I am thinking of HomeSchooling in Colorado ....?

Question

My Daughter is 8 and in the Second grade. Due to lack of schools good judgement on a recent attempted child abduction we are thinking of taking her out. We live in Colorado, Does any one of any good websites; both information and curiculums? Also my child is currently on an IEP for reading help and Speach therapy, if we take her out where else could we go for help with these areas?

Once again any iformation about Colorado homeschooling, ect.. would be helpful

Answer 1

Start with HSLDA www.hslda.org. They give you all the legal stuff you need to know before you take her out.

For her speech they have to provide her with the therapy's she needs. It doesn't matter if she is in public school or not. You may also be able to get it through the state Medicaid program if she is on it. Go to your Dr for a referral to the out patient center for an evaluation.

For curriculum you will get a ton of suggestions. Mine are Math U See, Apologia Science, and Sonlight for the rest.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Before you jump into homeschooling....  attend a school board meeting and be the first to raise your concerns on the actions that they took when this took place... Also, let them know what YOU think the school should do to rectify the situation.  Homeschooling isn't the answer to every problem that people have with a school.  If you have problems with a schools policy you need to confront the superintendent and school board on it.  Not only will it make the school aware of parents concerns, it will help other parents who had the same concerns but weren't brave enough to speak up.

Answer 3

I don't have any "Good" web sites to share, only my experience.  Glean from my story what you can...

My son was a straight A student when he was in a small, neighborhood school.  I got transferred to a "metropolitan" area and there were lots of problems with non-English speaking students, drugs and gang violence.  His grades quickly tanked out.  We went to the teacher and the principle numerous times to no avail.

We were eventually offered an opportunity to "home school" him and had to bring him one every other week for testing and a review of the work we'd done.  Eventually, we were given opportunity to move him into a more disciplined school.  He did very well there, but then the very next year, they moved him back to the old campus with the same problems.  We dis enrolled him and found an umbrella charter group that would cover us legally.  We purchased their books and study materials.

In our second year with that group, we were sent a notice that the county school board would no longer recognize anyone having attended the program and they gave us option to either continue the program ending with a GED, or transfer back to the public school system.  We opted for staying with the program.  He has completed his course of study, is an auto mechanic (having attended a trade school) and on Tuesday next week, will be entering the Army.

Answer 4

I am a homeschooler (school at home) in Colorado.  We have two very good umbrella schools in CO that both have good curriculum.  First is COVA - Colorado Virtual Academy (www.covcs.org) and the others is Connections http://www.connectionsacademy.com/

An umbrella school is nice for a beginning homeschooler because you get the curriculum delivered to your door and the support of teachers.  I know that at COVA they do work with kids' IEP's, but I don't know how that works firsthand.

Another website with lots of information is:  http://www.freewebs.com/cchf/index.htm

I would recommend finding a homeschooling group nearby, and becoming active in it.  My daughters, ages 4 and 6 are also in a great homeschool girl scout troop.  We are on the south metro side.  If you want more information about this, please post it in your answer, I would not feel comfortable giving information about our meetings, etc. online.

Best of luck!

Answer 5

Since your DD is on an IEP, it would be easiest for you to enroll in a virtual charter public school such as COVA:

http://www.covcs.org/

I've used the same curriculum (K12) as COVA for over five years and LOVE it.

COVA can accept her IEP and work out her therapy.

Answer 6

Here's the link to laws in your state:

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?St...

Here's a link with general homeschooling info, such as pros and cons, statistics, etc:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

This link has info on homeschooling methods and some curriculum options:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Here's a homeschooling organization in your state that can help you find a local support group and events in your area:

http://www.chec.org/index.php

You could help her with reading at home, and find a private speech therapist, if necessary.

Good luck, and enjoy your journey!