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How to start home schooling during COVID-19: Requirements, curriculum and tips

August 15, 2020
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Back-to-school season is upon us, and districts in many states have unveiled plans for trying to safely reopen schools this fall amid coronavirus spikes. While some studies suggest that younger children are less susceptible to COVID-19, it’s still possible that they could infect teachers or relatives. That fear is leading many parents to explore home schooling for the first time. 



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About 3% of US students were home-schooled in the 2011-12 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But a poll taken in May of more than 2,100 parents found that 40% said they were more likely to home-school or virtual school after lockdowns. And states are reporting increases as well. Home school filings with the Nebraska Department of Education are up 21% over this time last year. So many North Carolina parents accessed the state portal for registering new home schools the first day it was open this month that it crashed. 



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Read more: Best back-to-school gear under $100 for 2020

The nonprofit Home School Legal Defense Association has seen inquiries about home schooling increase at least 20% over the same time last year, said spokesperson Sandra Kim. 

“States are now releasing what they’re going to do for the fall, and I think many parents have decided that they’re not happy about what is being offered,” Kim said. 

Home schooling is not the same as public school moving online, as many did in March due to the pandemic. Home schooling means that you’ve turned in a notice of intent to your child’s school district, which states that you’re no longer a part of the public school system and are taking charge of your child’s education on your own. 


May and June have seen the tentative, gradual reopening of schools, retail outlets and houses of worship around the globe. The extent of the easing varies from country to country and city to city. But one thing is for sure: Most parts of the world look very different than they did just a few months ago and likely will for some time. Here are some examples. On June 6, delegates at a conference for German political party SPD Dortmund display paper ballots from the windows of their cars. The party is holding its conference, and the assembly of representatives before the local elections, at an open air drive-in cinema in western Germany to minimize the risk of coronavirus infection. Most restrictions on public life in Germany due to COVID-19 have now been lifted.



A store inside the massive Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota, advertises limited hours and limited store capacity on June 10, the first day the mall was open since March. The mall initially planned to reopen on June 1, but the opening date got pushed back due to widespread unrest in the area over the death of George Floyd in police custody.



At another shopping mall, Jakarta’s Senayan City, every other urinal is blocked on June 9 to comply with social distancing protocols. The mall reopens June 15.



Plastic screens divide treadmills at a fitness center in Hannut, Belgium, on June 8, the first day of the country’s phase 3 of reopening.



Hairdressers clad in protective coveralls, shoes and gloves tend to customers in a New Delhi salon on June 5.



Members of the Thokoly street synagogue in Budapest, Hungary, attend Friday evening Sabbath prayers on June 5 while observing social distancing.



In a reopened shopping mall in Bangalore, India, on June 10, visitors use escalators marked with social distancing signs.



In the parking lot of the Burnaby Winter Club in Burnaby, Canada, on May 7, kids put on their hockey gear in outdoor, socially distant stalls. The club reopened May 6 for the first time since March 13, though a return to games and full hockey practices appears to still be a ways off.



On May 13 in Charleston, South Carolina, Apple store workers and security guards prepare customers to enter the reopened store. Visitors now have to have their temperatures taken and wear masks in the store. Apple is also reopening some stores in Florida, California, Washington, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Colorado and around the world.



A woman walks through a disinfecting gate before entering a shopping mall in Karachi on May 19.



Every other changing room at a store in Dresden, Germany, can be seen cordoned off with tape on May 6 to keep customers apart from one another as they try on clothes. Shopping centers in the state of Saxony were allowed to reopen as of May 5.



On May 6, a customer at a shop in Vitoria in northern Spain tries on shoes with a plastic bag and gloves. Small shops in the area were allowed to open in early May, with clients attended to individually and by appointment.



On London’s Seven Sisters Road on May 19, a sign indicates that the road has been narrowed to vehicles to allow those walking on the sidewalk more space for social distancing.



A worshipper sits in a chapel at Sevilla Cathedral in Sevilla, Spain, on May 11. That’s the day the province started the first phase of reducing confinement measures established by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19.



Signs on a commuter train in Wellington, New Zealand, show passengers where to sit to follow social distancing measures. Shopping malls, cinemas, playgrounds and other public spaces reopened starting May 14, the day this photo was taken.



During a May 11 Wushu martial arts training session in Bern, Switzerland, participants practice on a floor divided with white lines for social distancing.



A masked and gloved worker at a beauty salon in Athens, Greece, gives a customer a manicure from behind a plexiglass screen on May 4. That’s the day the Greek government gradually started to ease restrictions on citizens’ movement and allow retail stores and businesses to operate in stages.



Friends from different households keep their distance while meeting in a Belfast park on May 19. Ireland is moving into the second phase of easing restrictions.



Customers practice social distancing in line at a bike shop in Namur, Belgium, on May 11, the first day of a partial lifting of the lockdown introduced two months earlier to fight the spread of COVID-19.



A machine scans body temperatures at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on May 14 as the airport gradually began to resume operations with new guidelines in place.



Before the Markant Uden theater in Uden, Netherlands, welcomed audiences again on June 1, it did a test run with plexiglass screens behind seats and partitions in between them. The theater presents live performances.



Primary school students get their temperatures taken as they enter school in Pingdingshan City, China, on May 8.



