Homeschoolers’ Guide to the Galaxy

Useful Information for Homeschooling Families in the Philadelphia Area

This online guide was prepared and is updated frequently by our founder and co-director, Katie O'Connor. You can scroll through the entire document on this single page or you can jump to any section using the links below.

The Homeschooolers' Guide to the Galaxy

Homeschooling is Not Going to School
Who Homeschools
Reasons for Homeschooling
Pigeon Holes are for the Birds
It Takes a Community
Sample Day
Benefits
Challenges
Addressing Challenges
Area Resources
The Legal Process: An Overview
Web Resources
Suggested Reading
Conclusion

Homeschooling is Not Going to School

Homeschooling is simply a legal status that allows a young person to not go to school. It does not have to mean what it sounds like it means: school at home. Pennsylvania does regulate homeschoolers (more on that later) but leaves most of the day-to-day experiences up to families to decide.

Homeschooling offers the opportunity to customize your children’s education to meet their needs as well as the needs of your family. This means that much of what you can do may not look like traditional schooling depending on the learning styles, areas of interest, and developmental levels of your offspring.
Knock down the walls of conventional limits by spending a day in the woods (biology, climatology, physics, fresh air), the next at an art museum (history, world cultures, design), and the day after baking with friends (chemistry, math, nutrition, socializing).

Learning Happens Anywhere All the Time!
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Who Homeschools

- About 3 million young people currently homeschool.
- 15% of homeschoolers are non-white.
- The averages income of a homeschooling family is $52,000.
- Most homeschooling parents are married.
- 62% of homeschooling families have 2 or more children.
- 50% are urban or suburban.
- 50% are rural.
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Reasons for Homeschooling

- Concerns over school environment.
- Dissatisfaction with academic instruction at school.
- Desire to instill family morals and/or religion in youth.
- Conviction to practice non-traditional educational approach (unschooling).
- A child with special needs.
- More time together as a family.
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Pigeon Holes are for the Birds

Homeschooling styles are varied and very individualized. Some families use worksheets for math but explore nature experientially. Others have weekly tests and yet appear to majoring in loom weaving. Discard rigid labels and you will be free to be flexible to the continuously changing needs of your family.
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It Takes a Community

Chances are good that any concern that may occur to you about homeschooling has already occurred to someone else and solutions have been developed. Seeking out community is one of the best ways to get support, ideas, and resources. The list serves listed later are the main ways that the community shares information. Once you get to know compatible families you can trust them with swapping childcare, advice and other means of mutual support.
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Sample Day

10:00: Wake up. Spent last night reading until 10:00 pm.
10:30: Work on origami math project with sister.
12:00: Lunch- invent a sandwich with avocado, sweet pickles, and cream cheese.
1:00: Swimming lessons at the YMCA
2:00: Experiment with crystal growing using sugar, salt, Epsom, and boric acid.
2:30: Fight with sister about which nature documentary to watch. Decide to watch half of one about whales and half of one about prairie dogs.
3:30: Friend comes over to play with Legos. Snack consists of peanut butter and celery we grew ourselves.
5:30: Eat dinner. Discuss whether cats see color.
6:45: Play Mastermind, a game of deductive reasoning, with father.
7:30: Play computer games that teach typing.
8:30: Work on story about a community of unicorns defending their world against deadly alien forces.
9:00: Go to bed. Sleep deeply.
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Benefits

- More opportunities to practice your personal values with your kids.
- Cater to individual learning styles and stages of development.
- Focus on activities within areas of interest of your child.
- Be together as a family more.
- Enjoy flexibility in terms of time and activities.
- More opportunities for your child to develop self-direction and problem-solving skills.
- Chances to socialize and learn with other homeschoolers.
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Challenges

- How to make income.
- How to meet needs of different ages of multiple children.
- How to get parents’ needs met.
- How to transition from homeschooling to school.
- How to transition from school to homeschooling.
- How to deal with own anxiety about taking the road less traveled.
- How to explain to family, friends, and outsiders.
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Addressing Challenges

