Homeschooling in New York

Hi my name is Johnna, and I am the new Time4Learning State Representatives for New York. I am a Christian, first of all, wife to the same wonderful man for almost 19 years, and mother of 3. I love having my children home; to watch them grow and develop is of utmost importance to me, and for me to have the primary influence in their lives, as opposed to school teachers and peers, is vital to their growth and development in my view. The other joy of my life is serving the Lord with my voice; I love to sing praise and worship music and Southern Gospel music.

Homeschool Laws in New York

Homeschooling in New York Can Be Difficult At Times

Homeschooling in New York can be difficult at times. In one respect it is good to have the accountability from the school districts, but on the other hand, who knows our children better, the school district or us? We have it reasonably easy in our area, because the gentleman who heads up the homeschool program is sympathetic to our desire to homeschool, but not all districts are so blessed. I feel that as long as our children are learning what they need to "succeed," and doing things they enjoy that they can also be learning from, I don't see the need for all the paperwork that New York State requires because it adds to the long list of work the parents have to do already in the teaching and raising of their children.


When a family decides to homeschool, and every year thereafter until the child graduates, a parent is to submit a letter of intent to homeschool by July 1. Within 14 days of the start of the school year, an IHIP is to be turned in to the district office. An IHIP includes a list of all curriculum a family intends to use and/or a plan of instruction and names of instructors, etc. They must also submit dates for submission of quarterly reports that they must turn in on or near those dates. Year-end testing is a requirement, although not every year until the ninth grade.

Each year I go back to the records I have on my computer and, using the forms, retype the information and print them out. Of course, hours of research go into determining which curriculum I will use prior to writing up my IHIPs. Quarterly reports are my weakest point - - I am not a good record keeper. Of course, Time4Learning has been a big help on that end, because of the portfolio kept for each child. In a nutshell, we fulfill the requirements the best we can, and that's all the district should ask.

To find out more about the legal requirements for homeschooling in New York, visit one of these sites: New York Homeschool Legal Requirement by HSDLA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association); Home-Ed Magazine's NY resource page -with information, articles, and state-specific resources; and info on Home Education in New York by Ann Zeise. You can also learn more at the New York Department of Education Homeschool page.

Finding Support and Resources in NY

The best local resource, especially for new homeschoolers, is the local LEAH (Loving Education At Home) group. A family can find one for their area by going to the New York State LEAH website . There is also an invaluable resource for information and legal counsel at HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) . There are a multitude of helpful websites for anything from spelling courses, history, science, and math as well as resources for buying and selling used curriculum.

Our Homeschool Days

Our homeschool days are quite uneventful since each of my children work pretty independently. My son Josh and daughter Mary take turns at the computer doing their Time4Learning. They intersperse chores and play time between their turns at the computer (they also eat... a lot!). Josh and Mary use T4L as their primary curriculum and we supplement it with other websites such as Internet4Classrooms.com or Mr.Nussbaum.com and activities such as working in the garden or volunteering at our local animal shelter. My oldest son, Clark, works at his Christian Light books independently, too, interspersing chores, reading and eating between subjects.

Choosing Homeschool Curriculum

Time4Learning is used by homeschool parents both as a primary curriculum and as a supplemental program to other materials such as Saxon, Alpha Omega, Five in a Row and A Beka. Some of the features that make Time4Learning so successful include:
Time4Learning appeals to a wide range of learning styles. Our online learning materials are especially well-suited to children who are visual or kinesthetic learners. These children can take advantage of Time4Learning's interactive, multi-media materials.
Children like using the computer to learn. It's a convenient, interactive homeschool resource that provides a welcome change each day to paper-and-pencil workbooks and textbook-based lessons.
Parents like that it tracks progress and helps children advance by clearly presenting and reinforcing the each lesson.
Time4Learning's self-paced, modularized lesson plans allow you to move forward and back through the materials whenever you want. You can skip lessons that teach concepts your child has already mastered and repeat those he or she has not. The choice is yours. With Time4Learning, you are always in control.
Time4Learning is proven effective with homeschoolers, has a low monthly price, is easy-to-use, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can make sure that it works for your children, risk free! Sign up for Time4Learning as part of your overall homeschool program.

If you have any more questions or comments about homeschooling in New York, why not contact me on the New York Parent Forum at: johnna0401.