits when your child starts ninth grade, or you can plan on helping your child earn their GED.

So many colleges accept and even recruit homeschoolers, a certified diploma is usually not necessary. Some trade schools require a certified diploma, but will also accept a GED. Although GED's are sometimes looked down upon by some people, once you complete the homeschooling requirements and enter that school, no one really cares what you did to get in there.

College - Another option available to homeschoolers is earning a college degree while still in high school. College Plus offers a very nice program with coaching that helps students earn a college degree in as little as 2 years for under $15,000. You can figure this out on your own, but it sure is a whole lot easier to have someone help you. It can save quite a bit of frustration and wasted time. Students can also use this program after they have been out of school for a while and decide that they want to earn a college degree.

The most important thing is to help your child find what they would like to do and then help them do what they need to do to help fulfill the homeschooling requirements to get what they need.

No Homeschooling Requirements:

Although there are no homeschooling requirements in the areas of homeschool support groups, curriculum, homeschool record keeping, a homeschool schedule and various methods of homeschooling, there is plenty of information on this website to help you along the way. Just use the navigation bar at the left or go to the home page and use the search box at the top to search anything you want to know about homeschooling.

Many people want to know the advantage of homeschooling along with the negative effects of homeschooling. Some also want to know what are the differences between homeschooling vs public schooling. The most important thing when looking at homeschooling requirements is to pray. God can lead and guide you to the people and resources you need to homeschool your child successfully.

How to Start Homeschooling

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