Work
“I run a successful therapy practice out of my home office. My husband is an obstetrician. When I am not directly involved in my children’s homeschooling activities, I hire a babysitter, partake in childcare swapping (playdates), and send them to Talking Stick two days per week. Homeschooling for us has not meant that we as parents had to give up meaningful work and income.”
-- Zelda Schwartz

Multiple Age Children
“I have three kids ages 3, 8 and 10. They have very different interests and learning styles. By providing a variety of very flexible, scalable activities and projects, everyone benefits. However, they definitely need time apart at separate classes and play dates. As they get older, they are more able to do their own thing.”
-- Missy Carl

Parents’ Needs
“Date night has been a crucial component to maintaining a healthy relationship with my partner. At least once per week, my parents have welcomed our son to spend the night for the past five years. My partner and I enjoy the time to catch up uninterrupted.”
-- Sharon Moore

Transitioning from Homeschool to School and Back to Homeschool
“My two children were very curious about school and wanted to be with their neighborhood friends. Except for some standardized tests to place them, technically it was not difficult to transition in either direction, but emotionally it was very challenging. After a year and a half of school, we found that they did not enjoy the lack of choices and creative opportunities.”
-- Zack Brett

Own Anxiety
“Homeschooling was not planned when I had kids. When I first considered it, I had a lot of insecurities about being qualified to teach them. There were not many examples in my life to follow but I soon realized that no one knows my kids better than me and that we can learn together.”
-- Melissa Bragg

Friends, Family and Outsiders
“’I am against homeschooling’ and ‘What about socialization?’ are my favorite responses when people hear we homeschool. Instead of getting defensive, I see such encounters as an opportunity to share such an important and rewarding part of our family.”
-- Scott Heidenbocker
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Area Resources

The Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Wagner Free Institute
The Mutter Museum
Schuylkill Environmental Center
Awbury Arboretum
Franklin Institute
Settlement Music School
PA Boy’s and Girls Choirs
Legacy Tennis Center (Formerly Arthur Ashe)
Talking Stick Learning Center
Allen’s Lane Art Center
Rodin Museum
Barnes Foundation
Waterworks
Home Depot Classes
Fairmount Park
Smith Playground
Please Touch Museum
Morris Arboretum
Mount Airy Learning Tree
Mount Airy Homeschool Co-op
Museum of Natural History
YMCA
Kroc Center
Free Library of Philadelphia
Blue Marble Books
University City Arts League
Colonial Philadelphia
Philadelphia Rock Gyms
Community College of Philadelphia
Chemical Heritage Museum
African American Museum
Briar Bush Nature Center
Fairmount Art Center
The National Museum of American Jewish History
The Philadelphia Mint
Longwood Gardens
Jumpers Fun Center
Class of 1923 Penn Ice Skating Rink
Philadelphia School of Circus Arts
Gwendolyn Bye Dance Center
Cheltenham Center for the Arts
Six Senses Clay Studio
Annenberg Center Performances
Uncharted Horizons The Little Gym/Gymboree
Independence Seaport Museum
American Swedish Historical Museum
Kelly Drive/Boathouse Row
Independence Hall
Penn Museum Arden Theater
Eastern State Penitentiary
National Constitution Center
Walnut Street Theater
Liberty Bell Center
Philadelphia Dance Theater
Open Connections The Mummers’ Museum
Walking Fish Theater
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Japanese House and Garden
Strawberry Mansion
The Handwork Studio
Adventure Aquarium (Camden)
Curtis Building Mosaic
Hedgerow Theater
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The Legal Process: An Overview

Disclaimer: the following is not actually legal advice. For legal advice go to the Homeschool Legal Defense Association.

I’ve looked at the school district’s and the PA Department of Education’s homeschooling pages and they are full of misinformation. For the real scoop on what’s required beyond what is provided here, see askPauline.com or talk to veteran homeschoolers in your area.

Steps for Filing with the School District of Philadelphia:
1. Registration
2.Testing
3. Portfolio
4. Evaluation

Some people get very anxious about filing in Pennsylvania but once you know the steps involved, you will feel more on top of the process.

