I wanted to hop on here today to let you know that I recently had the privilege of being a guest on Scholé Sisters, a podcast for classical Christian homeschool moms who want to “learn and grow as they help their children learn and grow.” I’ve been listening to Scholé Sisters since show one (or rather episode SS#00) dropped NINE years ago. To say I’ve been blessed by these ladies over the years would be an understatement. So you can imagine my delight at the opportunity to chat with Brandy and Mystie on their most recent episode, SS#152: School Choice–Freedom isn’t Free.
State funding for private education–including homeschooling–is a hot topic these days. If it isn’t in your state yet, it’s likely on its way. The rhetoric and intentions may sound noble, and in the short-term it may seem like a great deal: free homeschooling! And given the amount of money some states are handing out, you may be able to quadruple (or more) your current purchasing power.
But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Is there a catch?
The simple answer is: No, it’s not. And yes, there is. You’ll find there’s far more than one catch. There’s a whole slew of strings attached and unintended (or intended?) consequences. “Free” homeschooling does not equal homeschool freedom.
The thorough answer is: listen to the podcast. 🙂 It’s a long one, but well worth it, I promise!
If you are wondering why I would dedicate space on this blog to such an issue, why I would light up my social media accounts with it, then I think you’ll appreciate hearing my story–how I got involved in researching this issue last May, and how it became personal very, very quickly.
The podcast covers my experience with a “school choice” program rolling out in my home state of Arkansas, as well as Brandy’s experience in California and now in Texas. We also discuss key principles that you can use to evaluate any “school choice” legislation or programs in your own state (or country).
The details may differ from state to state, but the basic principles remain the same.
I strongly encourage you to give this episode a listen. The future of homeschooling and private Christian education in America may very well depend upon our understanding of these principles–and our courage to act upon them…or not.
Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram. More memes and videos forthcoming. 😉
[In case anyone is wondering, I still stand by everything I’ve said before about Instagram. Please don’t take my presence as an encouragement for you to hop on if you aren’t already there. My only motivation to be back on IG is to help get the word out about *this issue*. If that doesn’t tell you how important this is, I don’t know what will.]
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It’s been suggested that the average spending for one homeschooled child for one year can range from $250 to $2,500 (other estimates say $700-$1700, but I don’t take that lower number seriously—it’s too high).
The families who spend on the higher-end of that range are likely paying for private tutors, expensive co-ops, on-line courses, or pre-packaged programs with all the bells and whistles.
But I know families who have spent less than $100 per child (or even for the whole family!) in a given year. And often in my experience, some of the highest-achieving homeschool students I know come from families with the most frugal homeschool practices. While some level of monetary investment in your child’s home education is necessary and worth it(!!!), beyond the point at which the real necessities are covered for your family, more money in does not necessarily equal more education out.
You do not have to break the bank (or use government funds) to give your child an excellent education at home. Here’s a word from a good friend of mine who, like me, has been homeschooling for well over a decade:
“I discovered after the first year that I could do this gig fairly cheaply. The most money I have spent in a year, when I was homeschooling three kids was $500. This year, I spent less than $100 [for two kids].” And I happen to know that her kids are doing quite well.
My own family spends a bit more than that on average. (That’s why I consider this friend of mine to be a true queen of frugal homeschooling!) But our homeschool spending, even in our highest years, still stays pretty close to the low end of the average spending listed above. Averaging across all eleven years we’ve been homeschooling, we probably come out close to $200-$400 per student per year.
Old-school homeschool moms know how to do their job well on the cheap. Here’s how it’s done:
0. Start with Why
After compiling this list, I realized that one of the most foundational reasons that we are able to homeschool on the cheap is because we have a view of education that is far bigger and broader than the promises made by curriculum providers and other teachers that would charge high dollar to be a part of our homeschool. We don’t want to replicate public school at home. We know that real-life learning is just as valuable as book learning (if not more so!). We want to prioritize family life over a ton of out-of-the-home activities. Quality literature is more important than busy work. Christian discipleship in the home is of far greater importance than the standards measured by norm-referenced tests (though by aiming at the higher thing, we’ve gotten the lesser thing thrown in, too).
Develop a mission statement for your homeschool. Dig in to biblical theology and educational philosophy so you can weight the ideas and claims floating all around you against a standard of what is truly good and right for children. If you’d like to know what that looks like for our family, check out these articles on Why We Homeschool and How We Homeschool.
