How is it homeschooling in California?

[Chez J]

My husband is considering moving us to San Francisco. I am a very conservative homeschooler from Illinois. So, I have really no rules to follow here.

 

How is it there?

 

Thanks,

 

Lesley

[Michelle T]

There are basically two choices. You can file a private school affadavit each year, and then you are considered a private school. You are free to teach pretty much as you please. Or you can homeschool under the umbrella of various charter schools, or independent schools. Depending on the type of umbrella you choose, you can be homeschooling through a public school, with less choice as to how you school, or through a private school, which might give you more choice. Sorry I'm not explaining this clearly, my head hurts right now. But it is very easy here. I file as a private school each year, it takes about five minutes to file the paperwork online.

 

I'd say your bigger problem would be being very conservative in San Francisco, a beautiful city not exactly known for being conservative!

Michelle T

[Carol in Cal.]

You can file an R4 to call yourself a private school, or associate with an ISP--there are lots of public and private ones.

 

There is a great email list--BAHFT--Bay Area Homeschooling Field Trips--that connects you with classes and field trip opportunities anywhere within about 100 miles of San Francisco. Wait, make that 150 miles--they do have some that are in Sacramento--but for the most part they are local ish.

 

There are homeschooling support groups of many flavors--unschoolers, Christian fundamentalists, Christians of all denominations, eclectic, Islamic, secular, Charlotte Mason. I don't know of a specifically classical homeschooling group closer than Sacramento, but there are classical Christian two day per week programs available here in San Jose and up in Palo Alto, and a TJ Ed oriented homeschooling center in Los Gatos.

 

The opportunities for field trips are amazing--there are so many great children's museums, historical museums, natural history museums, state and local parks, and historical sites around here. It's really something. Also, the Pacific Coast gives you all kinds of educational opportunities as well. The local geology is unusual and very interesting--we are on the Rim of Fire, and there is a lot to learn about that. An active volcano is within driving distance, as are gold rush sites and Lake Tahoe.

 

Having said all that, San Francisco is a decidedly liberal town. I grew up there; I know. If you're conservative, you really have to seek out your pocket of people there, almost in self-defense.

 

The climate is pretty mild. Where are you thinking of living?

Edited January 9, 2009 by Carol in Cal.

[Hen]

It's very, very easy to homeschool here. I have done one year as a private (R-4) homeschooler, one year under a church umbrella school, and 8 years under a homeschool charter school. Never a problem.

 

California Homeschool Network is a great place to get help with forms, find out how to fulfill any requirements, ask questions.

 

California homeschool network

 

they have a nice yahoo group too, you can go there and ask about park days, curriculum etc.

[Ellie]

Easy peasy.

 

Here's the short course:

 

Children must be enrolled in a public school or in a private school, or tutored full time by a credentialed teacher.

 

Private schools only have to file an affidavit annually, have teachers who are "persons capable of teaching," keep attendance records which indicate when students are absent, keep teacher qualifications on file, and keep a list of subjects offered by the school (which are supposed to be the same subjects that public schools do). No one is allowed to look at any of these records, except *possibly* the affidavit.

 

There are no requirements for testing, minimum number of school days, graduation, nothin'.

 

Homeschoolers have been filing their own affidavits for many years (we started in 1982). There are also a truckload of private schools which enroll homeschooled students, some of which are actual campus schools which also enroll hsers, some of which were established specifically for homeschoolers and have no campuses at all. The only legal value in enrolling in a "private school satellite program" is that you are anonymous (i.e., your dc are enrolled in a private school with many children rather than a private school with only 1 or 2 dc). In many areas the PSPs act as support groups as well as taking care of legal stuff.

 

Would you be looking for a support group? Christian or not?