The first step we took regarding home school when we moved to Delaware was to contact the superintendent of the local school district that our children would have been attending had they been going to public school. We contacted them by letter, informing them of our decision to home school.
The superintendent then sent a letter outlining the steps we needed to take. The first thing we had to do was decide if we wanted to be registered with a home school association. If not, we needed to register as a home school with the Department of Education.
REGISTERING AS A HOME SCHOOL
1. Since we decided not to be registered with an association, we needed to complete the registration form he sent us and return it with the planned curriculum.
2. Once the superintendent received my registration form, he forwarded it to the Department of Education, who processed the request, assigned a school code, and sent enrollment forms.
3. In the spring I also receive an attendance report that I must fill out and return to the Department of Education.
4. In general--each fall I receive, fill out and return enrollment forms--each spring I receive, fill out and return attendance and graduate reports.
REGISTERING WITH A HOME SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
If we registered with a home school association, we needed to provide the superintendent with the information that we were registering with an association and which one.
1. Associations are responsible for enrollment and attendance reports to the Department of Education.
2. Each school has its own enrollment criteria, record-keeping requirements and fees.
3. Parents may be required to attend meetings and to assume positions of responsibility with the school structure.
There are several factors to consider in choosing a private school: *You need not choose the school that is closest to you.
*It would be wise to investigate several schools before deciding which one fits your family’s philosophical, religious and lifestyle considerations.
Planning curriculum is not difficult. There is a large variety of companies that offer curriculum, and curriculum kits and many books on how to develop your own curriculum.