Curriculum resources are tools to help you educate your children. They are not the substance nor the goal of education. Arm yourself by thinking things through before you go shopping.
Ok, now for that Top Ten list!
1. Pass on Pricey Tech
Let’s just start with a statement that might be controversial (but it shouldn’t be): You don’t need much more than books, paper, and pencils to give a child an excellent education. Public schools are handing out tablets, but that won’t actually improve the quality of education for students (though it’s sure to help tech companies). Screens cannot replace books and human interaction. YOU are far more valuable to your child’s education than anything they could access on a screen.
There is literally no need for kids under age ten to be doing any school on a device or computer. The only exception to this is when you, as a parent, believe it’s an appropriate time to teach your child typing skills. And even then, it’s actually just fine for kids to share a computer. Taking turns is a life skill, after all.
If YOU have a device/computer and access to a printer for your needs as an adult and for printing off any worksheets or online resources you may use, then you have all the tech you need. Don’t cave to the pressure that your kids are missing out if they don’t have their own personal tech devices—for school or any other purpose. This is actually where frugality wins big—you will be giving your child a childhood free from screen addiction. That alone will bolster their ability to learn and grow academically and in pretty much every other way as well.
2. Borrow What You Can / Find Books for Free
From lesson books to literature to science kits and more, you may have way more opportunities to borrow what you need than you now realize. Ask around to swap these items with friends—you can even arrange to swap teaching particular skills or in-person lessons. This year, one of my sons is using another family’s Arkansas history textbook since the other family doesn’t have a student who needs it this year.
Long-time homeschoolers love their local libraries, so don’t underestimate them. And don’t forget that if your public library doesn’t have a title that you need, you can request the title via InterLibrary Loan. But also remember that we are by no means limited to the public library. My local homeschool support group has a well-stocked library full of carefully curated books, curriculum, DVDs, and more—all items that can be checked out for an entire school year, if needed.
There’s a university in my town, as well. Residents can get a library card—it’s not just for college students! I have found that the children’s / education section of this library has a different if not better collection of classic children’s books than the public library.
You can find free books online, as well. Check out ebooks and audiobooks using Libby, an app that works through your public library system.
Librivox.org is a great resource for free audiobooks on titles that are in the public domain. You can listen online, in the app, or download the mp3 files. Librivox has supplied us with good listening on many family road trips! Check out Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.
Gutenberg.org similarly has free ebooks available online. Public domain and hard-to-find-in-print books can be found here.
3. Buy Used / Scratch-and-Dent / Big Sales
Old-school homeschoolers know that a well-curated home library is one of the greatest assets to a successful homeschool. And they know how to build that asset over time. A 25 cent book here, a $2 book there. Don’t be afraid to dig through bargain bins and garage sale boxes and dusty used bookstore shelves to find gold. Don’t know what books to look for? There are great book lists available in book form or online to help you know when you’ve found a good one: Honey for a Child’s Heart, Read for the Heart, at the back of this incredibly helpful book on Christian homeschooling: Educating the WholeHearted Child; AmblesideOnline’s free curriculum is a treasure trove of resources and book lists by year, and here’s a private classical Christian school’s literature list for elementary. Any of those can get you more than started.
Be sure to take advantage of any local homeschool used book sales in your area or region. While online shopping may feel convenient, in-person used book sales give you the opportunity to flip through the curriculum items and books before you purchase them, and you may even be able to ask other homeschool parents what they think about different programs right there on the spot. Making real-life connections with others on this homeschool journey is a blessing, so run to these in-person opportunities rather than away from them.
There are, of course, many ways to find used books and curriculum resources online: HomeschoolClassifieds.com, Facebook Marketplace, scratch-and-dent options at your favorite book sellers or curriculum companies, and shopping for used items at Amazon.com, to name a few.
4. Reuse Curriculum Books and Resources with Younger Children
Do you have more than one child in the home? The cost of homeschooling your first child does not have to be doubled by adding another student! Nearly all of your materials can be reused down through the whole family if you are strategic about the types of resources you purchase and how you use them.
Purchase quality, classic books that will stand the test of time and hold up against wear and tear. Classic children’s literature isn’t tied to movies or fads. And the best books for girls are good stories for boys, too, and vice versa. Don’t fill your shelves or drain your bank account for books that don’t have staying power.
