athomemom Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 please tell me about it. We are quite possibly moving across the country (from the east coast). I have looked at the homeschooling laws, but it is kind of confusing to me. Do I fill out the affidavit or do I go with the "private school" option through a church? What do you do? Do you find it easy to homeschool in CA? What are the folks like out that way? Are there homeschool conventions/groups around? I've tried to find a few on the internet, but without being there and knowing the area it's hard to tell exactly what's what. What's the cost of living like? Gas prices, food (milk), etc. Thanks to any all that respond! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I'm currently living in Southern CA, but have lived in Northern CA in the past. Home schooling is very easy in CA. Fill out your affidavit(not sure if that is what it is called) once a year declaring yourself a private school. End of story until its time to repeat next year. When you fill out the form to be a private school, you are agreeing to teach the standard subjects--language arts, math, reading, ect. Oh I also wantedd to add that you do not need to use a church to file as a private school. The form you fill out is online. You do it yourself. It will most likely take you 15 minutes to complete it. I can't talk to the price of gas. It will really depend on what area you are looking at. Right now we are paying $3.89-$3.99 a gallon. I know in the Bay Area it is most likely a bit more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 You can fill out the PSA form and be your own school. Or be a part of a larger group. I imagine some of those larger groups are churches but I really don't know. We fill out the PSA form and are done. I find it very easy. People are people. Some are good. Some are not. It just depends. Isn't it that way everywhere? In the Bay Area the cost of housing is massive. The rest of Nor Cal, I don't know about. The costs of gas, milk, and all those other things are probably more expensive but no more so than the rest of California. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 please tell me about it. We are quite possibly moving across the country (from the east coast). I have looked at the homeschooling laws, but it is kind of confusing to me. Do I fill out the affidavit or do I go with the "private school" option through a church? What do you do? Do you find it easy to homeschool in CA? What are the folks like out that way? Are there homeschool conventions/groups around? I've tried to find a few on the internet, but without being there and knowing the area it's hard to tell exactly what's what. What's the cost of living like? Gas prices, food (milk), etc. Thanks to any all that respond! You can file the affadavit online once per year, which is easy and pretty much interference-free, or you can use a public charter school, or you can use a private ISP (which may or may not be affiliated with a church). There are very nice conventions near San Diego, the Bay area, and in Modesto (my personal fave). The cost of living is terrible in terms of housing, I think, but honestly, I'm not sure how it compares to other parts of the country. I live about 100 miles north of Sacramento, so I'm pretty far north, in a rural area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Redding, CA is the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Redding, CA is the area. Oh, I like Redding! My oldest ds is attending Simpson University in Redding, and it's very nice. It's almost exactly an hour north of where we live, but he stays in the dorms during the week and comes home on the weekends. Imo, Redding has a nice, rural feel, while still having enough shopping to be convenient, and nice recreational opportunities. There are lots of nice camping/hiking areas, if that's your type of thing. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Oh, I like Redding! My oldest ds is attending Simpson University in Redding, and it's very nice. It's almost exactly an hour north of where we live, but he stays in the dorms during the week and comes home on the weekends. Imo, Redding has a nice, rural feel, while still having enough shopping to be convenient, and nice recreational opportunities. There are lots of nice camping/hiking areas, if that's your type of thing. :001_smile: Cool! Then IF we do move I'll know at least one person relatively close to me! My dh loves to hike/camp. I am stressed right now. I wanted to go to our local homeschool conference at the end of May. SIGH I may be moving instead. I haven't been to a conference in a while & I was really looking forward to it. I was trying to locate other conferences/conventions in that area. I think Modesto is still few hours away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Cool! Then IF we do move I'll know at least one person relatively close to me! My dh loves to hike/camp. I am stressed right now. I wanted to go to our local homeschool conference at the end of May. SIGH I may be moving instead. I haven't been to a conference in a while & I was really looking forward to it. I was trying to locate other conferences/conventions in that area. I think Modesto is still few hours away? Redding