Homeschooling in Cali - Getting up to 5 Days Onsite
If you like homeschooling or puzzling together your child's education you are super lucky to live in California. We are one of the very few states that offer homeschool charter programs. In most other states you're on your own to privately homeschool or you have to do it all online. But here...we have so many options: from various hybrid homeschool charters with 1-4 days onsite to full homeschool charters that offer funding up to about $3,200 to use for ordering curriculum, classes, supplies, and fieldtrips.
BUT...what if you're a parent that finds some of these hybrid homeschools appealing and wishes your child could enroll but can't because you work full time. Or what if you want the thousands of dollars in funds to tailor your child's curriculum exactly the way is best for them but can't possibly do it because having your child home 5 days a week with no breaks for YOU seems overwhelming and impossible. Or maybe you worry about socialization for your child if they homeschool. Well, I'm here to tell you that there's a way to make your hybrid homeschool dream a reality. A way to get your child an individualized education just for them with more days onsite than you ever imagined. You won't believe all the socialization opportunities they'll have. How? Something else we have that's special are a lot of education centers. These are not schools but places we can send our children for enrichment classes. There are quite a few.
I'm going to focus on north county San Diego examples because that's where I live and have done a lot of research in this area. Here are some specific ways you can make a full homeschool or couple day hybrid homeschool program become several days or up to all 5 days onsite somewhere.
This is a very popular well established north county charter school.
Hear so much about it and wish you could do their two day A/B Track?
Let's turn their 2 day hybrid program into a full week of school:
*Tuesdays and Thursdays: Track A at Classical Academy Escondido 8am-2:30pm
*Mondays: Independent Learning Academy Carlsbad 8am-3:40pm
*Wednesdays: Rock Creek Education San Marcos 9am-3:45pm
*Fridays: Catholic Schoolhouse Co-op Carlsbad 8:40-12pm
Wow! That's 4.5 days! Your child will be doing lots of learning and socializing in 4 different locations. Pretty nice to have some variety in your week. Friday is a co-op so it's not drop off. Independent Learning Academy is Christian based. You may find some classes there that aren't faith based, but for the most part it is. Keep in mind, that your child would be enrolled in Classical Academy so they will have homeschool work for your child to do on their 3 days home. You will need to see how much work that will be and how to fit it in. Fortunately, ILA and Rock Creek allow single class choices so you can shorten your day.
Did that one look good, but not looking for any faith based days? Let's look at another example:
100% homeschool receiving $2,850 funds. Inspire is a very large homeschool charter in the area with many families enjoying their numerous programs and flexibility. Here is just one example of getting class days onsite. This one will focus on families that like outdoor school:
*Monday and Wednesday: The Native School Carlsbad outdoor school 8:30-12:45pm
*Tuesday and Friday: Smart Sprouts (Encinitas and Vista) outdoor school 10am-3pm
*Thursday: Hub4Homeschool Encinitas 9am-2:30pm
Fun, right? We live in San Diego so why not do outside learning most of the week? Inspire has a large amount of specialty onsite program vendors that you can pick and choose from. They even have LEGOLAND for STEM classes.
Here's an option for high schoolers:
A San Marcos based homeschool charter with great communication. $2700+ in funds. Lots of knowledge with advanced students and working with Palomar College for dual enrollment. Use your funds for the following programs:
*Tuesday/Thursday: Rock Creek Education San Marcos
*Monday/Wednesday/Friday: Palomar College
*Alternatively, Friday can be EMH Sports 11:30-12:30pm P.E. class, and every other week the teens usually have a socialization meet up.
As you can see, there are SO many different options for homeschooling in California, and north county San Diego is really special in that there are several education centers(not schools) that cater to homeschoolers wanting additional onsite options for their children. So, if the hybrid homeschool options sound exciting to you...check them out. If you want to homeschool but nervous, know that you have tons of support and actually have the option to have schooling somewhere just about every day. But the question now is: If your child does a homeschool program but attends education centers 5 days a week, what is it called? Is it still called homeschooling?
Looking for more options that fit YOUR child's individual needs? There are so many different ways to work a schedule. These are just three examples. Contact me at info@sandiegocountyschools.com. I'm happy to help north county families put together an education plan for their child.
About the Author: Cherylyn Pasetto is an education consultant in San Diego County. She currently specializes in north county schools and spreads awareness of school options to parents. She believes in all types of education options and enjoys helping families find the right fit for each of their children.
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