MistyMountain Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I'm in Alaska right now. We are trying to sell our place and if it sells we will probably end up elsewhere. We will be looking for jobs and there is nothing in dh's field here right now. We are hoping he can advance or at least work for a bigger company where the possibility exists. So anyway I have no idea where we will be living. We could end up staying here but there is a good chance we won't. We are even considering Canada and yes I know the difficulties involved in that process. I know you can't just go there and it is very involved and difficult. His field is one of the skilled worker trades. It driving me crazy having no idea where we will be so I was hoping to hear from people from many different places to hear what is available and what it is like in other places to homeschool. Are there coops available? Do you get money from the state? What do you use it for? Are there groups of other parents you can get together with? What are the standards like? What is required? Tell me anything useful about what it is like in others areas to homeschool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Texas: Non-regulated state. :D No money from the state, but so many wonderful resources available through private companies. (Ex: sports, music, art, etc.) Many of the museums and art galleries offer free or inexpensive classes for homeschoolers. We are not in a coop, but there are many in this area. I am in three homeschool support groups. One has around 800 member families spread over a three county area. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fhjmom Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I am in Texas and I will second what Suzanne said. I live in a suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and there is just about anything and everything a homeschooler could want here. There are 2 stores that sell both new and used curriculum, which is so nice to be able to go in and browse through things I am considering. We do a co-op on Fridays about 3 minutes from the house. We have also participated in a homeschool bowling league in the past and we are in a field-trip so-op group now. There is a local Yahoo! group for area homeschool families that has many hundreds of members. Lots of homeschool friendly private schools and other classes, plus many get togethers & park days. No regulation from the state at all as homeschoolers are considered very small, non-acredited private schools. No opportunities through the public schools for homeschoolers to participate in sports or other activities though, but the many private options make up for it. Besides, in this area kids who want to participate in high school are not going to make the teams/performance groups if they aren't doing select/club/privates so you really are saving money by just playing outside of schools (most districts also have "pay to play" although it isn't anywhere as much as outside of school activities). This applies to just about any extracurricular activity, not just sports. On the other hand, our district has been fabulous about offering special education support for my daughters that have hearing loss. We have had speech services, district provided technology, disability-specific curriculum, and services of a deaf ed teacher. Although if you re used to living in Alaska, the weather in Texas might be a bit of a shock! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Mississippi---nope no money from state (or tax exemptions either)----our only teacher supply store in town closed last year so I order most of my stuff online....there are alot of free learning websites where you can print out freebie stuff....we do have a wonderful group of "like minded" homeschool moms and kids so we're not totally on our own..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) New Jersey is like Texas - no reporting, no testing, no notification. Statute says you have to provide an "equivalent education" but the burden of proof is on the state. We just recently were given the ability to have kids participate in team sports through the schools. There are a LOT of homeschoolers in NJ and it shows in the number of activities available. Within 5 miles of my house I can do homeschool specific - bowling league, gymnastics (we do both of these), art classes, book discussion group, SOTW group, nature walks and classes at 3 different county parks - 2 nature trail/centers and 1 arboretum, indoor ice skating and music classes. We have a Learning Resource Center which operates like a library but is specific teacher resources (manipulatives, dvds, books) including die-cut, binding and laminating machines. My county library system is huge and very well stocked with 38 branches including one College library that books can be ordered from. Our local museum has a program where you can borrow various exhibit components to teach with. Including a complete excavation kit including artifacts, sand, tools and information; native american artifacts, dioramas, rock and mineral kits, globes/moon globes, animal mounts, posters. Cost of living is high but jobs usually pay slightly better than many other places. Edited January 2, 2012 by dottieanna29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandymom Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 We are in Texas too, in a northeast suburb of Houston. We do (homeschool specific) chess club, basketball league, enrichment classes (lots to choose from, but my kids are in cake decorating, ukulele, drama, geology, mosaic glass art, ect), spelling bee, science fair, band, and social get-togethers for the kids. There is also an abundance of non-homeschool specific activities, like dance, gymnastics, and martial arts as well as a really good library system here. There are also a ton of other homeschool related activities available that we just don't take advantage of because there are only so many hours in the day :D We very rarely leave a 10 mile radius, but there are also quite a few great museums and historical spots within an hour of us. Many provide special programs for homeschoolers (esp the science museum, which offers all sorts of lab classes). The community college system here is also great, and many homeschoolers utilize it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 PA is notorious for having homeschoolers jump through lots of hoops, but we do get to participate in school sports and extracurriculars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I live in central Kentucky and there are quite a few homeschoolers in this area. "Are there coops available?" Yes, numerous ones, from those just for fun in some of the small towns, to more academic ones - ones for all ages and ones that specialize in middle or high school. "Do you get money from the state?" No, not in this state. Ohio will provide people with a computer for doing K-12 work if they decide to use that programming, but K-12 must grade the work, etc., so you are really giving up your ability to choose what you will do (save for what you add on yourself over and above the K-12 work - which would be a lot).... "What do you use it for?" See above. "Are there groups of other parents you can get together with?" I know that within our homeschooling circle here, there are get togethers for both adults as well as families related to the various co-ops, and then some of us moms who post together on a yahoo group get together and do things periodically, too. We just got invited to two parties over the holidays that involved all homeschooling families, as well. "What are the standards like?" In order to qualify to get into college, you must tick off the boxes of those courses that are required by the state for graduation as well as any requirements that the college might have which might be more rigorous than the state requirements. That's the same most places. There is no yearly inspection of your homeschool here and no requirements for yearly testing, etc. "What is required?" Only that you send in a one sentence letter near the beginning of the school year stating that you will be teaching xxxx, who is xxx years old at home this year. I have a cousin and his family who are living in Alaska currently (actually, he's deployed to Afghanistan right now), and I wish that I could go up there for a visit! I think it's so beautiful that I'm not sure I'd ever want to leave there, but I can understand that day to day living might be simpler all round further south, somewhere.... I've read quite a bit about the jobs boom that is going on in North Dakota, but it seems there is a housing shortage because of it, so I'm not sure that would be an easy place to move to right now, either.