Avoid consumable texts. Worksheets and workbooks can be a blessing where they fit best for you and your children, but you will save money by either limiting their use or using them in non-consumable ways. You can have your children write their work and/or answers on a separate piece of paper instead of writing in a workbook. Another clever option that we used for math facts practice was to put math sheets inside of page protectors and have the kids write their answers with dry-erase markers. Once mom checks the work, it gets erased. And the page is ready for tomorrow or the next day or for the next student in two years.
At times it may feel more painful to have your child copy from the book and write a heading and problem numbers and answers out on their own sheet of paper. But kids eventually get over whining about these things if you are consistent about requiring them. And having kids that don’t whine about writing basic information on a sheet of paper is an asset to their character in the long run. Again, the habits formed by frugality can be a blessing to your homeschool rather than a liability.
5. DIY Do It Yourself
Back in the day, the really old school homeschool moms HAD to do a lot more of their own lesson planning. My mother-in-law made her own worksheets, crossword puzzles, mazes, and quizzes for my husband and his siblings!
I’ve done a little bit of the same at times for our homeschool. My kids participate in the spelling bee (we have never done a purchased spelling curriculum!), and I would write silly sentences using words from their list. This made for entertaining copy work for my elementary kiddos.
Lots of copy work for early elementary can either be simply written out by hand or made online. (Here’s one example of a handwriting practice sheet generator!)
Your growth as a mother-teacher can enable you to save money in your homeschool. Learn to teach basic skills without curriculum or with the most efficient and cost-effective curriculum. (Some simple curriculum items: 100 Easy Lessons for phonics/reading, Our Mother Tongue for middle to high school grammar in just one book.) Language arts can be taught simply by reading aloud (both to the child and having them read aloud to you), copying a paragraph from the book, gently correcting any errors and explaining the basic grammar of an example sentence, memorizing a poem or passage of scripture, etc. It may be hard to believe, but workbooks and textbooks aren’t really necessary.
6. Make the Most of Local Community
I cannot stress enough how important it is to connect with other like-minded homeschool families. It doesn’t have to be a co-op, and especially not an expensive academically-focused one. Building relationships with other families on this journey provides more than just resources—it provides encouragement and shared wisdom.
My family has been a part of an old-school homeschool support group for eleven years. It currently costs $70 per year for the whole family to join, and that includes access to a homeschool library.
I also organize an old-school, moms-pitch-in Co-op. We enjoy enriching lessons and activities but most of all a close-knit fellowship. No one pays a dime to join.
There may be other clubs or organizations in your area that can enhance your homeschool for free or at a reasonable cost. Don’t forget about other community events and activities. State parks often have free or low cost guided nature tours. And of course self-guided nature walks are a free and long-time staple of homeschooling.
7. Leverage Rewards Programs
Use credit card rewards points (if you can use CC’s responsibly) for homeschool purchases. I rarely buy new books without using points. This is another great way to build that home library. You can also see if your favorite vendors or websites have their own rewards programs to take advantage of.
8. Enlist Extended Family
Ask grandparents or other interested relatives to forgo unhelpful toys and candy and instead buy birthday and Christmas gifts that enrich their grandkids’ education (open-play toys or building sets, bird feeding/watching supplies, music lessons, instruments, helpful DVDs, quality literature, intelligent board/strategy games, etc). And don’t forget that extended family members may have hobbies and skills and stories they can share—family time is formative. Building these relationships is more important that just adding on another costly activity with strangers.
From my friend: “I don’t use very many online resources at all, but I do like lizardpoint.com for geography quizzes.”
My family has enjoyed Prodigies Music lessons (It’s pricey now. I got in on the lifetime deal early when it was very inexpensive—there’s another tip: get in on a start-up). But there are also free solfa music lessons that some of my friends have enjoyed. One year we purchased an online Spanish lesson subscription (we got it for half off with a Black Friday deal). In my experience, language lessons and music are some of the best candidates for online learning, just keep in mind that there are free versions of those things—you don’t have to purchase anything if you do some digging on YouTube. Just keep “auto play” turned off and don’t leave your kiddos alone with the internet. Our kids don’t watch anything online by themselves. It’s just not a habit worth building.
10. Pray and Practice Christian Contentment
This tip really isn’t a last resort. It ought to flow through and undergird all of the tips on this list.
The Lord cares for you and your children. Do you believe this? Enough to trust Him that your loaves and fishes will be enough? It’s tempting to look at all the shiny curriculum and fancy courses available to homeschoolers these days and imagine that we are missing out.
