{Day 22} Finding A Support System
{For an overview of all 31 Days of Homeschooling click HERE.}
To advance to the next lesson, look for the “NEXT LESSON” link at the end of this article.
A priority when beginning homeschooling should be finding a support system. Whether physically or on-line, locating several people or groups that match a family’s needs is an important part of joining the homeschooling community. Though not every family may be looking to actually meet people and join activities, having support is still necessary for getting information and asking questions, too.
Homeschool support can be found in many places. Finding one homeschool family usually leads to other sources of support, which leads to more, and so on. Not every homeschool contact or support group will be the best fit, but they are great places to start until the right match is eventually found.
Some of the easiest ways to find other homeschoolers in a local city or town include:
- Asking someone at the public library. The children’s librarian often knows who the homeschoolers are.
- Asking a local professional, like a pediatrician or pediatric dentist, since they come in contact with many families that homeschool.
- Inquiring with a local moms group, like MOPS, Meetup, or “Mommy and Me”. Chances are, several families in the group are homeschooling already.
- Searching online for a local homeschool group, then calling the group leader to ask where to find support. If the group isn’t accepting any new members, the individual will most likely be able to refer to other groups instead.
- Reading a local paper or community web site. Homeschool groups often feature activities in newspapers and on community calendars. With any luck, a web address or a contact number will be listed. Attending the event is even better.
The best ways to find on-line support include:
- Searching the Internet for statewide homeschool organizations. Once a group is located, use the web site to search for a list of support groups in that state.
- Reading a homeschool magazine. Print publications often have web sites that list state homeschool organizations.
- Locating a homeschool legal organization. These groups are familiar with all of the larger, statewide homeschool organizations, and often list them on the web site, too.
- Searching for homeschooling blogs. Locating the blog of one homeschool family will lead to others just by reading the comments. Following these trails usually leads to the names of national homeschooling organizations, popular homeschooling web sites, and much more.
A little detective work is usually all it takes to find good homeschool support. Through trial and error, a reasonable fit is usually located within a few months. Searching for homeschool support never really ends, however, since needs change over the years as families learn and grow. But this time spent looking for support is well spent, since the benefits of knowing other homeschoolers can be priceless.
In THIS BOOK, I devote an entire chapter to finding the best support system, and talk about the specific benefits of joining a network in the area. Further articles on this topic may also be found, below.
Further reading:
Navigating the homeschooling blog-o-sphere
Park days offer fun and support
The homeschool “Open House” — benefits of attending
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