I have a friend who’s fifth grade daughter is struggling with a host of mental and physical health issues who is looking for a good quality online homeschooling curriculum, one that reputable and accredited. Any experience with these programs? Any recommendations? The websites promise a lot, but it is hard to judge quality.
Unless the parents really want to homeschool, my suggestion would be one of the online charter schools. Our state has districts that host K12, Epic, and Connections Academy. You just apply to transfer into the host district; because it’s public school it’s trivial to transfer back to your home district if circumstances change. Free, and they provide all materials, including a computer, plus certified teachers if you need help. Not every state offers that option, but if theirs does, that’s where I’d start.
Perhaps you friend could contact area homeschoolers and learn from them about options. There are also homeschooling yahoo groups where she could connect with people who are using a variety of homeschooling curriculum.
I’ve homeschooled for over 2 decades and I would encourage your friend to simply pull her daughter out of school and start simply with a stack of interesting library books. Spend a few weeks reading together and then slowly incorporate the other subjects. But first this young girl may need to detox from formal schooling as it has clearly (based on your post) been a source of stress. So let her destress for a time and allow school time to be pleasant. And if a child is reading/being read to, that child will be learning. My 2 cents.
Thanks, I will share these ideas with her.
Do the mental and physical issues prevent her from being able to attend school? If so, and the oarents canorovide documentation…they could,contact their public school. The child,could be eligible for home bound tutoring.
My child was homeschooled for a while due to health reasons. We used Florida Virtual School, which is a public school if you’re in Florida but also accepts tuition paying students from other states and countries. I was very happy with the curriculum and the responsiveness of the teachers.
FLVS has an elementary and middle school program, but we didn’t use them as my son’s illness occurred in HS.
The physical and mental illnesses do not prevent her from attending school, however, she has a chronic bowel problem that requires the use of basically adult diapers to prevent embarrassment when it flares up, and this has lead to a lot of school refusal behaviors and anxiety as you can imagine this would for a 10 year old girl.
They should talk to the school first…they should have “homebound” schooling available…talk to the guidance counselor about what they think of that vs. online/charter
Yes, we are working that angle too. Just helping her to explore all options.
Oak Meadow is another option. http://oakmeadow.com/what-we-do/our-approach/distance-learning/
Fwiw, I have not ever heard of families having problems with placement when returning to ps prior to high school. Most issues arise when a student returns after 9th grade. (That is just a general observation based on homeschooling for 20+ yrs in multiple states. Of course, she needs to be aware of what is the norm in her district.)