We have so much available to us today, it really is amazing! But it doesn’t mean that we need all of these things in order to homeschool well! Don’t let curriculum marketing prey upon your mother-teacher insecurities, promising to fill your lack of experience with their expert teachers, scripted lessons, convenient this-and-that, and blah blah blah. You’ll get the experience simply by teaching your child. So the best thing to do is simply start.
Don’t let Instagram images and curriculum ads get to you. If you are willing to learn alongside (and sometimes just ahead of) your children, you will do well. If you trust in the Lord to provide for you and your children, and if you are committed to walking in His ways and guiding them to do the same, you will do well. Don’t forget why you took on this homeschool gig to begin with. The curriculum resources are simply tools to help you accomplish something way bigger. Don’t let them steal the show or make you feel inferior if you can’t have the shiniest program. You don’t need it. You really don’t.
You can do this. Bring your own skills and creativity and passion to the work of homeschooling, and you will bless your family in unique ways that no curriculum could have done for you.
If putting these tips into practice isn’t enough to make it possible to homeschool…
Get Help: If you and your family are in dire straights, talk to the leadership of your local church to prayerfully consider sponsoring your family through a tough time. And check out HSLDA Compassion—they exist to help homeschool families in need to be able to continue to homeschool in the aftermath of devastating events.
If you are in good financial shape, would you consider giving to HSLDA Compassion? Or talk to your church leadership about how you can give to help families in your fellowship who are already willing to sacrifice to give their children a Christian education…but it simply isn’t adding up right now.
God’s people are equipped to love and support one another in raising up the next generation in the ways of the Lord. This is a noble goal to prayerfully pursue.
Well, that’s it for my top ten tips for homeschooling on a tight budget!
Do you have any other tips for frugal homeschooling? How do you save money on your child’s education?
It’s always a good idea to define terms at the outset of a public policy conversation. Unfortunately, that’s a rule not often followed.
Words are powerful, friends. They can powerfully inform, they can powerfully persuade, and they can powerfully mask reality, glossing it over with feel-good buzz words to garner our support or acceptance. “School Choice” is no different.
“Choice”
“Savings”
“Freedom”
Aren’t you ready to sign up when you hear those words?
But here’s the truth:
“School Choice”
“School Choice” is really about funding.
Now, some may object that “school choice” means the ability to choose which public school or public charter school to send your child to, even when those schools are outside of the district in which you live. And to that I say, yes. That’s a good use of the term “school choice.” But that’s not the “school choice” movement that’s sweeping state legislatures as I type.
You might also say that “school choice” just means the freedom or ability of parents to choose options other than public school. And I would say that’s another accurate use of the term. But the reality is that in all 50 states parents may ALREADY choose to pursue the private education of their choice and which fits their budget and priorities.
So when politicians are promoting “school choice” programs these days, they’re offering something other than the freedom to choose. They’re offering public funding for private education.
“Education Savings Accounts”
“Education Savings Accounts” may be the fastest-growing form of “school choice” among governors and state legislators today (I’m looking at you, AZ, AR, FL, IA, IN, MS, NH, SC, TN, [TX,] UT, WV). But they aren’t savings accounts at all.
You don’t put your money in them. You don’t get money from them. They’re funded by the government with money that travels through your hands and into vendor/provider hands. ESAs are really Education Subsidy Accounts.
“Education Freedom Accounts”
The cleverly-named “Education Freedom Accounts” in my home state of Arkansas (and New Hampshire) work the same way. They’re really Education Funding Accounts. And yes, you actually trade freedom for those funds.
There’s no such thing as free lunch. You pay for that money with decreased privacy, increased regulation, and psuedo-choice on the “approved vendors” market.
I suppose I could have also taken a shot at the fact that politicians promoting “school choice” programs like to tell us that their initiatives are pro- “free market.” But in reality, they’re pro- public-private partnerships, luring both buyers and sellers into a government-monitored and government-regulated market. A once-free market will be free no more. But teasing out market impacts is a task for another day.
The Bottom Line:
You already have the CHOICE. You are already FREE. The question is who funds your child’s education? And what freedom are you willing to trade for state funding?
That’s a trade I’m not willing to make.
It’s National School Choice Week, and I’m beginning to release the findings of my 7-month deep dive on this subject. Be sure to subscribe here on the blog and follow me on Facebook and Instagram so you can stay informed and share this important information with others (starting with this blog post? 😉 ). The freedom of private and home education is at stake. Multiple state legislatures are in session debating this issue RIGHT NOW. Thank you for helping me to get the word out.
Kept and Keeping 