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Don't come to NY. There is nothing available here and the regs are annoying. Does NY homeschooler allowed to do school sports? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 Thanks. We are actually from NJ. Our family would love us to live there but the cost of living and other factors will probably keep us away but we love to be a reasonable drive away. NY is actually a definite possibility. As is PA. That stinks that NY is a difficult state. I was thinking about Texas for the low cost of living and good pay factor but I don't know that we would like Texas. I have seen jobs in Texas but there doesn't seem to be any right now but that can change. We may not get to be picky about location anyway but I don't want a high cost of living area. We originally were looking to go where the cost of living is better but now we are without health coverage and there are no jobs in the industry here never mind for a bigger company with benefits. There are a lot of homeschooling resources in Alaska, there are groups and coops and there is money from the state for homeschooling. (cant get it yet dd misses cut off) There are lots of classes you can take and it isn't highly regulated here. I love all the schooling options here. There is the large homeschooling group and lots of charter schools that actually score well and have good parental involvement including a German immersion program. The hardest part about leaving here is the school thing. (and some good friends) I'm trying to get excited about living somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 That's too bad. I really liked PA when we visited and wouldn't mind moving there. The regs seem worse than NY. I don't know about that! At least in PA I don't have to send in quarterly reports! What a pain that must be. For us, I send in our affidavit in the beginning of the year. I don't send in any vacc records or dental records or anything like that, I state in my affidavit that I have them. At the end of the year I pick my own evaluator (lots of homeschool moms are certified teachers and do evals) and pick through the box I had the kids throw their papers into over the year to make a short portfolio. Generally we go to a homeschooler picnic and meet with the evaluator for a short scheduled interview that is very pleasant. Then I go home and send the portfolio and evaluator's statement to the school district. Grades three, five, and eight require standardized testing and there is a list of tests to pick from. Not really a big deal, but more inconvenient than anything. No homeschool resources here in my area, no co-ops, and the nearest homeschool groups are at least 45 minutes away. No local places of much interest, but we are two hours from Cleveland, two hours from Buffalo, and less than two hours from Pittsburgh so there is a potential to go on field trips if we wanted to. No state money, but the kids can participate in public school sports and activities. Job-wise, we do have jobs in tool and die around here that can pay well if you have the background in it. Cost of living is very low, four seasons to a year and lots of nature areas and fishing (we host vacationing city folks all year 'round). Perk in my county: CPS has to put up with DH's very vocal advocacy of homeschooling, since he works there. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bensmom Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Oklahoma has no homeschool regulations, low cost of living, and our unemployment rate is lower than the national average. :001_smile: We also have extreme weather and minimal "upscale" cultural opportunities. :glare: Best of luck to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 (edited) While I am in TX I am in the middle of nowhere. I would love to live near a larger community of homeschoolers and perhaps someday I will but for now I don't. Edited January 2, 2012 by jennsmile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Are there coops available? Do you get money from the state? What do you use it for? Are there groups of other parents you can get together with? What are the standards like? What is required? Tell me anything useful about what it is like in others areas to homeschool. WA state. There are coops for older kids but none I have found for elementary-aged. No money from the state. No tax exemption either. I'm fine with that as I don't want to have to give them anything so I don't want to take anything. There are many homeschooler groups available here. We have to file a letter of intent once they hit 8yo and have them tested annually (although the state doesn't require us to turn the results in to anyone). We are supposed to teach 11 subjects (occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing and spelling and the development of an appreciation of art and music) and keep our hours/days similar to public/private school although the state recognizes that homeschooling hours/days can be loosely interpreted. Only a parent can homeschool (you can't farm it out) and you have to either have 45 college credits, take a special class, have a supervising teacher, or be deemed qualified by the superintendent of schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I suppose that isn't so bad. I'm not crazy about the idea of an evaluator though. You get to pick your evaluator, so they tend to be very friendly if you know what I mean. You can pick one who homeschools with your own kind of homeschool philosophy. Of course there are a few PITAs, but you can always pick a different one. You can even do a 'distance evaluation' over the phone if the evaluator agrees. I sort of enjoy making a day of driving out to one of the evaluator picnic type things and hanging out with other homeschoolers since I don't get to regularly do that kind of thing. It has been pretty painless. The way the law is written is that if you get a certified teacher to sign off as an evaluator that your kid is learning, there is nothing that the school district can really do, so it is a kind of a protection against the school district, actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 While I am in TX I am in the middle of nowhere. I would love to live near a larger community of homeschoolers and perhaps someday I will but for now I don't. We have talked about moving out of the city, but I love living in the middle of a very active homeschool community. I did realize recently, though, that if we moved out to the country AND bought a horse, the homeschool community would come to us. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NatashainDFW Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Utah.....homeschoolers have to report to the district each year that they are homeschooling but other than that you are free to do your own thing. Homeschoolers can participate in extracurricular activities and even classes at the public schools and there are charters that provide homeschool curriculum and a stipend but its not a ton. If you go the charter route you don't have to be a diploma seeking student but must take the yearly tests starting in 3rd grade for English no matter what and science and math if you enroll in those courses. Pretty much that means you can use the charter to provide Rosetta Stone and Aleks Math and do your own thing for the rest of your subjects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 So I guess it will be harder elsewhere and there are less options available. Sigh. I do have a college degree at least if they need college credits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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