Homeschooling in New York State?

Question

My son recently turned five years old and I homeschool him. We live in New York (state, not city) and I was told that I don't have to register him for kindergarten (though I can if I want), only first grade. We've been doing kindergarten work for about a year, just because he was ready for it) and I'm still working with him over the summer, so I'm assuming he'll be ready for first grade work by the fall. Do I have to register him based on that, or his age? What's involved in registering him? Do I have to submit a sylybus? Is it through the state, or through my local school district? Do I have to use pre-made cirriculum (i.e. Seton School) or can I do my own material (at least while he's young)?

Answer 1

Here's a link to the legalities of homeschooling in New York.

http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/New_Y...

It sounds like you are doing some wonderful things with your son. Keep it up!

Warm Regards,

Jana

www.purehomeschooling.com

www.summerhouseliving.com

Answer 2

You do not have to report until the year he turns 6 on or before December 1st.  My daughter learned to read when she was 4, so I reported that she was in first grade when she was 5.  One of my boys is slow, so I reported that he was in kindergarten when he was 6.  Check out www.hslda.org and click on New York State.to see the regulations in detail.  Basically you are supposed to write a letter of intent to the local school superintendent by July 1.  You will then receive paper work to fill out.  You will submit an individualized home instruction plan (IHIP) which is like a syllabus.  You will submit 4 quarterly reports and an end of the year evaluation which is either a standardized test or a narrative. You can use any materials that you want as long as the content complies with the regulations.  Some people use only the library!

Answer 3

We just moved from NY where I homeschooled.  I assume you are another Catholic homeschooler since you mentioned Seton!  Anyway, you don't have to use any particular curriculum.  You just have to meet the requirements.  Basically, you need to provide a letter of intent, a yearly plan of what you are going to do, quarterly reports, and some form of evaluation in certain years.  The requirements for your "Letter of Intent" to homeschool are based on age, not grade.  

The best place to go for information regarding homeschooling in NY, is LEAH.  It is Christian, not Catholic, but they provide you with sample letters, forms for your yearly plan, etc.  They have manuals that they can send you with everything you could possibly want to know about homeschooling in NY.  It is more detailed than the information from HSLDA, and with samples...  http://www.leah.org/  Anyway, seeing the samples made the "yearly plan" and "quarterly reports" much easier.  

We lived in the Finger Lakes area.