Being the thorough couple that they are, they have already started doing their homework and they are quickly becoming aware that home schooling is a commitment. One that you only need to make one year at a time, but a commitment nonetheless. Home schooling is an amazing way to take control of your child’s education, especially if your child has a non-traditional learning style, is gifted, has special needs or even has a behavioral disorder. But that is not the only reason why you may want to home school your child. Of the thousands of children that are home schooled today, many of their parents (like my friends) are simply not happy with the education (both academic and non-academic) that the local school system is providing their children with.

So here are a few things you might want to consider before you take the first step:

Count The Cost
With most quality (and I emphasize the word quality) home schooling programs, there is a significant time commitment to made. As with any teacher, lessons plans need to be prepared, papers need to be graded, projects planned and field trips organized. Some programs are DVD based while others are internet based, however, you the parent will still need to set aside time to be “the teacher”.

Teaching Skills
You don’t have to be a teacher to home school your children. If you can read and write and communicate effectively, your children will learn. There are some extremely good curriculum programs with excellent teaching materials that will help you to both plan and teach. If you come across some really difficult topics or subjects, there is always the option of hiring a tutor.

Financial Costs
While homeschooling itself need not be expensive (some programs can cost as little as $200 a year) the opportunity cost of not being at work could challenge your family’s finances. Usually one parent will home school the children while the other works at home with the children.
This might require some sacrifice if the family is used to having two incomes.

Socialization
Homeschooling is a great way of having more control of who your child associates with. There is a less of a chance of meeting unsavoury characters that otherwise might be lurking in the school hallways. On the other hand it will require that you make an extra effort to ensure that your child still gets together with other children, preferably his/her age group.

Does Your Child Want To Be Home Schooled?
Some parents make the fatal mistake of assuming that their child wants to be taught at home – when in fact they don’t. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to teach a child who has made up their mind NOT to learn! Please take the time to speak to your child to make sure that they are willing to be a part of a homeschooling program.

Consider Your Approach
Which approach to homeschooling will work best for you? School at Home, Montessori, Classical homeschooling, Waldorf Method, there are many different approaches to teaching your children at home. You need to choose which approach will work with your child’s learning style, your schedule and your academic goals, Multiple Intelligences, Unschooling, Unit Studies, relaxed homeschooling, etc.

Get Connected!
There are many support groups that can be broken down by state, county and city. Some may be more helpful than others, but getting connected is a very important aspect of teaching your children at home. People have been doing this for years, so take the time to learn from their experiences, don’t reinvent the wheel!

One Step At A Time
While all of the above may seem a little overwhelming, the key thing that you need to remember is that you only need to take a step at a time. Also, if you do make the decision to homeschool you children, remember that you only need to commit one year at a time and if it doesn’t work for you, simply choose another option that works for you and your family.

I hope that this works as a good foundation or launchpad if you are starting to think about homeschooling your child.

Several months ago I heard from a parent in Pennsylvania that had this tactic used on her. She contacted me and asked me what I thought about this issue.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states the following: The obligation to make a free appropriate public education (FAPE) available to all children with disabilities does not apply with respect to the following: Children with disabilities who have graduated from high school with a regular high school diploma.

The truth is that a Certificate of Attendance does not make a child ineligible for special education services. IDEA also states that children with disabilities have the right to be educated from the age of 3 years to 21 years. As long as the child does not accept a regular education diploma, they are eligible to receive special education services.

Another thing that parents must keep in mind is the importance of functional skills as well as academic skills. When IDEA was reauthorized in 2004 Congress added a section about functional skills. A child’s IEP must now include present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. Make sure that your school district is testing your child in the area of functional performance.

For children over 13 years of age I recommend the Scale of Independent Behavior. It is performed by parent survey, which means that the parent answers questions about what their child can do and cannot do. This scale covers: activities of daily living, communication, functional skills, job skills etc. Awesome measure of a young persons functional ability.

Also the purpose of IDEA is to: prepare children with disabilities for further education, employment, and independent living. If a child who is 17 or 18 years old and is not ready for post school learning, a job, or independent living they may need additional years of education. Parents often overlook functional skills when advocating for their child’s education.

If your school district tries to tell you that a Certificate of Attendance ends your child’s right to further special education services, consider filing a complaint with your state board of education. In my experience the more parents stand up to special education personnel who are not truthful the less they try and get away with. Do not let your child’s life be ruined by deceptions from some special education personnel. Good Luck-keep up the fight!

By now you have probably sent in the FAFSA (Free Application For Federal Student Aid) and that has been forwarded to your preferred school(s) of choice. When they make their decision on what to offer you, don’t be surprised if it is less than you expected. Here are a few tips to help you negotiate for a better package.

1. Don’t be afraid to negotiate. Think about the last time that you bought a car or your home. Very rarely do you agree to pay full price. There are always some negotiating that goes on and the financial aid offices are willing to talk. You just need to know the right way to approach it. Don’t go into the negotiating screaming and threatning, but don’t be soft either.
2. Send a pre-approach letter before you make any phone calls. In the letter, express gratitude for being accepted and that you appreciate their consideration. Then explain any financial hardships that you or our family may be going through.
3. When you see your award packages, take all the free money they offer. If they offer certain loans, try and get them to change those to grants. If you are un-successful then be slow in accepting their loans. Sometimes you can find better deals or more scholarships from third party sources and this may be a better route to go. There are some thir party places that are pretty good like ScholarshipExperts.com, or FastWeb’s Free Scholarships Search.
4. It’s okay to live at the dorms and sell your car or not drive quite a nice car. I think that many parents and students think that the student should live the same lifestyle at school as they did at home when the fact of the matter is that student life is different then home life in many ways, financially is one of them. Get rid of the credit cards for shopping and dinners. Live on a cash budget and control your spending.

Most importantly, don’t automatically accept that because you think you should receive a great package you are going to. There are thousands of students applying for the limited funds that are available, but many of them do not realize that you can and should negotiate.

Take a proactive role and you might be surpised at what you can accomplish.