Hello Erica:
As the Director of a private school for home based learners I wanted to reply to your post. Private schools established for the sole purpose of assisting and supporting home based learners can be as different and diverse as sunsets. Be sure that they can support you in YOUR personal family requirements. Be sure that the level of freedom to choose, plan, modify the curriculum, and facilitate offiered by the private school is comfortable for you.
We generally find that families with elementary age children enroll at our school for only one or two years. As these families gain confindence and experience, and become comfortable in their home programs routine they will leave and continue on their own. In this was private schools are a great advantage to new homeschooling families.
For older students we find that they enroll with us during the high school years so we can help them monitor the students and keep them on track to graduation using our graduation requirements that are aligned to the Colorado State requirements.
I would like to add a bit of a side note here that in CO we prefer not to use the words Umbrella or Cover as it sends up red flags to our legislators that these schools are "covering" for families not following the state mandates. Our school, Colorado Academy of Independent Learners, is an accredited private school dedicated to home based learners.
Feel free to contact us at anytime. I personally homeschooled my two, now adult, children independently, both of whom are doing very well with one at Univ. of CO. I liked to call myself and emancipated homeschooling mom.
Kerry Kantor
Director
Colorado Academy of Independent Learners
www.cail-school.org