has nice lakes (Shasta and Whiskeytown are two of them), and there are really great hikes where you can access some pretty cool falls. There's also Shasta Caverns, and if you Google Castle Craggs, you're also close enough to explore that area. The Bay area CHEA convention is usually in April, southern CA CHEA is usually in July (I think, I haven't been to that one in many years). The Modesto convention isn't until the end of July, which is a bummer, imo, because by then I'm ready to be done planning for our school year, which begins in August. Still, it's a very nice convention, and much, much less expensive than the CHEA conventions. It is kind of far from where you are, but it's easy freeway driving. From my place, I think it takes about 3 hours, so from Redding, it would be about 4 hours (?). I usually make it an overnight, and share a room at the hotel adjacent to the convention center. There is, I think (maybe?) a very small convention right in Redding, but I'm not sure. Years ago I also went to a SCOPE convention in Sacramento. That would be about 2 1/2 hours from you, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Redding has nice lakes (Shasta and Whiskeytown are two of them), and there are really great hikes where you can access some pretty cool falls. There's also Shasta Caverns, and if you Google Castle Craggs, you're also close enough to explore that area. The Bay area CHEA convention is usually in April, southern CA CHEA is usually in July (I think, I haven't been to that one in many years). The Modesto convention isn't until the end of July, which is a bummer, imo, because by then I'm ready to be done planning for our school year, which begins in August. Still, it's a very nice convention, and much, much less expensive than the CHEA conventions. It is kind of far from where you are, but it's easy freeway driving. From my place, I think it takes about 3 hours, so from Redding, it would be about 4 hours (?). I usually make it an overnight, and share a room at the hotel adjacent to the convention center. There is, I think (maybe?) a very small convention right in Redding, but I'm not sure. Years ago I also went to a SCOPE convention in Sacramento. That would be about 2 1/2 hours from you, I think. Thanks for all the info, Julie. I am excited and nervous at the same time, kwim? It's just so much to think about...I will keep you posted on the happenings. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Thanks for all the info, Julie. I am excited and nervous at the same time, kwim? It's just so much to think about...I will keep you posted on the happenings. :tongue_smilie: Do you mind if I ask where you're moving *from*? I'm also wondering how old your boys are. As you can see from my sig line, mine are all getting older now. You can P.m. me if you want to tell me but don't want the information public. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 You can fill out the PSA form and be your own school. Or be a part of a larger group. I imagine some of those larger groups are churches but I really don't know. We fill out the PSA form and are done. I find it very easy. People are people. Some are good. Some are not. It just depends. Isn't it that way everywhere? In the Bay Area the cost of housing is massive. The rest of Nor Cal, I don't know about. The costs of gas, milk, and all those other things are probably more expensive but no more so than the rest of California. Yes, people are people. Some like Southerners. Others do not! :D We aren't cool, ya know? I just wonder how we'd fit in. Thanks for chiming in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I moved from No. CA to NH decades ago but still have friends out there. The price of housing doesn't even compare. My friend of 37 years can't believe the house and land we own out here. Couldn't TOUCH anything like this in CA. I had a friend buy a 1500 sf Victorian which was 100+ years old and had a matchbook sized backyard. She moved out of Marin County to a cheaper county just to be able to afford to buy a house. We bought our house the same year she did and for the same price. Our house is nearly double in size, was 8 years old, and came with 28.5 acres, not to mention it's a post and beam home, which costs MUCH more money to build than a conventionally built home. With the current housing market, though, maybe you'll get more money for your house in New England and can pick up a lower priced home in CA. Do your research! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 We moved to N. CA from Nashville 2 1/2 years ago. It's taken awhile to get used to it, but I am embracing it now. We live in a university town and the politics are really "in your face". Since I am on the other end of the spectrum, I don't like that so much. We enjoy camping and hiking, too, and this is the perfect place for it. Food prices were a bit of a shock at first, but of course, have gotten used to them. Gas prices are unbelievable! We have since moved from an 8 cyl. to a 6 cyl. Homeschooling is very easy. We are actually signed up with a charter school and I love it. In exchange for meeting with an adviser once a month and taking standardized tests, we get a large amount of money to use on curriculum, supplies, lessons, and activities. It's totally worth it to me. My boys have been able to do/learn things I never would have been able to afford. I have been lucky, though, in my advisers. My current one is also a homeschooler and really could care less (like me) about state standards. Good luck with the move! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 We moved to N. CA from Nashville 2 1/2 years ago. It's taken awhile to get used to it, but I am embracing it now. We live in a university town and the politics are really "in your face". Since I am on the other end of the spectrum, I don't like that so much. We enjoy camping and hiking, too, and this is the perfect place for it. Food prices were a bit of a shock at first, but of course, have gotten used to them. Gas prices are unbelievable! We have since moved from an 8 cyl. to a 6 cyl. Homeschooling is very easy. We are actually signed up with a charter school and I love it. In exchange for meeting with an adviser once a month and taking standardized tests, we get a large amount of money to use on curriculum, supplies, lessons, and activities. It's totally worth it to me. My boys have been able to do/learn things I never would have been able to afford. I have been lucky, though, in my advisers. My current one is also a homeschooler and really could care less (like me) about state standards. Good luck with the move! :001_smile: Thanks for the encouragement! What was the hardest thing to adjust to out there? I guess the things I think of are: new doctors, dentist, church, homeschool group............:001_huh: I think I need more coffee today!! (even if it is decaf!) :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I live in Chico, down the street (metaphorically) from Julie. My husband works in Redding now. Redding is nice! Housing is probably less there than in here, but I'm not sure. You'll find politics there to be more conservative than someplace like Davis or probably even Chico. You can easily do the private school option. I'm not sure what public charters are in your county; mine only goes as far north as Butte County. But there's lots of good stuff here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Okay, so what do ya'll pay for a lb of bananas? I pay .39 to .69. For avocados I pay 1.50 or on sale $1 ea. Nature's Own Bread is 2.19 (not on sale). A gallon of milk is 3.99. You guys are scaring me with the talk of everything being so much higher. I know some things are.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Okay, so what do ya'll pay for a lb of bananas? I pay .39 to .69. For avocados I pay 1.50 or on sale $1 ea. Nature's Own Bread is 2.19 (not on sale). A gallon of milk is 3.99. You guys are scaring me with the talk of everything being so much higher. I know some things are.... Prices seem comparable for what you are paying now, except the bread may be a little higher. Gas in my town is around $3.90. It hurts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Okay, so what do ya'll pay for a lb of bananas? I pay .39 to .69. we pay 17-19 cents per banana For avocados I pay 1.50 or on sale $1 ea. About the same at the grocery store, but available from road side stands for much less Nature's Own Bread is 2.19 (not on sale). Not sure about this brand. Whole wheat bread is between 2.50 and 3.50 A gallon of milk is 3.99. Most stores have buy two gallons for around $4 You guys are scaring me with the talk of everything being so much higher. I know some things are.... HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I used to live in the bay area and now I drive through Redding at least once a year to visit family. I would be apprehensive about moving to the bay area--housing is just so expensive. And there is no open space--just one town after another on the highways. But I would not mind moving to Redding. The Redding to Red Bluff corridor on I-5 is my favorite part of the drive. Rolling green hills and oak trees. And Redding has an In-n-Out Burger. I'm sure the cost of living is way less than the bay area--you should have no trouble finding a house you can afford. Lots of open space too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 You might want to look at things in Siskiyou County since it bumps you. I have property in Siskiyou. I love Northern California, but right now Mt Shasta is getting slammed w/snow, which would be a pretty view for all the Redding folks. We always tried to move up there, but it didnt happen, now trying to sell our property. I still love it there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Your food prices sound about the same. And there's lots of agriculture around here--you can buy tons of great produce at the farmer's markets or at the side of the road for cheap. (It's almost strawberry season!) Just think of the savings on nuts--we've got walnuts and almonds coming out of our ears here. :) (I don't know about Redding, but here you know a local by the way they pronounce almond--it's aa-mund. Goodness knows why, but after 10 years I'm starting to do it too.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 You can file the affadavit online once per year, which is easy and pretty much interference-free, or you can use a public charter school, or you can use a private ISP (which may or may not be affiliated with a church). Most PSPs (Private School Satellite Programs, the preferred nomenclature) are not, in fact, part of churches. