As the new school year approaches, many families will be starting their homeschooling year. For a variety of reasons, many parents are choosing to educate their children at home rather than at public, charter or private schools. (I’m still grappling with the whole education question myself. We’re pretty set for prekindergarten, but after that, everything is a HUGE question mark.) Fortunately, there are many resources available to support families that choose this path. I have highlighted seven of the most helpful NYC area ones below.
1. APPLE Family & Homeschool Group: This is a local and regional support group with members currently from Long Island, NYC and Upstate. Families with children of all ages are welcome to their various activities and functions. There are no membership dues to join APPLE. Contact them at info@APPLEnetwork.US or visit their site for information on how you can get involved.
2. Brooklyn African American Homeschool Connections (BAHC): Since 2005, they have helped African American and Caribbean families in Brooklyn and the tri-state area to homeschool their children. They hold events, share information about NY homeschooling laws as well as network with educational facilities and other homeschooling families nationwide. They also maintain an online Yahoo! Group. For more information, please contact their founder Lynn Scanterbu at homeschlscant@yahoo.com.
3. Home Instruction in New York State: This New York State Education Department site includes general information; a questions & answers section and a list of home instructing parents groups. You can visit their website.
4. New York City Home Educators Alliance (NYCHEA): Serving New York City, this group has general monthly meetings. Members pay annual dues (currently $36) which entitle them to a NYCHEA membership card; a 1-year subscription to the monthly NYCHEA newsletter; and participation in NYCHEA-sponsored events, classes and workshops. For general information, please contact Isabel Alverez at idalvarez@hotmail.com or visit their website.
5. New York Home Educators’ Network (NYHEN): This is a diverse group of homeschoolers. They host a variety of email lists at Yahoo! Groups; keep parents aware of current legislative issues; and they have a network of lawyers who can help home educators with legal problems. For more information, visit their website.
6. Queens County Homeschoolers: This group is open to homeschoolers located in Queens, Manhattan, Long Island and surrounding areas. They offer park dates, play dates, teen nights, mom’s nights out, field trips educational opportunities, a socialization network and more. Please include your full name, phone number (with area code), and the town that you reside in when making an initial email inquiry. You can contact them at queenscountyhomeschoolers@yahoo.com or visit their site.
7. The Uhuru Homeschool Hut: Based in the North Bronx, this is a small group of homeschoolers that meet weekly. They focus on a holistic and balanced African and multi-cultural curriculum. For more information (or if you would like to join), please call (212) 696-6601 or visit their site.