Homeschooling while working can be scary!
There are a few stigmas about homeschooling children that can make the idea of it be very frightening for some adults.
For starters, the curriculum can become very expensive and only gets more expensive as the children get older. Also, there are no federal tax breaks for homeschool expenses like the curriculum or school supplies. And on top of it all, if you are a homeowner and homeschool your children, you still have to pay school taxes!
While these do strike fear into some, there are ways to alleviate the stress and panic while homeschooling. Ultimately, following some of these steps will make the entire experience more enjoyable for you, the children, and your wallet!
Using Your Brain While The Kids Use Theirs!
If you think about it, choosing to homeschool is already cutting a major cost that most parents endure in this country: daycare. Whether it be an after-school program, a standalone daycare business, or an at-home independent worker watching the children, that cost is cut out as you are home with the children already and can keep an eye on them!
Remember, you are the teacher and it is your classroom! If work needs to be done, the children can be working on assignments or activities while you are accomplishing your work! The balance of work and teaching is key to the success of the children as well as you!
The Reality Of Homeschooling Costs
Homeschooling is not an easy job, to begin with, but it makes it even more difficult when looking at the expenses. According to Time4Learning.com, an online resource for homeschool families, the average cost of homeschooling children ranges from $700 to $1,800 per child per year.
These numbers include the curriculum, which is the most expensive item you will run into. For example, a 36-week curriculum for ages 5-7 costs $710 on BookShark.com. According to MovingWithMath.com, a literacy-based math curriculum for a fifth grader for $660.
Now that we’ve seen the truth of the numbers, let’s talk about how we can manage it with your time!
Ways To Cut Homeschooling Costs
Budgeting – The very first thing anyone should do when thinking about homeschooling is to budget out everything you will need: textbooks, school supplies, and other necessities, but also your time. Keeping a budget on paper and planning everything out makes it easier to understand how much needs to be kept aside for the schooling in order to make the experience best for all parties involved, as well as how much time will be for schooling and how much will be used for work.
Team up with other parents – Don’t be afraid to check the neighborhood for other parents who already homeschool or are thinking about it! Sometimes all it takes is asking around and this can drastically decrease the costs if multiple families are involved in the funding or can split the time teaching in order to maximize work for all!
Look for free materials to use – KhanAcademy.org, which is offered at no cost but asks for monetary donations, offers online classes for all grade levels including advanced placement courses for high school students. This is just one example of a free resource that can be used when in a pinch.
Save money, but be fun – When homeschooling, you will still need to make the day entertaining when you can, which may include field trips and other various educational activities throughout the year. There are plenty of fun options to be educational, fun, and cheap at the same time. Your local zoo is a great place to learn for a low cost, as well as art and history museums. These trips can be broken into multiple days so they can fit into a lunch break, or can be early in the morning before a work day starts. Just be prepared with snacks!
Look For Other Ways To Pay For Homeschooling
Another option in the search for taking on the expenses of homeschooling is crowdsourcing. For starters, find the best platform to start your crowdsourcing like GoFundMe.com, which offers plenty of insight on how to fund your homeschooling efforts.
These crowdfunding platforms can be a big help when the money from work is going towards bills considering donations from more financially stable friends and family can go towards schooling. The reality is that everyone knows how tough it is to homeschool, and everyone wants the best for you and the children, so if it is needed, they will help where they can.
Don’t Be Scared
In the end, the numbers can be scary, but there are definitely ways to overcome the fear. If you start with budgeting out your money and time, and it seems logical to do it, then you should make it the best experience for you and the children being homeschooled as possible, all while working! There’s no reason to be scared if you’re prepared, and we know you will be!
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