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any churches which operate a PSP (although it's conceivable that a private school which is operated by a church also offers a PSP, but then it's the private school, not the church, which does). There used to be at least one PSP in the Redding area but it's been many years since I heard anything about it. My first recommendation would be to file your own affidavit.:001_smile: There are very nice conventions near San Diego, the Bay area, and in Modesto (my personal fave). I also like the one in Modesto. Sacramento (SCOPE) has one, and of course there's the CHEA Convention in the Los Angeles area (which is doing something different this year that I can't quite figure out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Okay, so what do ya'll pay for a lb of bananas? I pay .39 to .69. For avocados I pay 1.50 or on sale $1 ea. Nature's Own Bread is 2.19 (not on sale). A gallon of milk is 3.99. You guys are scaring me with the talk of everything being so much higher. I know some things are.... On Safeway.com for my zip code: Bananas: $0.45 ea Avocados: 2 for $4.00 Milk: 2 gallons for $7.38 or $3.99 for 1 Bread: 100% whole wheat is $2.99 per loaf Gas is $4.05/gal at the closest station. Costco has it at $3.89/gal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 There are very nice conventions near San Diego, the Bay area, and in Modesto (my personal fave). LOVE Modesto. It used to be $15 for Friday-evening-to-Saturday-afternoon. Now it's more ($25? - still a steal) and has expanded to Friday afternoons. Giant vendor hall, great speakers. I saw SWB there one year, along with Andrew Pudewa and Jim Weiss, and Jessie Wise another year, and Josh McDowell, and ... It's only an hour's drive from my house, but we splurge and spend Friday night at the conference hotel. (Some of my hs-ing friends pamper themselves and also stay Saturday night!) Some years my husband comes too and we joke that it's our romantic getaway weekend in Modesto :D For avocados I pay 1.50 or on sale $1 ea. I don't know what they cost (my husband does most of the shopping), but I do know that whenever my sister-in-law from New Jersey is here visiting, she goes nuts over how fresh the avocados are, and makes delicious guacamole. Like a PP said, farmers' markets may have them cheaper. As for housing, it's a real shocker (I grew up in Western New York), but some things have grown on me ... almost no bugs ... low humidity ... OTOH, I still haven't gotten used to NO RAIN from May to October (I love rain) ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 LOVE Modesto. It used to be $15 for Friday-evening-to-Saturday-afternoon. Now it's more ($25? - still a steal) and has expanded to Friday afternoons. Giant vendor hall, great speakers. I saw SWB there one year, along with Andrew Pudewa and Jim Weiss, and Jessie Wise another year, and Josh McDowell, and ... It's only an hour's drive from my house, but we splurge and spend Friday night at the conference hotel. (Some of my hs-ing friends pamper themselves and also stay Saturday night!) Some years my husband comes too and we joke that it's our romantic getaway weekend in Modesto :D I don't know what they cost (my husband does most of the shopping), but I do know that whenever my sister-in-law from New Jersey is here visiting, she goes nuts over how fresh the avocados are, and makes delicious guacamole. Like a PP said, farmers' markets may have them cheaper. As for housing, it's a real shocker (I grew up in Western New York), but some things have grown on me ... almost no bugs ... low humidity ... OTOH, I still haven't gotten used to NO RAIN from May to October (I love rain) ... NO RAIN! Awesome!! I don't like rain. LOL Sunshine is my friend and I love him.:coolgleamA: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 On Safeway.com for my zip code: Bananas: $0.45 ea Avocados: 2 for $4.00 Milk: 2 gallons for $7.38 or $3.99 for 1 Bread: 100% whole wheat is $2.99 per loaf Gas is $4.05/gal at the closest station. Costco has it at $3.89/gal. I really appreciate all the replies and helpful info. I looked up Safeway in Redding and the prices are really comparable to ours or maybe even better. :D Gas is another story. Here it is $3.46-$3.49/gal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 Your food prices sound about the same. And there's lots of agriculture around here--you can buy tons of great produce at the farmer's markets or at the side of the road for cheap. (It's almost strawberry season!) Just think of the savings on nuts--we've got walnuts and almonds coming out of our ears here. :) (I don't know about Redding, but here you know a local by the way they pronounce almond--it's aa-mund. Goodness knows why, but after 10 years I'm starting to do it too.) I really appreciate the replies...Redding sounds lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 We would most likely rent now and later purchase IF we stay in that part of the country. Any advice there? We have two cats as well. I have no idea how to move them across the country. Plus, I am afraid it might distress our older kitty. