Guide for Parents Starting Their Homeschool Journey
Making the decision to homeschool is a big decision, at least for our family it was. I had the desire to homeschool for years but never felt like I could do it. That was until 2020 hit and virtual schooling began. Like many families experienced virtual schooling was a struggle, so we decided to make the shift to homeschooling. This was one of the best decisions for our family!
Since you are reading this post I'm assuming you have decided to begin homeschooling or maybe you are thinking about it. Homeschooling can seem like a lot but with the right resources it can be a wonderful opportunity. I hope the resources in this post and the information on this blog offers you encouragement as you embark on this new endeavor!
Getting Started
I found the Georgia Home Education Association website to be very helpful when we began homeschooling in Georgia. You can find the link below. The most important thing at the beginning is to file your Declaration of Intent online on the Georgia Department of Education website by September 1st each year. The link to the Declaration of Intent is below too.
>> Georgia Home Education Association
>> Declaration of Intent - Georgia Department of Education
What's Your Family's Learning Style?
There are many different styles of learning, and it will take some research to find the perfect style for your family. Many parents who withdraw their children from public or private school to homeschool recommend "deschooling". If you are not familiar with this, I included an article below that goes into detail regarding deschooling. When researching different learning styles, I found The Homeschool Resource Roadmap to be very helpful. The link to this website is below too.
>> Homeschool Resource Roadmap
Choosing a Curriculum
This can often be the hardest part of beginning your homeschooling journey because there are so many options available. Finding your child's learning style will help to narrow your options a little more. It's helpful to talk to other homeschooling parents to get personal experiences with the curriculum you are considering. Another good resource is Cathy Duffy Reviews linked below. On this website you will find almost every curriculum available and a thorough review of it.
Plan Your Schedule
What schedule will work best for your family? Some families school all year taking breaks along the way. Other families follow a traditional school schedule. I recently heard of a family that does 4 weeks of learning and one week off. When it comes to your weekly learning there is lots of variation as well. Will you school Monday-Friday, on weekends or a few days a week? How many hours will be dedicated to book/computer learning? Will you follow a formatted schedule or go with the flow? Deciding what you want your homeschool journey to look like and writing down your goals are all things to consider before you start. Chatting with other homeschool parents or watching vlogs can be helpful when choosing a schedule. At the end of the day what works for your family is the best schedule to follow!
Find Support
There are many options for finding support. There are online groups and many in person. It's important to have a network so when you have a question or a bad day you can both find and offer the support needed. Facebook groups are a great place to start in order to get connected with support.
>>View Our Guide to Local Homeschool Groups/Events
End of the Year Requirements
The State of Georgia requires an annual summary of your child's progress for the year that is kept for your records. This is not turned in yearly. Parents need to provide 180 days of academic instruction. In addition to this, children should complete standardized testing every three years. This has caused confusion with many as to whether testing should be completed at the end of 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th grade or just every three years. Most parents seem to recommend testing in the 3rd,6th,9th and 12th grades. With this being said when in doubt about anything that pertains to legal homeschooling, I highly recommend joining HSLDA and contacting them to make sure.
>> HSLDA
This is all of the information I can think of that you need to begin your homeschooling journey in Georgia. I hope you found this helpful, and I wish you many blessings as you start this journey!
*This post was revised from a post originally published in October 2022 by Chelsea Miles
