Many parents are choosing homeschooling, and the number is growing. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, approximately 3% of school-aged children are homeschooled, which is over 1.5 million kids. According to A2Zhomeschooling.com, the growth rate from 2012 to 2013 averaged about 7.6%, while public school enrollment was nearly stable.

Why is the homeschool community growing?

Parents have reported that they are concerned about the current educational system, state testing, safety/security, and the special needs of their children.

However, my heart jumps for joy when I hear parents say they want to homeschool because they want to be INVOLVED in their child’s education.

We teachers know that INVOLVEMENT is key to any child’s education.

What are the benefits of homeschooling?

Homeschooling families benefit by:

• Having a flexible schedule that meets their children’s needs
• Customizing the curriculum to meet their children’s individual skill levels and educational needs
• Involving their children in real-life application of skills
• Allowing students to study topics of interest and high motivation (the BEST way for kids to learn, right?)
• Providing deeply vested parental involvement

What are the benefits of homeschooling for the community?

Communities can see many benefits of having active homeschools because homeschoolers:

• are visible in volunteer roles. Parents know that real-life experience is the best teacher, so homeschoolers look for volunteer opportunities for their children – even the very young.
• seek out local businesses and nonprofits for field trips.
• create special-interest groups (Hello, Lego clubs.)
• support and use public libraries and museums often.
• care about and care for local parks.
• participate in many public events as a group, often entire families.

The homeschool community of over 1.5 million children is thriving and growing. If you know of a homeschooling family, encourage them to subscribe to Evan-Moor’s newsletters for free resources, and check out Evan-Moor’s wonderful teaching materials.

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Contributing Writer

Amy Michaels is a certified teacher with 11 years of elementary classroom experience who is actively homeschooling her own children. Her mission is share the best teaching methods and resources with all homeschoolers. Amy supports parents through her podcasts, webinars, and online training for homeschoolers on her website http://www.thrivehomeschooling.com.