Resources for those Interested in Homeschooling

If you are thinking about homeschooling for the 2020-2021 school year, please familiarize yourself with CASD's Home Education Program.

In light of everything that is going on, schools across the country are creating school "reopening" plans.  CCAP has noticed many of our community members are asking for information about homeschooling or resources for helping their children with academics within the home.  

We, along with tremendous help from our guest bloggers, have created this page to help those who are choosing the homeschooling route.  We have asked homeschool parents in our community to weigh in and we are grateful for their input!  We hope this resource page helps those exploring this option. We know that this option is not one accessible to everyone in CASD, but since many have been requesting information, we believed it was important to help educate the community. 

How and Where to Start

Homeschooling in Pennsylvania: A Fact Sheet

HSLDA - How to Homeschool in Pennsylvania

Frequently Asked Questions About Homeschool

HSLDA - Teaching My kids

Homeschooling with Disabilities

Collins Academy Therapy Services

Homeschooling Special Needs Children

Homeschooling a Child with Dyslexia

Homeschooling a Child with Autism

HSLDA - Special Needs

Suddenly schooling at home? - take this quiz

Homeschool Support

PA Homeschoolers

Chester County Homeschool Group

For the Love of Learning

Homeschool Curriculum

Note from Christy: Let’s talk about resources for a minute.

I cannot give you specific recommendations on the best curriculum, unfortunately. That would make your life so much easier, wouldn’t it? Every curriculum is good and it all works. But it might not work for your family. Each family is different, and you have to find what works for you. If it doesn’t feel good when you are using it, then it is not a good fit. A good indicator that you should find a different curriculum is any crying (including you) or any yelling.

I can point you in the direction of general resources to set you on the right path though. I always recommend parents find out their homeschool style. You can search for a homeschool style quiz online. This will help you narrow down your curriculum choices. The book 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum  by Cathy Duffy is a good place to start and does include a style quiz.

Another good resource is our state homeschool association. When homeschooling started in Pennsylvania, it was mostly Christians who were driving the movement. So, the name of the state association is the Christian Homeschool Association ofPennsylvania, but they service all homeschoolers, regardless of faith. They have a Getting Started guide that will guide you on how to legally homeschool in PA. There is a lot of conflicting information online, so it is important to go straight to the state association to make sure you are legally compliant. Even the school districts get the legalities wrong because the homeschool law is completely different than the public school law.

I also recommend getting my (Christy Rucker) book The Simple Homeschool.The paperback releases August 28^th, but you can preorder the Kindle version at 20% off right now. It will give you tools on how to have an effective and easy homeschool, no matter what your style is or what curriculum you choose. It also tells about the mistakes I made and how you can learn from them. Yes, I made so many that I was able to fill a book.

And don’t forget our local Facebook group! We are here to help you navigate homeschooling. It is a great place to find information and an evaluator, watch for local homeschool events, and get general support.