Muslims pray at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 8, while observing social distancing. The government has allowed mass prayers to resume as part of its move to ease the lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against COVID-19. Before entering the mosque, worshippers get sprayed with disinfectant.



At a gym in Dinslaken, Germany, on May 11, every other treadmill is taped off to keep gym goers from getting too close. As authorities continue to ease lockdown restrictions nationwide, businesses are reopening, tourism is becoming possible again and more children are back in school. At the same time, health experts are monitoring infection rates carefully for signs of any resurgence.



Employees of the Tchip hair salon in northern France carry out a test run on May 8 before officially reopening for business. The test included markers on the floor to keep customers far enough away from one another.



At another French salon, this one in Paris, Finance and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire (left) speaks on May 5 with a hairdresser who prepared his salon for reopening with dividers between shampoo bowls.



A guard outside the Bonarka mall in Krakow, Poland, checks visitors’ body temperatures as they enter the shopping center on May 8. Shopping centers across the country have started to reopen after seven weeks of lockdown, but with limits on the number of shoppers allowed in.



In the schoolyard at the Petri primary school in Dortmund, Germany, on May 7, students get a lesson on social distancing from school director Juan Carlos Boeck. The school reopened the week of May 4 for some pupils following lockdown.



Students at an Islamic boarding school in Bogor, Indonesia, keep their distance while reciting Quran at the Daarul Quran Mosque on May 8.



At the German Historical Museum in Berlin, a sign on the floor at the entrance to the exhibit “Hannah Arendt and the Twentieth Century” reminds visitors to keep their distance. The exhibition opens May 11 and traces Arendt’s observations on subjects including totalitarianism, anti-Semitism, refugees and the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem. Museums across Germany are beginning to reopen as authorities continue to ease coronavirus lockdown measures.



30/30 SLIDES

Even parents who work full time can find ways to home-school, said Brian D. Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute. That might mean connecting with local support groups and cooperatives, or getting a relative involved to help. 

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Whether you’ve already decided to home-school your child this academic year or if you’re still exploring your options, here are the six tips for getting started with home schooling. 

Read more: The best 5 affordable Chromebooks for back-to-school or distance learning

1. Find out your state home school requirements

Home schooling is legal in all 50 states. However, every state has different home schooling laws and requirements, which you can find on your state department of education’s website. You can also find a list of laws by state on the site A2Z Homeschooling. These might include hours, subjects and testing.

2. Search for home school groups

You’ll find both national and local groups on Facebook — just search for “home schooling” and your town or county. If you already know someone in your area who home-schools, ask them for help, too. Many areas have home school pods or co-ops where you can pair up with other families for lessons. This might look different due ot COVID-19, but may still exist in some form — perhaps outdoor, socially distanced classes.  

Finding a home school community in your area can help you with just about everything — navigating curriculum options, setting up a schedule and just figuring out what you’re doing. It also potentially gives you the opportunity to share the teaching burden with others, and give your kids some social time. 

3. Choose a school space and a schedule

Decide where your home school space will be — ideally, somewhere where everyone can sit comfortably and concentrate. This might mean using the kitchen table, or putting desks in the basement, Kim said. 

One of the perks of home schooling is that your schedule can be far more flexible than in a traditional school. If your kids are early risers, start the day earlier. Depending on their learning style, you may also be able to move more quickly through some lessons and free up time for afternoon activities, like visiting a park. 

Read more: Our favorite back to school picks for 2020

4. Look for curriculum options

Searching for lessons online can be overwhelming — there are hundreds of options available. You can find boxes that provide books and curriculum materials for a whole year of a given subject, or fully online programs. What you choose should depend on your child’s learning style, and what you feel comfortable with as a parent teacher. 

Many people take a hybrid approach, Kim said: A parent might teach reading and writing, and have their child take a math course online, along with “electives” like coding or a language. 

Whatever blend you choose, you don’t have to spend much money on curriculum. On average, parents spend around $600 per year per child for materials. But there’s a very wide range: Some spend under $100, and others spend thousands, Ray said. You can definitely get by for relatively little cost: A lot of home school groups sell or trade used curriculum boxes, so you might get something that originally cost a couple of thousand dollars for just a couple of hundred. 

You can find free or low-cost online courses on sites like Khan Academy, Varsity Tutors and Outschool.

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 5. Be flexible about home schooling

Home schooling offers you a great opportunity to take advantage of the world around you, Ray said. Say you notice a bird’s nest built in your backyard — you can throw out the science lesson you were planning for that day and instead pull out the Field Guide to North American Birds and pivot to learning about that together. 

This might seem strange at first, but remember, “you do not need to recreate an institutional school in your home,” Ray said. “If you do, you’re going to miss out on many of the benefits of home-based education.” 

6. Realize that it’s not going to be perfect

Keep your expectations in check, Kim said: Your child probably won’t master a new language or move up two levels of math in their first year of home schooling. Reading, writing and math are still the most important areas to focus on, she added. Plus, there will be a learning curve for both parents becoming comfortable as teachers, and kids getting used to their parents as teachers. 

“Next year is going to be very strange for everyone, whatever you choose to do,” Kim said. 

For more on coronavirus and education, check out these free or low-cost K-12 online classes and activities, classes to learn to code and how to help parents and students navigate education during COVID-19. 

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