Registration
If your child has attended school or will be eight within the first two weeks of the school year, you must register them with the school district by August 1st or when you decide to homeschool if later.

Registration consists of sending a signed and notarized affidavit and a list of educational objectives. Examples of both can be found in the forms section of askPauline.com. You send them to an office that changes names almost every year so I won’t list it here, at the following address: 440 N Broad St., Phila, PA, 19130. You can also email scans of the documents to [email protected]. The phone number of the office is 215-400-6695 if you have any questions or concerns or to find out the current title of the office.

You may also be asked to send proof of vaccination, as well as overall dental and medical care. If so, letters from your physician and dentist will suffice. You can send a letter stating you are exercising your right not to vaccinate your children.

In some school districts, including Philadelphia, you are required to send a “letter of Intent” (again see askPauline.com) if your young person is 6. Portfolios need not get evaluated until they are 8.

Testing
You are required to include results of standardized testing at the close of grades 3, 5, and 8 in the portfolio. You can choose from a list of accepted tests on askPauline.com and need only give the reading/language arts and math sections. The procedure is as follows: You order the test and pay for it. It arrives in the mail and you have a certain amount of time to have someone besides a parent administer it to your child. Then you send the completed test back to the company and they send you back the score, a copy of which you include in the portfolio. The score does not affect your right to homeschool or what grade you would like your child to be in. Homeschoolers can also join their schooled counterparts in March when they take the PSSA’s at no charge if you register with the school district by January 31st.

Portfolios
Throughout the year, compile samples of work from the various required subjects (see askPauline.com) and put them together in the portfolio. Refrain from putting in too many samples as three or four from each subject will suffice. They can be worksheets, tests, art, descriptions of museum trips, samples of writing, etc.

Every year you must show evidence of fire prevention education, include a reading log listing both books and texts used, and add an attendance calendar or letter documenting 180 days of homeschooling. For certain grades you must also submit evidence of dental visits, an eye exam, a hearing test and a medical exam. See askPauline.com for details.

Evaluations
Portfolios must be evaluated by June 30th at which time the sheet that documents approval by the evaluator is due to be submitted to the school district. You can mail or email the evaluation. A certified teacher or school psychologist evaluates the portfolio. You can find an evaluator by asking about them on your local list serve. They interview the homeschooler as they examine the portfolio. If you missed something that is legally required the evaluator will let you know and give you a chance to rectify it. Evaluators cost anywhere from 20 to 50 dollars.
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Web Resources

Secular Homeschool Groups/Listserves
Central Philadelphia Homeschooling Group
Northeast Philadelphia Homeschoolers 
Northwest Philadelphia Homeschoolers
Delaware County Homeschoolers
Eastern Montgomery County Homeschoolers
New Jersey Homeschool Association 
Pennsylvania Unschooling
The Ottos’ Website 
Pennsylvania Homeschoolers

Websites for Legal Information
Ask Pauline
Pennsylvania Home Education Network 
Pennsylvania Home Educators’ Association 
Homeschool Legal Defense Association 

Web Publications
lifelearningmagazine.com
secularhomeschool.com
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Conclusion

One day we will have an educational system built around the needs of the participants, both children and adults. We will have a say over how, where and when we learn. Centers for learning will be hubs of community activity where we learn what we really need to know to thrive in our culture. We will develop skills such as decision making and problem solving, we will gain knowledge in areas that interest us and are applicable, we will be aware of our strengths and challenges, we will have healthy self-esteem and will be able to communicate effectively with others so that connections are strong and fulfilling.

Homeschooling communities are models for how our educational systems can be. When you become a homeschooling family you are making a choice for your immediate family and also contributing to the quality of life of more distant descendents. Schools were not providing up to your standards so you took it upon yourself to meet your family’s needs. Future generations are going to look back and realize how awesome that is and how much it will affect the quality of their lives.
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Prepared and updated by Katie O'Connor, founder and co-director of Talking Stick Learning Center