HOMESCHOOLING AND ALTERNATE EDUCATION
If you have school-age children , you are probably always weighing the options regarding your children ’ s education to find what is in their best interest . For many families , sending their children to traditional schools is the most sensible option . But for a growing number of families , home education has become an appealing alternative .
When it comes to homeschooling , we often think of a mom sitting at home with her kids , pouring over books and workbooks all day … a rather dated image . For some , this arrangement works well , but other families look for different solutions to make homeschooling a successful method for their children .
Today , there are tons options when it comes to homeschooling . Parents can choose to enroll their children part-time in public , private , or
Check these sources for more information :
Florida Virtual School ( Flvs . net ): 800.374.1430 Central Florida Homeschool Academy ( cfhacademy . com ): 407.227.6330 Gymnastics USA ( gymnasticsusa . us ): 407.614.8361
Laws and Regulations Concerning Home Education Florida Department of Education Website ( fldoe . org )
OCPS Home Education Department : Toney Shoemaker ( 407 ) 317-3314 toney . shoemaker @ ocps . net
www . thehomeschoolmom . com http :// www . iamhomeschooling . com / homeschooling-in-florida http :// fun4orlandokids . com / Programs-Classes / Homeschool /
magnet schools and continuing the rest of the education at home . Families can also join homeschool co-ops ( groups of parents and professionals who work together to teach ), like the Gymnastics USA co-op here in Winter Garden . Or they can enroll in small , homeschool-like academies where parents have more say in curriculum than in traditional schooling , like the Central Florida Homeschool Academy that will be opening up their second location here in Winter Garden at the Church of Christ on Daniels Road .
Another option is an online school . Nationwide , more than 275,000 K-12 students in the U . S . attended online school full-time during the 2014- 15 school year . A new third-party public opinion poll commissioned by Connections Academy also reveals that 86 percent of parents think America ' s K-12 public school students should be able to choose tuition-free online learning options .
Further evidence of this shift to digital can be found in the Class of 2016 , with many top graduates arriving at this important milestone via a nontraditional path - online learning . Connections Academy online schools ( affiliated locally with Florida Virtual School [ FLVS ]) are expected to graduate more than 4,000 students this year across 24 states - and many of those students will have completed their entire high school educations online . Recent 2016 graduates from Connections Academy-supported online schools were accepted to more than 690 four-year colleges and universities in each U . S . state including the District of Columbia , and others have plans to continue their education at twoyear colleges or vocational schools , start careers or enter the military .
Florida Virtual School offers coursework options for homeschool , more custom-tailored flexible virtual options , and the comprehensive fulltime , tuition-free option which earn a standard Florida diploma . To explore all that FLVS has to offer , visit their website at www . flvs . net .
Whichever avenue you decide is the best path for your child ’ s education , be sure to take a moment to explore all the alternatives there are available today . Gone are the days of simply “ public vs . private ” school decisions , and often with today ’ s youth , technology , combined with individualized attention , can certainly enhance the learning experience .
4 | WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2016