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 NO RAIN! Awesome!! I don't like rain. LOL Sunshine is my friend and I love him.:coolgleamA: Well, you will really like it here, then. Except for this winter--we've been inundated and it's still raining! But most of the time we're praying for rain. (A good Californian never complains about rain, but we're getting there this week...) You'll also find it much less humid if you're coming from the South. The summers get to be quite hot--105 or so--but it nearly always cools down beautifully at night. So what you do is try to get a house with a whole-house fan--in the late evening and the early morning you turn it on and whoosh the house full of lovely cool air. Try to get lots done in the morning before 10am and then go swimming in the afternoon. These days it's not all that easy to rent a house, but there are lots of houses for sale. I'd advise you to take a scouting trip out to look for rentals if possible (many more people are renting now). There are plenty of apartments, though, if you can squeeze in, and there are houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I lived on the outskirts of Redding as a young girl. My fondest memories are from there. It is beautiful. Central Valley is just about 25 min. from there (It was renamed in recent years, cannot remember what they named it) and is a small country town. Lots of mountains around. Beautiful seasons. HOT summers. Lots of swim pools (at least 26 years ago!). It snows in the winter, but not always a lot and might not last for days or weeks on end. You can drive to the snow for a fun day. I would LOVE to move there again someday... sigh. Redding has a new bridge... Sundial Bridge. We visited it a couple years ago and it was SO neat! I am a tad envious now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Girl Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Redding is a nice town in the central valley--but I will say it gets VERY hot there in the summers--they have many days over 100 degrees. So you'll get used to getting up very early in the summer, doing whatever activities you want to get done, and then heading indoors where the air conditioning is or out to the pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Literary Mom Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Since some people on this thread are familiar with the area...does anyone know of good campsites in Redding? We're going to a family reunion there this summer (we're in the Bay Area) and was thinking of making it our first family camping trip. I've been told to stay away from the railroad tracks as the trains are very loud. (I had posted this as its own thread but got no responses - probably because I didn't put Redding in the title) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Literary Mom Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 ...reviving this thread since I've seen more Northern CA people posting on the CA thread - I'm in Novato (Marin County) and am the coordinator for the Christian homeschool group here - we have people who come from the borderlands, too - Petaluma and San Francisco - for our park days and co-op and mom socials :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Literary Mom Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 ...bumping in case there are any Bay Area homeschoolers interested in checking out our group, since there has been a revival in Californians on the forum, what with the upcoming conference (though it's in So. Cal) http://homeschoolersinmarin.com We have a facebook group where we do all our communications, but our website is the point of first contact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn121 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Just joined this forum. I live in Sebastopol, Ca. In Sonoma county about 1.5 hours north of San Francisco. I am friend IRL with Laurel-in-CA. I am independent home-schooler in that I file an affidavit myself. and a member of CHERP (Christian Home Educators of Rohnert Park) which has member from all over Sonoma county not just Rohnert park. Jenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna in North CA Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Welcome Jenn! I love Sebastopol. I lived in Petaluma and Novato in my early 20s. Now we live in Siskiyou County, about as far north as one can go and still be technically a "Californian". Although, folks in my area have been talking about succeeding for years, and forming the State of Jefferson! Just curious, did the OP end up moving to Redding? Good to meet other No Cal gals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomemom Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Welcome Jenn! I love Sebastopol. I lived in Petaluma and Novato in my early 20s. Now we live in Siskiyou County, about as far north as one can go and still be technically a "Californian". Although, folks in my area have been talking about succeeding for years, and forming the State of Jefferson! Just curious, did the OP end up moving to Redding? Good to meet other No Cal gals! No, we ended up in the Mid-West. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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