Navigating Your Sea of Homeschooling Choices

Every state has slightly different legal homeschooling options. The options for homeschooling in California are listed below. For other states, here's a link.

#1-Private Umbrella School, or PSP, Private Satellite Program- You register as a homeschool family under a private school. You pay $300 on average annually and they provide minimal accountability and collect your records for their files. Most local private schools offer a homeschooling option.

#2-Public Charter School-These are public schools and are free. They keep student records including attendance, lesson plans, grades and test scores. They either provide a full school program or give you an annual budget in a student account, which varies according to the charter. They will pay for classes, curriculum & supplies that are non-sectarian (no religious affiliation). Your freedom in choosing your student’s course of curricula really depends on the program you're enrolled in and the teacher you are assigned. 

#3-Private School Affidavit- You can also choose to file with the state of California as your own private school. It is a free, online form that you file in October, between the 1st and the 15th. You need to have a name for your school in order to file. This options provides you with the most freedom in educated your student, but no funds.

#4-Public or Private online school-This is not really homeschooling because your student is attending another school online. I have found that these are either super rigorous or don't even meet basic standards. In my opinion, no program exclusively online or all-in-one is going to meet your student's needs or fulfill your goals for homeschooling.

#5-See It Excellent Homeschool Support Plan- I offer a monthly service for about the same price of a Private Satellite School. I will help you file your own Private School Affidavit, keep all the records a charter or PSP would, provide academic assessment, advising and curriculum planning. I can even be the "teacher" who checks in on your student's work and makes sure they are completing their assignments on time and with excellence. Click here to explore this option.