As a private school, we enjoy the freedom to choose curriculum other than government school approved texts. The parents of our enrolled students may choose the curriculum they desire for their students. This allows them to unashamedly choose Biblically-based materials if they wish, without having to compromise or hide the publisher’s name to satisfy restrictions imposed on public (government) schools, which includes charters. Parents may use published materials or even their own combination of resources (books, videos, library resources, online resources, games, etc.).

Parents are also free to choose methods of teaching that suit their student’s learning style. They may prefer a unit study or classical education, or perhaps a literature based or more hands-on approach. They may choose to teach all courses themselves or to engage a tutor or enroll their student in one or two group classes.

Is October a better month for your vacation? Or February? Do you prefer to be free from normal daily work from Thanksgiving through New Years so you can do seasonal related projects, visit family, bake together, make and take gifts to needy, etc.?

As a homeschooler, you can set your own start date for the year and allow different breaks to accomplish your personal goals. Perhaps a family project will include the children planning and executing special tasks, or using skills they have learned such as reading and math by following a recipe and using measurements (what better way to learn and understand fractions?!), planning a project and figuring the cost. It is recommended that students continue to read during any extended time off.

If you are an early-bird family, perhaps you prefer to be up and studying by 6:00 am; or maybe your student is not clearly thinking until 8:30 or 9:00 am. Although having most classes in morning and early afternoon when student’s minds are fresher is the best plan, perhaps having a science or shop class with Dad after work will be just right for you. Time of day is specified in the Education Code for public schools. But operating under private school guidelines, you can choose to do what works for your family.

One additional freedom that homeschoolers now have in California is the freedom to choose whether to vaccinate their children or not. Full or partial or rescheduled vaccinations are, of course, options you may choose, along with the option for no vaccinations at all. As of July 1, 2016, private homeschooling (i.e., not including public charters) is the only legal schooling situation in California where parents retain this option under normal circumstances.

For more information on this topic, read here: Vaccine Requirement Questions.